AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC COUNTING OR CLASSIFYING.

In these days of high labor costs and minimum staffing levels it is most important that the data required by traffic engineers is obtained in an automated manner and preferably that the data gathering device be computer compatible to avoid the need for human manipulation of the results. A system which is claimed to fully meet this criteria is the Golden River Co. (UK) Marksman/Retriever system which is programmable by the user to operate as either a traffic counter or traffic classifier. The Marksman is a fully self contained solid state memory logger which will operate and store data continuously for a minimum of 4 weeks utilizing its internal 6 volt DC rechargeable battery or for a maximum of 22 weeks with an additional battery pack. As a counter, a wide range of different configurations are available to the user from single loops to multiple loop designs. Two tube detectors and six switch inputs are also provided. For counting applications a mixture of loops, tubes and switches can be used at the same time if required. As a classifier, detection of vehicles is by 2 loops in each lane of traffic, enabling calculation of the speed and length of vehicles by monitoring their presence times. Two sets of presence times are calculated and averaged by the microprocessor based digital loop circuitry which ensures a high degree of accuracy in recorded data. The Marksman operates over a temperature range of 40 degree C to plus 80 degree C and has battery backed-up memory for continuous data retention in its 12K memory bank. The Retriever is used to monitor the operation and to collect the stored data from the Marksman for printout and analysis later.