Strange wires???

Over the last few days I have noticed some strange ?wires? appearing on the A2 in both directions of the carriageway from the Black Prince Interchange to Falconwood.

These wires seem to be about 100-120 metres before each speed camera on this stretch of road. At each location there are two parallel wires about 20 or so inches apart.

Does anyone know what these are? and why they are there?

I assume that they are something to do with the speed cameras as there are at an almost equal distance from each.

[husky03]

next time you go over these wires look and see if they go into a small grey box at the side of the road-if they do they're used for measuring the volume of traffic over that particular road-think they can measure out the average traffic speed for a certain volume of vehicles that drive over the cables.
Boring as feck eh!
husky

Those pesky recorders can be used for all manner of things. And I think that the "wires" you talk of are actually pressured lines, traffic rolls over them & pressure change is detected by the box. Usually a pair of lines.

In the past, I've know surveys to look at any (and all, or only a few) of the following:
traffic volume/time - congestion
average traffic weight - road condition
average traffic speed - scamera feasability survey!
average vehicle type (number of wheels & weight) - road use statistics

To me, it makes sense that if you're going to put a box down, record everything you can. Even if you don't actually use the data.

I ALWAYS ride over them slower than the speed limit, just for the traffic speed measuring possibility!

Cheers!

I thought that they were measuring devices of some sorts and would agree that they are pressurised lines, not wires just couldn't think of what to call them this morning.

Yes they do go to a grey box in the central reservation. I also slow right up for them.

I thought that it might be something to do with a survy for extending the average speed cameras that they already have on the A2 at certain locations........looks like I could be right, that would be a nightmare.

[northwind]

IIRC they use 3 for the speed measuring ones, for better accuracy. Could be wrong though.

they use 2 for speed measuring 1 for traffic volume, they arent interested in vehicles a such, traffic volume is generally measured in MSA's (million standard axles)
if its a trunk road, then measuring is usually constant with the induction loops being burried in the wearing course and operatives removing cartridges from the loggers and downloading it at the office, the HIghways agency contractors evaluate thsi data all the time, its used for working out residual life and proojecting maintenace expenditure, as well as basing traffic management designs for maintenance works upon the flows,
ive never heard of these kind of loops being used to measure vehicle loadings, that informations not much use (bridges being an exception) roads are designed to take the current max vehicle loadings anyway.

i suspect that as these are close to speed cameras, that they are being used to measure avarage speeds of vehicles on the approach to the camares. Camera partnerships are supposed to re evalute existing fixed and temporary sites, i think, every 2 yrs, might be 3, so it looks like this particular camera partnership is doing what its supposed and gathering informatio for its camera review, alternatively they could be gathering supporting data to argue for more cameras on that stretch if they can prove that X% of vehicles exceed the current limit.