Smart Cycle Paths Debut in the Netherlands

There is more to the Netherlands than tulips, cheese and Amsterdam “cafés.” The land of windmills is also known for its love of cycling, evident from the copious bikes paths that grace the city streets and countryside. Holland embraced this lifestyle element in a new way by incorporating modern technology into its old-fashioned method of transit.

The heavily traveled bike path known as Amsterdamsestraatweg, which travels through the Dutch city of Utrecht, is equipped with bicycle traffic lights to control the flow of bike traffic from one town to the next. After years of cyclist complaints regarding the time spent waiting at red lights, Utrecht’s city council partnered with local technology company Springlab to install a new feature to cut down on this wasted time.

The technology, called Flo, reads the speed of individual cyclists up to 100 meters from the next traffic light. A hare symbol conveys to cyclists they would need to increase their speed in order to make the next green traffic light while a tortoise symbol advises cyclists to slow down. A third symbol, a thumbs-up light, indicates the cyclist can maintain current speed to make the green light. With more than 125,000 cyclists passing through the city each day, Flo is sure to improve the circulation for two-wheeled commuters.