9.1Site selection#

Active transport sites may use different sensing technologies, including pneumatic tube (for temporary bicycle counting), piezoelectric sensor (for permanent bicycle counting), passive infrared sensor (for pedestrian counting), and video analytics camera (to identify, count and classify pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, and prospective personal mobility devices). Display units may also be added as optional to some active transport sites to provide information for path users. However, placement and installation of a display unit is out of scope of this manual.

The general site selection considerations for traffic counters/classifiers prescribed in Section 7.1 also apply to the selection of suitable location for active transport site. In addition, for active transport, site locations with any of the following characteristics should be avoided:

locations where path users may stop, turn, or gather, resulting in double counting
locations where path users need to make turns or where the path is divided / split
locations where path users may stop or park on or over sensors of the site
locations that have poor lane discipline and frequent lane changing
for sites using piezoelectric sensors or pneumatic tubes, locations where active transport personal mobility device will not cross perpendicularly to the piezo or tube sensors
locations where path users may accelerate or decelerate due to geometry, traffic signals, or intersections unless the site functions as ancillary input to traffic signal controller which is out of scope of this section
locations where speeds may exceed 40 km/h (11.1 m/s), particularly for site that has display unit, which may be a safety hazard to cyclists travelling at high speed
locations where the detection of a path user could be obstructed by another path user
locations where there is poor access for installation and maintenance crews
locations with poor surveillance, and
locations that limit solar energy harvesting due to vegetation or high-rise buildings.

For sites using Video Analytics (VA) cameras, the following site features should be avoided:

locations that have poor illumination unless the camera has night vision capability
locations where there is obstruction or a likelihood of obstruction (e.g. due to vegetation) of line-of-sight between camera and detection zone
locations with insufficient clearance for offsetting the camera pole
locations where the footpath / cycle path has a horizontal curvature radius (R) not satisfying the conditions prescribed in Section 9.3.3.4
locations with non-flat longitudinal gradient. The slope of the cycle path leading to detection zone should be gentle, if not completely flat, to limit cyclists from accelerating beyond a speed the camera can capture. Site should cater for a speed of 40 km/h (11.1 m/s), and
locations where bicycle speed could go beyond 45 km/h (12.5 m/s).