Prague Will Test Advanced Video Analysis of Traffic Flow

The data will be anonymous and will help the city plan traffic conditions more efficiently.

Prague will test a new method of obtaining anonymized statistical data about traffic, the city website informs. In particular, municipal company Operátor ICT will be making advanced video analysis, with the objective of improving the management of the traffic flow and making it more efficient.

Smarter and more sustainable mobility

At the beginning of this week, the City Council of Prague approved a contract for the provision of technology testing services for obtaining anonymised statistical traffic data.

The purpose of said contract is for the capital city to have backing for future decisions about territorial development, changes in traffic signs or modification of signal plans or construction modifications.

According to the Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib, the changes are needed as the number of cars in the city is growing constantly. Therefore, the authorities need to find solutions to ensure smooth passage through the territory, by investing massively in infrastructure, but also – through managing transport “based on data, not impressions”.

But on top of improving decision-making at the political level, the data is likely to help all citizens, visitors and developers of Prague, as it will be published as open data on the Golemio platform. The obtained anonymized data will be transferred there in real-time and without human assistance.

In total, several traffic parameters will be investigated, using one technology tool. This involves the flow of passenger cars and trucks, buses or single-track vehicles, traffic intensity, models of means of transport, speed, driving directions, traffic jams and dangerous situations.

Urban districts typically deal with traffic issues such as overcrowding of detours, dangerous crossings, crowded intersections, traffic jams, violations of truck entry bans or turning bans. With this in mind, 10 key locations were selected for the test, including a roundabout, a road with and without a pedestrian crossing, roads with different construction layout of intersections and trajectory of vehicles.

The pilot locations were selected in cooperation with the city districts, in such a way as to represent the basic types of construction layout of road traffic that are found in the city.

Finally, according to the press release, the project supports the fulfilment of the goals of the Adaptation Strategy of the city ​​of Prague on climate change, specifically related to the goal of improving the conditions concerning sustainable mobility and the implementation of the Smart Prague concept by 2030.