FROM RED LIGHT TO TAILGATE: EVOLUTION OF RADAR ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY
L-Y Felth · Traffic Technology International · 1998
During the 1970s, across-the-road radars worked well, but only when the violating vehicle was not hidden by other vehicles. In 1987, Sensys Traffic in Sweden was awarded a contract to develop an intelligent microwave sensor for speed enforcement, which would solve the multi-vehicle problem. It used its previous experience in developing military technology to track missiles in aerospace, and launched its new system on the international market in 1991. Its new radar system could measure the speed, distance, and direction of every vehicle on a road at the same time. It was the first to follow the international recommendations and specifications established by the OIML, but unfortunately many national purchasing authorities ignored these specifications. Today, a proper integration with modern law enforcement technology is required, because of the opening up of the total Intelligent Transport System (ITS) market and the implementation of different types of intelligent traffic monitoring systems. In 1997, Sensys began a pilot project for integrating automatic traffic monitoring with automatic law enforcement, in collaboration with the Swedish National Police Board and the Swedish National Road Administration. In 1998, the project will be extended to cover a few very black spots on Swedish main roads.