TEXAS (KXAN) — Those traveling across Texas have probably seen — and driven over — a slew of black cords running across roadways. But what exactly are they, and how are they used?

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) calls them “pneumatic road tubes,” an in-roadway sensor that can help detect and track vehicles traveling on roads. They’re typically used as short-term traffic counts, with some models having the ability to gather data related to the following:

• Gaps between vehicles
• Intersection stop delays
• Stop Sign delays
• Saturation flow rate
• Spot speed
• Traveling time

Alongside their uses in short-term traffic counts, they can be used to detect vehicle classification (via axle count and spacing) as well as assist with planning and research studies. But how, exactly, do they work?

How does it work?

The tubes are portable and are placed perpendicular to the direction of the traffic flow. When a vehicle’s tires drive over the tube, the tube’s sensors “send a burst of air pressure along a rubber tube,” per the FHWA.

That air pressure pulses close to an air switch, which is able to create an electrical signal that’s then sent back to a counter or analysis software synced with the tube.

Here in the Lone Star State, the Texas Department of Transportation collects roughly 82,000 short-term traffic volume counts each year along with approximately 1,000 vehicle classification counts, per its traffic count maps database. Among those counts collected, nearly half of them — 46.9% — are used to track traffic volume, according to the database.

The state department has more than 300 permanent count locations across Texas that collect data around the clock. KXAN reached out to TxDOT to confirm how many pneumatic road tubes are used as part of those traffic data collections. We will update this story once we’ve received a response.

AUSTIN, Texas – A Central Texas man is speaking out and sharing his concerns about how cosmetic procedures are being regulated in our state.

Christian Scarborough of Horseshoe Bay pushed for legislation passed several years ago about how Botox and other procedures are performed. Now he’s concerned those laws aren’t always being enforced.

Scarborough sat down with FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak in this FOX 7 Focus.

JOHN KRINJAK: Take us back to the beginning here. I understand you had a friend who had a cosmetic procedure that, let’s say, didn’t go quite as planned, and that got you thinking. Talk to us about what happened there.

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: Sure. So she went to a day spa in Austin and had some Botox done. And her results were, results were less than desirable. And when she brought that to my attention, I started doing a little research and looking into spas in Travis County, specifically to see whether people were following the law. Laws had just been enacted in 2017. They were supposed to tighten up on who was able to inject Botox and other injectables, cosmetic injectables and how they were supposed to be overseen as far as medical directors.

JOHN KRINJAK: And I understand you actually reached out to quite a few of the spas. And what did you find out?

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: I called, I believe it was 63, and I asked to speak to the doctor in charge, or the medical director, and not one of the 63 would give me the director, the medical doctor. As a matter of fact, most of them told me that the doctor did not practice at the location and didn’t come into the office.

JOHN KRINJAK: How do you view that? The fact that there’s a doctor, but he’s not there in-house. Is that sort of skirting around the law?

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: Well, exactly. I mean, the intent of the law was to have medical supervision, and that meant a doctor on staff who could evaluate. The law actually says that you need to be evaluated by a medical professional and not a doctor or a nurse practitioner at that level. But you really want to be going to a place that has a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon operating the practice, you know, rather than going to some day spa where the medical director may be 100 miles away or more.

JOHN KRINJAK: Do these laws need to be changed or be made more enforceable? What do you see is the disconnect there?

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: You know, I’m just glad that this is coming to people’s attention at this point because it’s a really serious issue. And the thing is, if they just enforce the laws that are on the books right now, which requires a doctor to be on the premises.

MORE FOX 7 FOCUS

JOHN KRINJAK: In addition to what’s already on the books, do you think there needs to be new, more legislation passed to really clamp down on this?

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, I think the legislation, really tightening up the law so that people can’t skirt it the way they’re doing it. But the medical directors would be beneficial.

JOHN KRINJAK: What would you say to people that are considering these kinds of procedures because you feel, you know, the legislature does their part, but people really need to be savvy about this?

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: Sure. Well, if you’re considering getting Botox or dermal fillers or any kind of cosmetic medical procedure, I suggest you go to a board-certified dermatologist or a board-certified plastic surgeon, because these people have extensive training in anatomy and everything else that’s related to that.

JOHN KRINJAK: All right. Christian Scarborough, thank you so much for being here and sharing your story with us.

CHRISTIAN SCARBOROUGH: Thanks for having me, John.

Rents nationwide have cooled from historic highs, according to the latest inflation figures. Austin, Texas, is one of the places where rents are showing a downward trend, but lower-income families say their rents are often staying the same or even increasing. Blair Waltman-Alexin of Austin PBS reports.