Issue 172 - Belfast BT6 ⢠BT7 ⢠BT8
Crossing in student area improved VivaCity, the transport technology scaleup transforming cities into smarter and more efficient places to live and work, has partnered with Infrastructure Northern Ireland to improve pedestrian and cyclist experiences and safety. Infrastructure Northern Ireland has adopted five of VivaCityâs sensors, as well as three remote cameras, at the junction of University Street and Botanic Avenue. As this junction is surrounded by Belfast University buildings, many students use the pedestrian crossings during peak times. The VivaCity sensors replaced existing technology at this junction which could not count the number of pedestrians waiting at the crossings. This meant that pedestrian safety at the crossing couldnât be assessed and improved effectively. VivaCityâs sensors provide accurate and anonymous detection of pedestrians in the waiting and crossing zones at each crossing, which is then used to send a demand to the signal Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Ryan Murphy teamed up with representatives of GEMS NI, Gateway to Choices Service delivery lead organisation and others to launch the new service.
New Gateway to Choices service helps Belfast people get into work and training Looking for work, or a way to update your skills, can be a daunting experience, so Belfast City Council has launched a new Gateway to Choices service with the Belfast Labour Market Partnership to help residents take the next step in their employment journey. Funded by the Department for Communities through Employability NI, Gateway to Choices (G2C) is all about supporting Belfast residents aged 18+ who arenât currently
working, but would like to find a job, return to work, or start studying. A free to download app and a team of trained advisors is now offering independent, tailored advice and guidance to help people
find the right support to progress towards employment, education, or training. Speaking at the launch recently at Belfast City Hall, Lord Mayor Councillor Ryan Murphy said: âOne of
the key priorities in The Belfast Agenda is getting people into work â and helping them fulfil their potential.
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controller in real time. The data insights that this provides empowers Infrastructure Northern Ireland to set a threshold number of pedestrians that must be present in the waiting areas to place such a demand. Prior to VivaCityâs technology, the junction also couldnât detect cyclists approaching. Cyclists were therefore treated as any other road user, or not detected at all, and simply moved through the junction together with motorised traffic. In the same way as pedestrian detection, VivaCity sensors enable a detection zone that detects and counts the number of cyclists, which can be used to send a demand to the signal controller in real time to set a threshold number of cyclists.