Tucson News: Oro Valley trying new traffic technology

Oro Valley, Ariz. (13 News) - Oro Valley Police are using a traffic tracking system that analyzes speed and volume data in real time after several serious crashes in the last month.

The system, called Urban SDK, shows police speeds, volume and traffic trouble on Oro Valley roads in a matter of seconds. The technology picks up telemetry signals from standard equipment in most cars made starting around 2007, including GPS and wireless networks.

All data collected is anonymous, according to police and the company.

“We can’t search specific people, where they’ve been, or even a specific car where a car has been. It’s only aggregate information,” said Lt. Kevin Peterson with OVPD.

Micah Dickman with Urban SDK said the company is focused on numbers, not individual tracking.

“What we have the ability to see is there’s 52 cars going 80 miles an hour at 6:05,” Dickman said.

Real-time data replaces weeks-long studies

The system replaces traditional traffic counters that can take weeks to provide results. Officers previously had to deploy equipment manually to study intersections.

“Officers would have to go deploy a Jamar, and now it’s available at the click of a mouse,” an Oro Valley Police Department lieutenant said.

If an area reveals potential danger, Oro Valley police can send more units there to enforce safety laws.

“This workflow is all completed in under a minute,” Dickman said.

Dickman said the system costs ten cents on the dollar compared to previous methods and that some cities have seen a more than 40% decrease in fatalities and serious injuries.

“Rather than waiting on someone to get killed or injured, they have the ability to get ahead of these issues,” Dickman said. “Lower speed, fewer fatalities, safer communities and less serious injuries.”

The town budget pays for the system, which frees up hundreds of officer hours to handle other community issues, according to police. Oro Valley Police Department has been using Urban SDK for about a year.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has also started using it at the state level.

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