Smarter traffic solutions

A number of projects across the Netherlands are showing the capabilities of innovative technologies in reducing congestion and improving safety on roads

Words | Annette Frijns, Dynniq, Netherlands

A number of projects across the Netherlands are demonstrating the capabilities of innovative, efficient and sustainable technologies. These technologies are helping to reduce congestion and improve road safety, as well as reducing the environmental impact.

In Helmond, a city in the south of the Netherlands with a population of 90,000, Dynniq has equipped traffic lights with smart technology to improve the flow of traffic in an unusual way. Twenty-five crossings communicate with heavy trucks and turn the lights to green sooner or more often.

André Meijer, managing director at Dynniq Mobility, says, “The trucks do not have to stop and accelerate as often, which results in considerable reductions in time, fuel, wear, noise and emission of particulate matter. On top of that, these traffic lights are programmed to take into consideration the city’s policy regarding other traffic, such as cyclists, public transport and pedestrians. A so-called adaptive traffic control system balances all traffic participants’ interests against the desired priorities.”

Helmond is one of the major logistics hubs in the south of the Netherlands, which results in a lot of truck traffic. To prevent this heavy traffic from affecting the surroundings, smart mobility technology has been applied. Civilians can thus profit from the improved business climate and still live in a nice area that has been relieved of heavy goods transport, while that same transport receives additional support from smart cooperative traffic lights along its route.

An even wider and more ambitious Dutch initiative is the national project Talking Traffic. Some 20 companies, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, as well as the provinces and many city councils, have jointly invested €90m (US$106m) in a smart mobility open ecosystem. This ecosystem enables the marketing of new smart mobility services on an unprecedented scale and without technical barriers, providing services for both consumers and professional users. Meijer continues, “Dynniq makes a substantial contribution at all levels with technology as well as new services.”

Talking Traffic is not restricted to car traffic. Traffic lights with smart technology recognize cyclists, for instance, who get priority green lights. On cycle highways, cyclists are detected earlier and will therefore have to stop less often, increasing the appeal of the bicycle as a means of transport. The traffic lights can also ‘see’ those who have difficulty walking and are able to adjust the duration of the green light accordingly, making it safer and more comfortable for elderly and disabled road users, thus allowing them to remain mobile for much longer. Furthermore, smart traffic

Above: Cyclists can download

an app that detects them approaching a crossing. This increases their chance of a reaching the crossing when the light is green

Above: When approaching an

equipped traffic lights, the app in the car will give speed advice to the driver in order to reach the intersection when the light is green

Below: A parking garage in the

Netherlands with state-ofthe-art parking equipment, ensuring optimal circulation

lights recognize full buses and can switch to green sooner than for less crowded ones, allowing public transport to improve its performance and increase customer satisfaction.

Meijer says, “We also relay information about traffic situations to individual road users, warning drivers about approaching emergency vehicles, for instance. In the near future, cyclists and motorists can be warned about unsafe traffic situations ahead, such as cars approaching at high speed, ensuring a timely response. Thus, smart technology contributes to traffic safety and a reduction in the number of road accidents.”

Meijer continues,“We currently use this technology on the island of Texel in the north of the country, where the street lights turn on when traffic drives onto the island from the ferry, and turn off again as soon as the flow has passed. In this case, smart technology not only saves energy but also reduces light pollution, which is an important consideration on a tourist island.”

Through smart technology, the fields of mobility, parking and energy are becoming increasingly integrated. Erik Dijkshoorn, managing director of WPS Parking, a Dynniq company, says, “We are developing technology that can inform the motorist where best to park to be closest to the intended destination. Through automatic license plate recognition, barriers can be opened automatically, ensuring optimal circulation. When cars are leaving the car park en masse, for instance at the end of the day, the traffic lights automatically adapt to the changed traffic flow, preventing unnecessary congestion.”

With the electric car winning ground, a number of new features are being developed in the fields of mobility, parking and energy, among them electric power lines in parking lots tailored to the number of cars that may (suddenly) need to be charged at any one time. Dijkshoorn adds, “The integration of traffic mobility, parking solutions and energy supply enables us to support traffic mobility even more directed at and based on individual needs.”

The reduction of fuel consumption also reduces the emission of particulate matter and carbon dioxide. In this way smart technology contributes to the solution of important social issues, such as liveability in inner cities and related health and safety issues.

Many of these smart mobility, parking and energy supply applications are relatively new to the market. “It is important to stimulate further integration,” Dijkshoorn says. “The pace, thoroughness and creativity with which that happens has a major impact on liveability in the whole of Europe, both economically and in terms of the environment and safety.” n