You didn’t ask, but here’s how the Flora Footbridge counts you

 

 

 

JOHN DANCE

JOHN DANCE PHOTO: The post midway along the Glebe-side ramp of the Flora Footbridge has the counter of people passing, and a bike counter is buried within the adjacent pavement.

Just in case you were wondering (and you probably weren’t) how the City counts the number of cyclists and pedestrians who use the Flora Footbridge, we have an answer.

“The counter at Flora uses a combination of a PYRO infrared sensor and ZELT inductive loops to distinguish between pedestrians and cyclists,” says Kalle Hakala, the City’s program manager for active transportation planning.

“The PYRO sensor detects when someone passes the counter, while the ZELT loops detect bicycles based on their metal components. If the PYRO sensor detects a user but the ZELT loops do not detect a bicycle, the passage is classified as a pedestrian. If both detect a passage at the same time, it is classified as a cyclist.”

And in case you are wondering what “PYRO” stands for, it’s “pyroelectric.” The infrared sensor is an electronic device that measures infrared light radiating from objects in its field of view to detect motion or presence. It only absorbs – rather than emits – infrared radiation naturally given off by objects with heat like human bodies or animals.

As for “ZELT,” it’s a French acronym that stands for Zone Expérimentale et Laboratoire de Trafic (Experimental Zone and Traffic Laboratory). This technical phrasing is for a French firm’s high-precision electromagnetic loop testing and development for their bike and scooter sensors.

In what other newspaper would you learn this somewhat unimportant yet possibly interesting information?