Smart pedestrian counter system (SPECS)

PUFFIN crossings are designed to use kerbside pedestrian detectors to maintain pedestrian demand (whilst pedestrians are waiting to cross) or cancel demands (when a pedestrian manages to cross before the signals stop the traffic). On-crossing detectors are employed to extend the crossing time to allow pedestrians to complete their crossing before traffic is released. One pedestrian waiting to cross the road is given the same treatment as several. This leads to the idea that having the ability to count the number of pedestrians wanting to cross the road could make it possible to allow a better balance between the movement of pedestrians and motorised traffic. The SPECS detector uses an array of infrared sensors to identify and track the infrared emissions from heat sources. The paper describes its application to the problem in hand.