DENVER — A growing number of traffic cameras are showing up in traffic cameras across the metro area, with some showing up for as little as two weeks.
But for the first time, Denver Traffic Services is also updating its cameras to make them more reliable, effective and affordable.
The first cameras in Denver to have the new software, which the city is now using for all its cameras, were installed Thursday at intersections across the city.
The Denver City Council voted Monday to install the new cameras across other parts of the city, including South Park, Northgate and South Boulder.
“It’s great to have a tool that’s available to us now, but the challenge is getting it installed as quickly as possible,” said city traffic engineer John O’Connor.
Denver has installed more than 100 traffic cameras, including cameras in residential areas, on a handful of streets that run through South Park.
“That’s a very nice opportunity to upgrade and expand, and we’ll continue to do that,” said O’Brien.
The new software upgrades the sensors and cameras to be more reliable.
It includes more accurate data and the ability to show a larger range of colors on the screen, which is also useful in case of a problem.
The software also updates cameras to automatically record a red signal at the start of a turn.
“The cameras that are in place now will only record a signal at certain times of day,” O’Connors said.
“The cameras will only be showing red.
So that way, people who are driving into an intersection are able to know when to stop, and when to pull over and get out of their vehicle.”
The system also includes more information about when the camera is activated, such as the speed, direction and distance.
“If you’re going to turn right at a red light, and the speed of the light changes to red, the camera will automatically show that,” Othney said.
It also includes a countdown timer to warn drivers about an impending red light or a traffic jam.
“We’re going out to all our intersections and making sure that we’re constantly updating the information and the camera information,” Ostney said of the system.
In addition to updating the software, the city installed a new camera that can record red signals at certain intersections, to help speed up the process.
The city also installed two additional cameras that show speed limits for each intersection, so that drivers know when it’s safe to cross an intersection and when it is not.
In the future, the system will also show when cameras are activated for different phases of the day, such to give drivers more information.
“One of the things we want to do is to make sure that the cameras are up and running as quickly and as reliably as possible for all of our intersections,” Otheys said.
Denver is currently using about 1,200 traffic cameras to monitor traffic and improve road safety, but this new system is more efficient and easier to use, Othneys said.