Next time you’re driving on the highway or a residential street, it’s important to stay focused on the road ahead. During your journey, it is likely that you will come across black cables that have been strategically positioned on the ground.
Although they are completely safe to drive over, one might wonder what purpose they serve.
Continue reading to discover the answer!

Road tubes provide a straightforward and convenient method for local transportation agencies to collect valuable data on traffic patterns in a given area.

They are usually positioned in inconspicuous locations to minimize any potential disruption.
Whenever a vehicle’s tire comes into contact with the tube, a rush of air is transmitted through the rubber tubing to the counter located on-site. This counter diligently gathers and stores all the relevant data. After the tubing and counter have been set up for a specific duration, the information is gathered and analyzed.

In addition to tracking vehicle movement, the tubing has the ability to identify periods of high traffic by analyzing the time intervals between bursts of air. Using the tubing in pairs allows for the collection of additional data, such as vehicle class, speed, and direction.
This data can be utilized whenever an agency requires assessing the need for speed limit adjustments or signage updates.