Enhancing Pavement Condition Assessment: A Comprehensive Review of Affordable Sensing Technologies for Cycle Tracks

This paper explores the potential of low-cost sensing technologies for assessing the condition of cycling track pavement. As cycling gains popularity, the demand for efficient pavement maintenance solutions increases. Machine survey-based pavement condition assessment often relies on expensive, specialized equipment, which is not always suitable for cycle tracks due to limited budgets and accessibility, hence the need for low-cost solutions. The integration of low-cost sensing technologies and data collection, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs), low-cost imaging sensors, and crowdsourced data collection, presents a promising alternative for cycle track pavement surface assessment. This paper highlights the advantages of employing out-of-the-shelf devices such as smartphones with GPS, cameras, and IMU, or action cameras with GPS and IMU to collect images, their location, and vehicle vibration in a specific orientation. This data is then used to estimate pavement roughness, detect surface distress, and compute pavement surface condition. Literature reviews reveal a significant gap in the utilization of these technologies for cycle tracks, suggesting a promising area for further research and application. Furthermore, it proposes a software framework for data collection and visualization to combine these technologies to enhance the efficiency and reliability of pavement assessment for cycling infrastructure at a lower cost than machine-based pavement assessment and faster and more quantitative than manual surveys. This paper emphasizes the need for more practical and scalable solutions that support the maintenance of sustainable transportation systems.