Improved bicycle traffic flow

Municipality of Delft

The Bicycle Platoon Module consists of both smart software and a camera. The module ensures a smooth flow of cyclists.

Last change on 6th of February 2024, at 8:54 (CET) | Publication Standard 1.0

• Publication category: Impactful algorithms
• Impact assessment: DPIA, ...
• Status: In use

General information

Theme

Space and Infrastructure

Begin date

2023-11

Contact information

[e-mail]

Link to publication website

www.delft.nl

Responsible use

Goal and impact

Properly prioritise cycle traffic so that all traffic flows better.

Considerations

Traffic participants within the Municipality of Delft experience heavy traffic on a daily basis. In its traffic policy (Mobiliteitsplan Delft 2040), the Municipality of Delft has indicated how it will implement the principle of Sustainable Accessibility. Among other things, this will be done by using Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS). To achieve the smooth flow of bicycle traffic, software is linked to sensors and cameras. That software makes real-time, on-the-spot decisions about which traffic participants get priority. This is done with a data set that is as limited as possible and is only available in real-time, at the moment itself, and is not stored anywhere.

Human intervention

There is no human intervention. It involves real-time processing of data.

Risk management

Low - data is processed real-time on the camera and not stored.

Legal basis

Road Traffic Act

A road is managed and maintained by a road authority. From the Road Traffic Act follows this legal duty for the road manager.Art 18 section 1 lists who is authorised to manage a particular road. For roads not under the management of the state, the province or a water board, this is the Municipal Executive.

The starting point in making traffic decisions is the smooth flow of traffic. The road authority is responsible for the availability and safe use of the physical road infrastructure and for managing it using a variety of means and tools. These are physical and digital means. Physical means should include signs, information panels, induction loops, cameras, traffic lights. Digitally recognisable resources should consider detection and operation including control scenarios, traffic intensities, TMC feeds, road sign databases and National Roads Database.

Making a variety of digital tools and data types externally available for use in the private domain is a practice that emerged from about 2010 and will continue to grow in the future.

Links to legal bases

Wegenverkeerswet: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0006622

Impact assessment

• DPIA Fietsprioritering: n.v.t.
• Algoritme Impact Assessment Fietsprioritering: n.v.t.

Operations

Data

Camera images; v-log data; traffic count

Technical design

The algorithm is part of the Bicycle Peloton Module (FPM). The Bicycle Platoon Module consists of both smart software and a camera. The aim is to ensure smooth traffic flow at a given traffic light. The camera is aimed at an area tens of metres away from that traffic light. The software linked to the camera predicts whether cyclists, when they arrive at the traffic light, form a group of at least three cyclists right after each other. If that is the prediction, the cyclists are marked as a 'platoon'. The traffic light jumps to green and the cyclists are given clearance. The software calculates the speed of the cyclists based on the camera images. This also predicts how long the light should be green for the group of cyclists. The advantage is that the traffic light is never too long or too short. Cyclists need to stop less often but other traffic can also flow smoothly.

The images are processed real-time on the camera by the software. The images are not stored or transmitted.

External provider

DTV consultants