Impact of temporary road blocks (by road works or for a safer school environment)
Description of the case study
The Mechelen case tries to link data from ANPR-camera’s and/or other traffic measurements with a traffic model and the information from the GIPOD system. GIPOD is an application developed by the Flemish government in which all road works and other events with an effect on traffic circulation must be registered. By combining the traffic measurement data with the model, the effect of these roadblocks on the traffic in the immediate surrounding streets of the roadblock will be assessed, in order to define the best-suited detour. Secondly, Mechelen wants to assess the impact of creating ‘school streets’ on traffic. A ‘school street’ is a street in which the entrance of a school is located and that is blocked for car traffic during the start and the end of the school day. Mechelen wants to assess whether this results in a modal shift or whether this only leads to more cars in the immediate surrounding of the school.
Challenges encountered:
A number of challenges are present:
- Is it possible to get access to the ANPR-data collected by the police department?
- Are these data accurate enough and specific enough to deliver the requested information
- How can cyclists and pedestrians be measured in a cost-efficient way?
Stakeholders:
- City of Mechelen
- Mechelen police department
- Agency Informatie Vlaanderen
Actions steps:
- Get approval from authorities to use ANPR-data
- Research alternative data collection technologies to measure pedestrians and cyclist, and/or to have more street-specific measurements
- Combine traffic measurements with traffic model and GIPOD information
Lessons learned:
Since the pilot is still in the starting phase, it is to early to share any lessons learnt
Outcome impact:
Since the pilot is still in the starting phase, it is to early to assess the outcome and its impact
Links:
Gipod.vlaanderen.be
In the future, Mechelen wants to obtain:
- ANPR datasets
- Traffic model