Billions of pounds of trade and millions of passengers pass through the Port of Dover which is the busiest ferry port. It is acquiring the state-of-the-art traffic sensor equipment known as BlipTrack, developed by Denmark-based BLIP Systems, to help controllers to reduce bottlenecks and improve vehicle movements by predicting potential traffic congestion on Dover’s coast bound A20.
The technology feeds officers with live data throughout the boarding process, to ease the traffic flow and also identifies trouble spots when queues are in danger of forming. The sensors work by detecting anonymous signals from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices which are in“discoverable” mode – giving traffic controllers a general picture of how smoothly the devices (and the vehicles they are in) are moving through the port.
BlipTrack has been an extremely useful tool in the months since its implementation. It has helped controllers get a better understanding of the dynamic traffic system to support the improvement measures to traffic flows. Dover TAP (Traffic Assessment Project) is a freight management measure that keeps port-bound lorries outside the town on the A20 to prevent queuing in central Dover during busy periods.
Highways England asset manager for Kent said: “Collaborative work with partners like the Port of Dover will help keep Kent’s roads clear and its economy growing. The combined measures are already helping to reduce bottlenecks outside the port – easing the impact on communities living nearby.
The Port of Dover chief executive feels the facilities at the port would keep port the UK economy moving if it acquires the latest equipment to handle £100 billion of the UK and European trade each year. In the last 20 years, ferry freight traffic has more than doubled as a result of the efficiencies and capacity provided by the industry. In the past two years alone, these volumes have increased by 20 percent, with 2014 seeing the highest ever number of freight vehicles coming through the ports.”
Port of Dover has the operational data that can be used to optimize processes to the benefit of both the port and the passengers.
BlipTrack is able to gather useful data, and provide valuable analysis within Europe’s busiest passenger port. BlipTrack eases traffic at Dover Port; in optimization efforts in the Port of Aalborg; in road traffic in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, UK and Switzerland; at railway stations in the Netherlands, and over 23 international airports, including Manchester, Dublin, JFK in New York, Cincinnati, Toronto, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, Auckland, Oslo, Helsinki, Milano, Brussels, and Copenhagen airports.
Source: Port of Dover
