Telraam Citizen Science Counters

We’re trialling citizen-powered traffic monitoring

We want to involve local people in monitoring traffic, to make this a more collaborative and transparent process. We’re inviting residents to host small traffic monitoring devices which can automatically count the number of cars, pedestrians and cyclists that pass by. The anonymised data is published in a public-facing dashboard, so everyone can understand how busy local streets are in close to real-time. Initially, this will be a trial in the West Dulwich area to help us decide if we might use them more often in future.

The device uses a low resolution camera to count road users, this includes walking, cycling and different types of motor vehicles. No footage is recorded, stored or shared by the device – it simply identifies what it can see in real-time and logs this anonymously. The device uploads traffic counts to a public-facing dashboard in 15-minute intervals.

The trial will build on our current independent traffic monitoring process

Currently, we commission independent traffic monitoring using automatic traffic counters. Whilst this helps establish a good picture of traffic in an area, there isn’t much opportunity for people to get involved, or see the data in real time. By working with local residents and providing a publicly available data dashboard, we think that we can make our traffic data collection more collaborative and transparent all the way through the process, rather than just at the end when our independent monitoring reports are published. This approach will enhance our understanding of travel in local neighbourhoods and widen our existing evidence base to continue to make informed decisions.   

How to get involved

The only requirement for a resident hosting a Telraam device is that the device is mounted on the inside of an upper floor window which has an unobstructed view of the street. The device does not need an internet connection. If you live in the West Dulwich trial area, you can apply to host a device. Applications will be reviewed to assess the suitability of the site. Residents who are selected will be invited to participate in a workshop which will provide training and context about the trial. If you are interested in hosting a Telraam device, please apply by June 11 using the following link: https://telraam.net/en/network/lambeth

Subject to a review at the end of the trial period, more devices may be supplied and hosted across Lambeth. For more information, please visit the Telraam website