Skip to main content

AGD’s 318 Traffic Control Radar rises above the fray

England’s Staffordshire County has replaced speed detection loops at a busy junction with the AGD above-ground 318 Traffic Control Radar. The council, as with many local authorities, is avoiding in-ground detection wherever possible as a smart solution to wear-prone loops and magnetometers. “Because the road surface was in such poor condition where the [below-ground] loops would have been installed, the AGD 318 radar gave us an ideal, non-intrusive solution for detection,” said Martin Fenlon, principal si
September 28, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
No wear-prone loops and magnetometers: the first output of AGD’s 318 radar provides XYZ detection and the second output identifies faster moving targets at 79m.
England’s Staffordshire County has replaced speed detection loops at a busy junction with the AGD above-ground 318 Traffic Control Radar.


The council, as with many local authorities, is avoiding in-ground detection wherever possible as a smart solution to wear-prone loops and magnetometers.

“Because the road surface was in such poor condition where the [below-ground] loops would have been installed, the AGD 318 radar gave us an ideal, non-intrusive solution for detection,” said Martin Fenlon, principal signals engineer at Staffordshire County.

“The AGD option saves us a great deal of time and money because it is pole-mounted, easy to configure and maintenance-free.”

The AGD 318 provides virtual loop detection with speed discrimination and can emulate two inductive loops to a range of 150m or provide lane-specific detection up to 40m.

Because it is pole-mounted, it requires no ducting or intrusive works to install, and there is no need for traffic management and the associated disruption to road users. Easy to set up using AGD Touch-setup, the AGD 318
is less expensive to maintain and the detection zone can be changed easily or moved without intrusive works, notes the company.

AGD is a private company based in Cheltenham, England and has an Australian subsidiary.

Related Content

  • Corridor for prosperity: The 5G Road
    June 14, 2019
    The next generation of highways will be a matrix of smart, intelligent and dynamic technologies that lower maintenance costs and ensure user safety. But challenges lie ahead, as Geoff Hadwick discovered in Dubrovnik The fifth-generation road is about to provide the world’s highway authorities with a big leap forward. This “forever-open”, self-healing road will integrate innovation into infrastructure, vehicles and entire intelligent transport systems, says Adewole Adesiyun, deputy secretary general of
  • Controlling influence
    January 3, 2013
    New lane control solutions from major roadmarking companies have been installed on highways across the world over recent months. Guy Woodford reports on some of them. Clearview Traffic Group (CTG) recently clocked up the installation of over 70,000 Astucia active flush and surface mounted road studs in the UK. CTG has been involved in numerous road stud installation projects on motorways and other road types in the UK and many other countries worldwide. Its UK installations include over 4,500 Astucia road s
  • Safer cycling with Siemens
    September 15, 2015
    Siemens has developed a new cycle detection system that can trigger signalling and be used to monitor user numbers. The novel WiMag Cycle Detection package uses in-ground, low-power, wireless detectors and microwave radar technology to identify and count bicycles of all types, including those made of carbon fibre. The solution complements the company’s existing WiMag, loop and radar detection solutions.
  • New non-destructive testing technologies for roads and bridges
    July 11, 2018
    Two new technologies for non-destructive testing offer key benefits, one suiting road surfaces, the other suiting concrete structures - Kristina Smith reports Dynatest has developed a new way to measure and record the state of pavements, using a machine that travels at the same speed as traffic. The Rapid Pavement Tester (Raptor) has been seven years in the making and offers road owners the chance to have comprehensive surveys without the need to disrupt traffic. “People have been wanting to do this for