New app turns traffic lights green faster for cyclists
Cyclists in the Netherlands will soon receive quicker green lights at thousands of smart traffic lights by using a new function in a dedicated cycling app, RTL reports.
The app sends an anonymous signal to intelligent traffic control installations, known as iVRIs. These “smart” lights already give priority to approaching emergency vehicles, public transit buses, and, in busy horticultural areas such as Westland, freight trucks. The new feature extends that priority to cyclists at all such signals nationwide.
The provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Overijssel, Utrecht, and Zuid-Holland developed the app, with Drenthe, Gelderland, and Groningen also participating. The new function, called “Da's zo gefietst,” activates green lights more quickly whenever a cyclist approaches a smart traffic signal in the Netherlands.
Provincial Executive Jeroen van Dijken of Zuid-Holland, who handles traffic and transport for the VVD, explained: “It is as if you press the button for the traffic light in advance while you are cycling toward it. Then you often cycle through faster.”
The app only establishes temporary contact with the traffic light and cannot be traced to a person or specific phone, according to developers. Users can earn points for cycling and redeem them for rewards.
“The app makes it even more appealing to cycle,” van Dijken told RTL. “That is important, because the bicycle is an indispensable piece of the puzzle in our accessibility.”
The Netherlands already has several thousand of these intelligent traffic lights, and their number is reportedly expected to grow in the coming years to improve overall traffic flow. Locations can be viewed on an online map.
