The story of VivaCity is deeply rooted in Cambridge. A decade ago, our founders met as students at the University of Cambridge, and the city naturally became one of the very first locations where our technology was deployed. It was a perfect match for Cambridge's long-standing culture of technological innovation.

Since then, the city’s approach to transport planning has been evolving into a national gold standard. By adopting AI-powered computer vision to collect high quality, multimodal transport data, the city has successfully scaled their insights from single site monitoring into a comprehensive network of data insights. Data-driven decisions have been at heart of delivering and proving success of some of the UK’s most pioneering infrastructure schemes, including the country's first Dutch-style roundabout and a designated cycle street on Adams Road, all benefiting from VivaCity insights.

Hosted by Greater Cambridge Partnership & VivaCity, this walking tour is an opportunity for a deep dive into how Cambridge is setting a national example for the best use of transportation technology and data to build a resilient transport network. You will see firsthand how VivaCity provides a superior, enterprise-grade technology that empowers local authorities to design, deliver, and measure highly successful transport schemes.

Tour highlights

The tour will visit four sites across a short walking loop to explore how the same VivaCity sensor technology can be applied to solve vastly different transport challenges. We’ll discuss the varied types of data being collected across these locations, their different applications, and how transport teams utilize this intelligence on a daily basis:

✔️ Multimodal Flow & True Modal Shift: Seeing how computer vision continuously captures and classifies counts across pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooters simultaneously to map real active travel habits.

✔️ Proactive Safety & Risk Exposure: Exploring how objective "near-miss" interaction datasets and speed analysis allow road safety teams to identify hidden conflict points and address risks before accidents occur.

✔️ Managing Network Volatility: Analyzing how continuous baseline data is used to evaluate the systemic knock-on effects of major interventions, such as historical modal filters and bridge closures, against normal seasonal baselines.

✔️ Cambridge’s latest Smart Crossings: Discussing how real-time AI detection feeds directly into crossing infrastructure to prioritize active travel, reduce pedestrian dwell times, all while optionally balancing mass transport over other modes.