7days
A full typical week
Covers weekdays and the weekend, the minimum unit on which you can speak of a weekly pattern representative of the section.
- Weekdays and weekend
- Weekly profile
- Volumes and speeds
Application · Temporary traffic surveys
Temporary traffic survey campaigns with radar
Measure for 7, 15 or 30 days —or set the period to suit the study— with no civil works. uRAD Smart Traffic solution records counts, speed, direction and classification per passage, with data exportable to CSV. You buy the equipment to run your own campaigns and reuse it at the sites that follow.
A reply from the technical sales team within 48 working hours.
Equipment available to purchaseTraffic engineering firms, mobility consultancies, local authorities and universities.
Campaign · example
Radar midiendo tráfico desde el margen de la vía
- Duration
- 7 days
- Number of sites
- 4
- Power
- Battery
- Output
- CSV
7–30days in a typical campaign
24/7continuous measurement
CSVdata for your report
0civil works on the carriageway
What is a temporary traffic survey with radar?
A traffic count bounded in time, planned to answer one specific question in a study.
The unit is installed at the survey site, records for a defined period —typically between a week and a month— and is then removed. Unlike a permanent count station, the aim is not to monitor the network continuously but to produce evidence for a specific piece of work: a mobility plan, a construction project, a residents' complaint or the appraisal of a scheme.
With radar the campaign needs no civil works: there is no cutting of the pavement and no inductive loops or pneumatic tubes laid across the carriageway. That cuts permits, deployment time and disruption to traffic during installation.
Duration
How long to measure: 7, 15 or 30 days
These three periods are the most common, but the duration is set to suit the question behind the study. Each one supports a different kind of conclusion and shapes how the unit is powered on site.
15days
Two comparable weeks
Lets you contrast two weeks against each other and spot whether one was affected by a one-off event, roadworks or weather. It carries more weight when the data will underpin a decision.
- Week-on-week comparison
- Anomaly detection
- Greater robustness
30days
Greater temporal robustness
Reduces the weight of one-off anomalies and characterises how traffic evolves within the month, the usual basis when a study needs a stable reading of the section.
- Greater temporal stability
- Less effect from one-off events
- A basis for wider analysis
On annual indicatorsA temporary campaign characterises the period measured. Estimating annual indicators such as AADT requires defining the expansion method and applying, where appropriate, correction factors or reference count stations. Periods can also be extended or chained across several sections.
Installation
Where to install the unit during the campaign
The mounting point governs data quality more than any other factor in the deployment.
- 01SupportA pole, lamp post, mast or temporary support already available at the site.
- 02GeometryA straight section with a clear view of the flow, free of vegetation or street furniture obscuring the road.
- 03PositionUnit clear of the carriageway, aimed at the traffic, at a stable height and angle.
- 04RepeatabilityDo not move the unit during the campaign: changing its position breaks the comparability of the series.
If the campaign is to be repeated later —for a before-and-after comparison, for example— it is worth documenting the installation: the support used, the height, the angle and the distance to the road centreline. Reproducing those conditions is what lets you attribute the differences to the scheme rather than to the deployment.
Data
From radar to report: what data do I get?
The unit measures every vehicle passage, and those records are aggregated into the indicators that go into the study.
01
Detects
Every vehicle crossing the measurement zone, with no cameras and nothing on the carriageway.
02
Record
Each passage with its timestamp, aggregated by hour, day and direction across the period.
03
Export
Comparable indicators and series, ready for analysis and for writing up the study.
Radar · data per passage
- Timestamp
- Speed
- Direction
- Lane
- Class
Report · study indicators
- Daily volume
- Peak hours
- Speeds
- Directional split
- Comparison across sites and periods
The data available per passage depends on the model and configuration of the unit; the aggregated indicators depend on the platform or analysis tool you work with.
Tell us what data your report needs and we will confirm which unit and configuration deliver it.
Request a technical proposal
Data
What data the unit generates during the campaign
uRAD Smart Traffic records every passage and generates a dataset you can use directly in your study or process with your own tools.
| timestamp | lane | direction | class | speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-12 08:31:24 | 1 | inbound | car | 42 km/h |
| 2026-05-12 08:31:39 | 2 | outbound | car | 47 km/h |
| 2026-05-12 08:32:02 | 1 | inbound | van | 38 km/h |
| 2026-05-12 08:32:15 | 1 | inbound | car | 44 km/h |
| 2026-05-12 08:32:51 | 2 | outbound | hgv | 31 km/h |
| 2026-05-12 08:33:07 | 2 | outbound | car | 49 km/h |
The values shown are illustrative and serve to show the structure of the file; they do not come from a real campaign. Agreeing in advance which fields, which granularity and which format the report needs avoids redoing work once the campaign is over; export and historical storage are handled by uRAD Smart Traffic solution.
-
Compatible with
- Excel CSV
- R read.csv
- Python pandas
- BI or in-house platform import
Power
Is a mains supply available?
Is there a power supply on site?
This is the constraint that shapes a temporary survey most: it determines how many days you can measure and therefore what campaign you can propose.
Yes · mains power
Any duration
With an accessible power point, autonomy stops being the main limit on the deployment: the campaign can run for 7, 15 or 30 days and be repeated with no energy intervention.
No · external lithium battery
Campaigns of up to a week
With no mains supply, the unit runs on an external lithium battery. It is the option for sites without a power point, with an operational limit worth bearing in mind when planning the study.
