Rubbers strips across the road?

[Targarama]

What are they doing when there are pairs of rubber strips stapled to the road, connected to a small box of tricks usually tied to a nearby lamppost?

I assume it is a traffic and speed counting device?

Would a council use one in a location it was thinking of placing a speed camera?

My reason for asking is there is one on a local road which is in a conservation area, but has recently been blighted by loads of new road signs (142 deaths in last 3 years on this stretch and TwatFM traffic news signs). I hope they aren't planning on another piece of decoration. Totally ruins the area (never mind the fact its a speed camera).

[echo]

yes - traffic data collection.

could be council, police, 3rd party (at the request of council before planning permission etc.).

[regmolehusband]

I never know whether to slow down or speed up for these

For example, they are there in many cases to assess the success of nearby scameras or to calculate the 85th percentile - this is often the case in my area so I momentarily spool up the TDI's turbo to give me +10 mph as I cross them

I think I'm becoming obsessed with bucking the system

[echo]

regmolehusband said:

I never know whether to slow down or speed up for these For example, they are there in many cases to assess the success of nearby scameras or to calculate the 85th percentile - this is often the case in my area so I momentarily spool up the TDI's turbo to give me +10 mph as I cross them I think I'm becoming obsessed with bucking the system

Sounds good - but if the device is set to record speeds and you are accelerating whilst driving over the rubber tubes the device will ignore you

[busa_rush]

regmolehusband said:

I think I'm becoming obsessed with bucking the system

It's the only real game left . . .

[supraman2954]

echo said:

regmolehusband said: I never know whether to slow down or speed up for these For example, they are there in many cases to assess the success of nearby scameras or to calculate the 85th percentile - this is often the case in my area so I momentarily spool up the TDI's turbo to give me +10 mph as I cross them I think I'm becoming obsessed with bucking the system Sounds good - but if the device is set to record speeds and you are accelerating whilst driving over the rubber tubes the device will ignore you

If one was to accelerate real hard such that one’s car wheel-spins while on the strips, could they be dislodged or ripped out altogether?

[echo]

supraman2954 said:

If one was to accelerate real hard such that one’s car wheel-spins while on the strips, could they be dislodged or ripped out altogether?

Or a handbrake turn

[leosayer]

I slam on the brakes, but they're tough little buggers those strips.

[Streetcop]

They usually determine the need for speed enforcement or to confirm/refute any speed complaints made by residents..

[JoolzB]

There seem to be 2 types of these, ones that are 1 cable and ones that are 2 cables. I assumed a single cable was to calc volumes and the other to calc speeds?

[moosepig]

Two rubber strips also provide information about the direction of travel of vehicles crossing them.

I've seen these being used in conjunction with a speed trap manned by BiB... mind you that was a good 10 years ago.

[KITT]

So what happens when an articulated lorry goes over them? Or 2 cars going in opposite directions? That's got to mess up the stats?

[regmolehusband]

They'll be supported by software that filters out odd figures and highs and lows. They're only looking at counts and mean speeds I expect.

[Nickccc]

Be carefull if you see rubber strips in the road.
There is a speed detection system called ds2 in use.
The system has pnumatic strips in road, small camera (out of view) and usually unmarked scam van hidden on a driveway nearby.
The company making this stuff (TCS) activly market the undetectabillity and quick deployment of their new tools of persecution.
Nick

[tvrgit]

Streetcop said:

They usually determine the need for speed enforcement or to confirm/refute any speed complaints made by residents..

Maybe that's what the police use them for - but they are also used just to count traffic, and can classify by vehicle type (car / HGV / motorcycle etc). My company used to own two, for just this purpose - it's cheaper than paying some poor student to sit there and count them (or, more likely, to piss off to the pub with his mates and make the numbers up when he gets back).

Don't be too paranoid!

[mybrainhurts]

Confirm my local council ask police to set these up to record speeds when assessing traffic calming (spit) plans.

Saw figures for one near a school on a hill.

Fastest run was 94mph at 3am.....

Must have been plod, late for doughnuts.....


I have been know to drive slowly over one cable, at the dead of night, then read the paper for five minutes before driving over the other....then repeat with the rear wheels.....

[Byff]

leosayer said:

I slam on the brakes, but they're tough little buggers those strips.

They aren't as tough as a pair of side cutters. They are only hollow rubber tubes.

[Richard C]

echo said:

Sounds good - but if the device is set to record speeds and you are accelerating whilst driving over the rubber tubes the device will ignore you

They have only 2 points a fixed difference between them and the time interval between the pulses from each point calculates speed.

Speed = distance / time

Acceleration would need 2 or more measurements of speed to calculate.

Byff : I hear that a junior hacksaw also sees the rubber tubes off

[tvrgit]

Byff said:

They aren't as tough as a pair of side cutters. They are only hollow rubber tubes.

Why?

Let me say it again... They are not necessarily measuring speeds! (some might be, some are just counting).

They get checked every day to make sure they are working. If you need 7 days' data, say, and the tubes have been cut, you just add that day on at the end again... slight inconvenience factor but hardly the revolution comrade!

[TripleS]

I've seen a number of cases in our area recently where pairs of rubber tubes (or cables?) are laid across the road.

I asked North Yorkshire County Council's local engineer about them and he said not to worry they are nothing sinister, nothing to do with speed checking (he knows me well enough!) and all they are doing is counting the passage of vehicles as part of a routine traffic survey. HTH, but if anyone is still concerned about possible speed checking aspects, they may care to check with somebody in their own LA engineering department.

Best wishes all,
Dave.