Estonia to install thermal cameras to monitor road traffic

The Estonian Transport Administration plans to install thermal cameras along major roads to collect data on when, how fast and what types of vehicles use them, ERR reported. The system will also count pedestrians and cyclists, while all data will be anonymous.

The devices will not take photographs or videos and will not record vehicle registration plates. The project is expected to cost about 740,000 euros, including the design, purchase and installation of the equipment.

For vehicles, the system will record the date, time, speed, vehicle length, direction of travel, vehicle class, distance between vehicles and lane use. Pedestrian and cyclist data will include the date, time, speed, direction of travel and user class.

Vehicles will be divided into three categories: passenger cars and vans, trucks and buses, and trucks with trailers, according to Arno-Marko Miller, an expert on traffic monitoring equipment at the Transport Administration.

The first stage will include 15 thermal cameras on the Tallinn-Narva road, 18 on the Tallinn-Tartu-Võru-Luhamaa road, 12 on the Jõhvi-Tartu-Valga road and 10 on the Tallinn-Pärnu-Ikla road. Individual devices will also be installed on the Riga ring road connection, the Mõigu connection road and several other road sections.

The second stage will include 15 devices on the Pärnu-Rakvere-Sõmeru road, 10 on the Tallinn ring road, six on the Tallinn-Paldiski road and five on the Ääsmäe-Haapsalu-Rohuküla road, among other locations. The cameras will be mounted on metal posts or frames.

The equipment must include artificial intelligence based detection and classification capabilities, with models that can be updated. The devices may not connect to networks outside the Transport Administration’s private network and may not store images.

The collected data will be used for analysis and in an annual traffic-counting report. It will support road design, construction and maintenance, road safety activities, budget allocation, and the preparation of guidelines and other documents.

First long-term count of pedestrians and cyclists

The permanent system will allow the Transport Administration to collect consistent, long-term data on pedestrian and cycling volumes and changes over time, said mobility expert Kadi Pihlak.

Pedestrian and cycling movements on state roads have not previously been counted using thermal cameras, Pihlak said. The data will be used to assess seasonal patterns and trends, as well as the impact of traffic management measures, infrastructure construction, improved winter maintenance, and the opening or closure of attractions.

The figures will also help prioritise which cycleways and footpaths should be preserved and repaired first.

Vehicle-counting equipment will be installed on international road sections, while pedestrian and cycling counting points will be placed on state roads across Estonia, in both areas near cities and rural areas. The highest concentration of counting points will be around Tallinn and Tartu, which are urban nodes in the Trans-European Transport Network.