Bicycles play an important role in the shift towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly traffic. Especially cities can profit from the reduction of emissions and the more efficient use of parking space. Since the invention and widespread adoption of E-Bikes, the bicycle became an alternative across age groups. At the same time, average distances covered by bike have grown significantly, making it an alternative for more traditional modes of transportation.
This paradigm shift creates a challenge for cities and traffic planners, which are expected to provide an infrastructure that is suitable for the traffic of the future. In cooperation with research project Movebis (TU Dresden) NovelSense provided “Abakus” traffic counters to five cities all across Germany. The camera based sensors were used to track bicycle traffic during several weeks of operation, providing traffic data for the cities of Reutlingen, Kaiserslautern, Potsdam, Darmstadt and Langenfeld.
During the project we counted several thousand bicycles and captured corresponding context information like speed and direction. As the first long-run test of the Abakus System, the project provided valuable data and insights into the workings of the system. NovelSense hopes to use this data to further develop the detection and reliability of the Abakus traffic counters.
Reliable traffic data can help expert to get a deeper understanding of urban transportation. NovelSense hopes to play a role in the further development of city infrastructure and the shift towards a seamless integration of different modes of transportation.
Further links regarding the pilot project:
