dlr to support UCD ‘WeCount’ traffic impact project

WeCount aims to empower citizens to take a leading role in collecting data, evidence and knowledge of local mobility patterns

Citizens can host a sensor on their property to monitor local traffic data

To enhance local knowledge of traffic and travel patterns across the County, dlr residents are invited to engage in the WeCount project, by hosting a sensor at the front of their property. Placed at a window with a clear view of the street outside, the sensor will count cars, bikes, pedestrians and heavy vehicles, thereby helping to build a traffic profile of the local area. The sensor will also monitor local air pollution, to establish a direct link between traffic and local pollution and build a stronger argument towards sustainability.

If you or your local community would like to participate in the WeCount project, by hosting a sensor at your home, please contact Francesco Pilla (Associate Professor in Smart Cities & Urban Environment at UCD) to find out more: francesco.pilla@ucd.ie

It is intended to host online and/or face-to-face community workshops in September 2020, with the aim to deploy the sensors to residents from October 2020.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Director of Infrastructure & Climate Change, Robert Burns said:

I welcome the opportunity to raise awareness of the work that UCD are doing on this dynamic project in Dublin, as part a larger programme across other European cities, that aims to foster a ‘bottom up’ approach to gathering and analysing local traffic data. As the Council continues to develop and implement active travel schemes, in particular cycling and walking projects, the data obtained from WeCount project will enhance our local understanding of traffic and travel patterns and related impacts on air quality, climate action and quality of life across our County’.