Up to 7 days per battery, depending on configurationActual autonomy depends on the unit, the measurement configuration, connectivity and site conditions. Longer periods require a mains supply or chaining successive campaigns.
Unattended operation
When power, storage and connectivity are correctly sized, the unit can operate unattended for the whole measurement period.
In-house measurement capability
One unit, many campaigns
The equipment is bought once and travels with every study that follows. When a campaign ends, it is removed and moved to the next site.
InstallMounted on whatever support is available at the survey site, with no civil works.
MeasureFor as long as the study needs, unattended, with exportable data.
RelocateOnce finished, the unit is removed and taken to the next section or stored.
RepeatNew campaigns, other sites, or the same measurement months later.
In-house capability
Buying the equipment builds internal measurement capability and lets you decide when, where and for how long to measure without commissioning each campaign separately.
Multi-site deployment
The same unit can move between locations and campaigns, or several units can run at once when the sites have to be measured simultaneously.
Tell us how many sites you need to measure and how many of them at the same time, and we will tell you how many units the deployment requires.
Request a technical proposal
Survey design
Comparing before and after a scheme
The most frequent use of a temporary survey: measuring the same section twice to quantify the effect of a change to the road.
Campaign A
Before
- Duration
- 7 days
- Site
- The same
- Configuration
- The same
- Record
- Dates and conditions
Campaign B
After
- Duration
- 7 days
- Site
- The same
- Configuration
- The same
- Record
- Dates and conditions
Δ VolumeCalculated once both campaigns are complete
Δ SpeedCalculated once both campaigns are complete
Δ Directional splitCalculated once both campaigns are complete
For the comparison to hold, the two campaigns must be equivalent in site, duration and configuration. Changing the position of the unit or the time window introduces differences that come from the survey design rather than from the scheme.
Choosing equipment
Which uRAD Smart Traffic fits your campaign
Temporary campaigns are delivered with uRAD Smart Traffic solution, the radar traffic counter for temporary surveys and permanent count stations. Choosing between its two versions comes down to connectivity at the site and how you want to collect the data.
Usually fits when
Smart Traffic Compact
- The priority is low power consumption and direct integration with your system.
- The site has no mains supply and the campaign is short, on battery depending on configuration.
- You are planning simple or multi-site campaigns repeating the same installation.
Usually fits when
Smart Traffic RPi
- You want local storage and on-board processing during the campaign.
- The Connectivity is intermittent at the measurement site.
- Data is collected by later download..
Tell us how the campaign will run and we will recommend the version, the configuration and the number of units that fit.
Request a technical proposalSee the Compact vs RPi technical comparison →
Building your own datalogger?
If all you need is to integrate radar detection and telemetry into your own hardware or software over RS-485 or UART, see uRAD Smart Radar Sensor.
Who it is for
Who it is designed for
Different profiles, one shared requirement: defensible data over a bounded period.
- Engineering and consultancy firmsTraffic studies, mobility plans and counts for projects, with their own data instead of third-party estimates.Need traceable data for the report
- Local authorities and municipal teamsMeasurements to appraise schemes, respond to residents' complaints and repeat the same method across several sections.Need evidence to justify decisions
- Universities and researchData collection for mobility research, with a record per passage and exportable series for statistical work.Need raw records, not just aggregates
Frequently asked questions about temporary traffic surveys
Can uRAD Smart Traffic be rented for a temporary campaign?
uRAD Smart Traffic is currently sold, not rented. Buying it means the same unit can be used across different campaigns and survey sites, keeping the configuration and the methodology consistent between studies. Give us the details of your campaign —duration, number of sites and how many run simultaneously— and we will tell you which version and how many units fit.
Which version of Smart Traffic fits my campaign?
The criterion is connectivity at the site and how you will collected the data Compact where low power consumption and direct integration matter most, and RPi model where local storage and later download are preferable. The full technical comparison is on uRAD Smart Traffic solution.
Can several sites be measured at once?
Yes. It is common to deploy several units on different sections over the same period to compare sites against each other, keeping installation and configuration criteria consistent so the series remain comparable.
How is data quality validated at the start of a campaign?
Through an initial field validationat the start of the period. You review the geometry of the site, the position, height and angle of the unit, the paths vehicles take and any occlusions that could leave passages unrecorded. The first records are then checked against what is observed on the section. Once validated, the configuration must be kept stable for the whole campaign: any change of position or of parameters breaks the comparability of the series.
Next step
Request a technical proposal
Tell us how your campaign will run. We will review the survey sites, the duration, the power supply and the data you need, and recommend the right equipment and configuration.
- 01You describe the campaignSites, simultaneity, duration and the conditions at each section.
- 02We review the deploymentInstallation, power, connectivity and data format.
- 03You receive the proposalRecommended equipment, number of units and next steps.
Technical proposal for your campaign
Temporary surveyFields marked with * are required. We respond within 48 business hours with a recommendation for equipment, configuration, and next steps.
Keep exploring
Product, technologies and other applications
If you are still framing the project, these pages settle the decisions that come before choosing equipment.
- ProductuRAD Smart Traffic, thee radar traffic counter these campaigns run on
- GuideCompare traffic counting technologies: radar, loops, tubes and optical systems
- ApplicationBicycle counting in bike lanes with radar
- System IntegratorsuRAD Smart Radar Sensor, detection and telemetry for in-house builds