The Municipality of Utrecht has recently initiated a pilot project aimed at improving the appeal of cycling within its community.
The project involves the implementation of advanced bicycle sensors designed to track the number and speed of cyclists. These sensors transmit real-time data to the traffic control system, surpassing the efficiency of existing detection loops. This technological upgrade grants cyclist’s priority by ensuring quicker response times at traffic lights, resulting in more green light.
Currently, the Municipality has installed detection loops along cycle paths to identify riders approaching traffic lights, which are embedded in the road and activate when cyclists pass over them. In contrast, the new smart bicycle sensors recognizing individual cyclists or groups quicker immediately transmit this information to the traffic light system. If the pilot is successful, the Municipality of Utrecht will install the sensors in four other locations in Biltstraat.
The sensors will be installed six meters above the cycle path at the Biltstraat-Kruisstraat and uses blurred images to recognize road users, in accordance with privacy laws. This approach ensures that details of individuals and vehicles remain unidentifiable. The sensors classify these images into distinct road user categories, such as pedestrians, cyclists, passenger cars, vans, trucks, or buses, swiftly discarding any identifiable information.
The sensor will be hung at Biltstraat 53 and the pilot will run form 15 December 2023 to 15 May 2024.
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