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Smart traffic lights will turn green for cyclists



 
 
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Old October 12th 20, 09:52 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
colwyn[_2_]
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Default Smart traffic lights will turn green for cyclists

Cyclists will be given priority at junctions for the first time under
plans for a new generation of smart traffic lights.

Technology is being tested and developed in three cities that will
enable traffic lights to “see” approaching cyclists and change to green,
allowing them to ride straight through.

The system, which uses cameras and artificial intelligence (AI), is
designed to make busy roads more cycle-friendly while reducing the
likelihood of accidents. It also acknowledges the fact that some
cyclists fail to stop at red lights, putting them at risk of being hit
by a vehicle.


The move is being made after a government report was published last week
suggesting a boom in the number of people taking to their bikes in towns
and cities across Britain during the coronavirus lockdown.

The national “travel attitudes” survey by the Department for Transport
(DfT) suggested that almost four in ten people cycled or walked more
between May and July than before the pandemic and 94 per cent thought it
was “likely that they would continue” to travel by bike or on foot in
the long term.


However, safety is seen as a concern for many new cyclists, particularly
with vehicle traffic approaching pre-pandemic levels again. Separate
research by the DfT has found that three quarters of road accidents in
which cyclists are injured occur at or close to road junctions.

Traffic lights use a variety of sensors to detect the presence of
vehicles and change to green to prevent a build-up of traffic. However,
cyclists are largely invisible to all existing systems. The new
technology, developed by Surrey-based Now Wireless, uses cameras mounted
on traffic lights and up to 50 metres before them. They detect
approaching traffic and AI can pick out the image of a cyclist, as
distinct from a car or motorbike. The cameras are synchronised with the
traffic signals, allowing them to change to green even with a single
cyclist approaching. The AI technology is being tested in Wolverhampton,
Coventry and Southampton. It costs less than £700 to install on each
traffic light.


Currently, the presence of cyclists turns traffic lights green for all
vehicles heading in the same direction as the bike. However, it can be
adapted specifically for cycle-only traffic lights — those at eye level
that only give priority to bikes over other forms of traffic.

Brian Jackson, chief executive of Now Wireless, said: “Our system deals
with the reality that cyclists sometimes run through a red light. It
does so by simply making sure it’s always green for them. The system
will allow councils to send a message, where appropriate, that cycling
is being encouraged by giving riders priority. Our system can be
calibrated to prioritise even a single cyclist approaching a junction.”


The development follows the publication of government plans to overhaul
the Highway Code in the summer. Ministers proposed creating a new
“hierarchy” that gives priority to cyclists, pedestrians and horse
riders over vehicles. A consultation into the proposals suggests that
drivers should give way to cyclists at junctions.

Graeme Paton
Transport Correspondent of the Times


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