Traffic Technology Ltd have recently finished the installation and commissioning of ten pedestrian and cycle counters on behalf of Local Authorities in and around the town of Bicester, Oxfordshire as part of the town’s new Eco Bicester project.

Measuring walking, cycling and horse movements along selected public rights of way will enable LAs to establish current levels of walking and cycling so that comparisons can be made in future years. Data received from the pedestrian and cycle counters will help the council to provide better cycling and pedestrian routes in the future.

Using a combination of Eco Pyro pedestrian monitors and Zelt cycle counters, the locations monitored are those that local people have indicated to LAs are important. Each site has been selected so that pedestrian and cycle movements can be monitored on important paths, many of which are likely to receive improvements or will be developed into important pedestrian and cycling routes from future new housing developments to Bicester town center.

Systems in use are the patented Eco Pyro, and the Zelt cycle monitoring system. The Eco Pyro registers body heat as people break an infrared beam. Easy to install, the Pyro has a 10-year battery life and a memory capacity of over 10 months. The first low-power cycle-detection system, the Zelt system uses inductive loops to detect the unique signature of each cycle as it passes over the loop. The system is able to count cycles even in mixed traffic, with an accuracy of ±5%.

“Eco Bicester aims to make Bicester a better place to live, work and bring up a family,” explained Odele Payne, transport planner for Oxfordshire County Council. “We are focusing on improving transport so that the residents of Bicester have the option to travel by cycle and on foot. We are hoping that the number of people walking and cycling will increase, we are counting the number so we can monitor the success.”

“Providing better cycling and pedestrian routes will have a beneficial effect on the environment in terms of reducing congestion and pollution,”