In a world as vast and complex as ours, it’s impossible to know everything. We strive to master our chosen fields or professions, but the sheer breadth of the universe ensures that many things will remain beyond our comprehension.
For instance, I’ve always been confounded by the architecture of infrastructure. While I grasp the basic concept that contractors use blueprints to erect structures, the underlying “skeleton” of the process has always been an enigma to me. That’s why the black tubes strewn across American roads intrigued me to no end.
You’ve probably seen these black tubes, too, lying seemingly abandoned on the road. You might’ve speculated if they were forgotten by some workman or if they serve some obscure purpose like transferring materials across the road. If, like me, you’ve been in the dark about these puzzling black tubes, allow me to shine some light on their purpose.
Known as “pneumatic road tubes,” these obscure devices are actually tools of the government. They serve a very specific and critical purpose: to monitor the volume of vehicles traversing a particular road. Sometimes you might notice a single tube, other times, a pair not far apart. This is your clue that the government is not only interested in the number of vehicles but also the types of vehicles — distinguishing between passenger cars and multi-axle vehicles such as trucks.
Each time a car rolls over a pneumatic tube, it discharges a burst of air. This triggers a counter, which keeps tabs on the number of such instances. The data, stored in software, provides insights into our driving patterns — a classic example of Big Brother’s watchful eyes. The government gains knowledge about the traffic volume on specific roads and the speeds at which people drive. The system can even calculate speed by comparing the time taken by the front wheels and the rear wheels to cross the tube.
However, before you conclude that these tubes are nothing more than surveillance tools, it’s important to note their contribution to the community. As per the Federal Highway Administration, these road tube sensors offer various advantages such as rapid installation, permanent and temporary data recording, and low power consumption. They’re generally inexpensive and easy to maintain. Furthermore, software packages provided by manufacturers assist in data analysis.
Interestingly, if you want to nudge the system for road repairs, you might want to drive more frequently over these tubes. It’s not a surefire trick, but logic dictates that busier roads might attract more attention and funding from local authorities.
A video from the city of Bloomington in Minnesota offers an insight into how your driving history can be employed to improve public facilities. But one can’t help but wonder if there’s a more clandestine motive behind the usage of this data.
Have you ever stopped and questioned the purpose of these black tubes lying on your roads? Hopefully, this revelation will help you see them in a new light, as more than just bizarre roadside anomalies.
WATCH the video below for more details:
Source: AWM
