What are those?????

Manny_boy · #1 08-26-2005, 09:28 AM

Anyone seen those thick black wires across the asphalt on the highway?
Are those some kind of radar or speed measuring device? I've seen more and more of them lately on the Indiana toll road.

knorwj · #2 08-26-2005, 09:51 AM

its a counter to see how many vehicles actually use the road. It helps the DOT determine whether or not to justify dumping money into repairs or spend the money elsewhere.

rubix777 · #3 08-26-2005, 10:09 AM

I thought they used them to measure speed to determine if people were speeding on the road. By my house they had a lot of those, being in an open community. The next thing you know, they put speed bumps everywhere.

Rally Sport · #4 08-26-2005, 10:10 AM

Wouldnt think so about the speed checkers or whatever, they got better unseened stuff for measuring speed.

ci5ic · #5 08-26-2005, 10:23 AM

Think about it... how would they use them to measure speed?

They are hollow rubber hoses, like those when you pull up to the gas station and drive over the one that makes the bell ring. Basically, it's hooked to a counter, and when you drive over one, the sudden change in pressure within the hose causes the counter to advance. Usually they are used in determining road usage patterns/frequency like knorwj said... They also use them to determine if/how to put up traffic lights or just use stop signs, etc.

Andydg · #6 08-26-2005, 12:25 PM

They use thick white lines out in the country by me...one of the helicopters from the airport will be flying around and the count how long it takes you to go from one white line to the other about 1/8 of a mile down the road. Then they tell the cop that's sitting down the road...true story.

ci5ic · #7 08-26-2005, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andydg

They use thick white lines out in the country by me...one of the helicopters from the airport will be flying around and the count how long it takes you to go from one white line to the other about 1/8 of a mile down the road. Then they tell the cop that's sitting down the road...true story.

Really not that unusual... I see "speed monitored by aircraft" signs all the time.

jcsaleen · #8 08-26-2005, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knorwj

its a counter to see how many vehicles actually use the road. It helps the DOT determine whether or not to justify dumping money into repairs or spend the money elsewhere.

It also see's (only if ona main road or sidestreet) to put a light or stop sign.

Manny_boy · #9 08-26-2005, 02:43 PM

oh, ok. Just curious, cause, I was used to seeing just one or two together. This morning however, I ran across five separate hoses with in 5 feet of each other.

jcsaleen · #10 08-26-2005, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manny_boy

oh, ok. Just curious, cause, I was used to seeing just one or two together. This morning however, I ran across five separate hoses with in 5 feet of each other.

Timing also that can check your speed. Check what the average is. Also might be a weight issue. By me I live on the coast and max weight is a big issue roads can land slide if traveled over to much or overweight vehicles (18 wheeler) go over them.

lamehonda · #11 08-26-2005, 10:10 PM

How would the hoses be able to tell which car each axle belongs to? If you followed very close, the hose wouldn't be able to distinguish one car from the other to catch speeders.....True story.

ci5ic · #12 08-29-2005, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamehonda

How would the hoses be able to tell which car each axle belongs to? If you followed very close, the hose wouldn't be able to distinguish one car from the other to catch speeders.....True story.

plus, if a vehicle with multiple axels (semi, truck w/boat trailer, etc). drives over them, it wouldn't be able to distinguish that the vehicle has more than two sets of wheels...

jcsaleen · #13 08-29-2005, 10:10 AM

I'm pretty sure its just for keeping count of traffic or weight.

rubix777 · #14 08-29-2005, 10:20 AM

yeah it makes more sense to use it as a counter, but if they wanted to, they can have a small computer in the box that collects a database of times and filters out any unreasonable times. Then they can use the remaining times to get velocity by dividing the average wheel-to-wheel length by the interval between the pulses. of course I may be completely wrong as well.

dugie6551 · #15 08-29-2005, 12:49 PM

It depends are where thay are placed to what they are used for.

If they are on country roads ... they are used for sniper training school. The "sniper in training" has to shoot you between the eyes after you run over the first hose and before you run over the second hose. A bell or buzzer goes off and the "S.I.T." must shoot you, if they don't they fail. Kinda like skeet shooting.....TRUE STORY !!!!

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