by Jenny DeHuff, The Times Herald
UPPER MERION, PA — The township is experimenting with a new adaptive traffic control system at a few major intersections, designed to improve the flow of traffic during rush hour.
The technology, known as InSync, was installed at 10 intersections from Gulph Road to the Dannehower Bridge. It adapts to real time traffic conditions using digital video cameras and computers at each light.
“A study we did saw that it improved traffic capacity,” said Township Manager Ron Wagenmann. “As a result, they found, during peak hours, that traffic was improved at the intersection by about 40 percent.”
The township was awarded a PennDOT grant of $302,335, effective Dec. 13 of last year. The money, known as the Automated Red Light Enforcement Grant (ARLE), enabled the installation of 30 cameras and eight traffic control monitors. Crews took five weeks to install the InSync system.
“When we did the signal projects as part of the (Route) 202 widening project in the 1990s, and then some upgrades at Gulph Road, new equipment became available. It was a test intersection for a couple of years and we found that is vastly improved,” said Wagenmann.
A formal traffic engineering study is planned for the spring, and based on its findings, township officials will then decide whether to install the technology at other intersections, as the funds become available.
Wagenmann said the manufacturer of InSync claimed the system would improve traffic at intersections 10 to 20 percent. He said that percentage has nearly doubled.
“The traffic is very heavy on 202,” he said. “You have about 60,000 cars a day that use that and the side roads, like Henderson and Allendale road(s). Because they all have television detection, they are now able to ascertain the density of the traffic and also gauge what is the backup of traffic. The signal system itself then decides, from an operational standpoint, do I need to bring this phase up at all, as a pre-left turn slot or post-left turn movement for that particular intersection?”
Wagenmann said the system costs the township nothing, since it is funded by a state grant, and not using any additional electricity, calling it “basically the same.”
“It doesn’t consume that much additional power, but its improving the amount of traffic to put through your road corridors.”