Collection of Cycle Concepts 2012.pdf - Fietsberaad

ROAD SIGNAGE, MAPS, CYCLE ROUTE PLANNERS, AND ITS
The “super cycle track concept” and
some of its ideas
Some of the ideas developed by the super cycle
track concept are being implemented at the time
of writing while others are still merely ideas.
Some of the proposals mentioned below require
careful consideration. If they prove feasible, they
will then have to be approved both by the Police
and by the Danish Road Directorate as a pilot
project.
INFO STRIPE
An info stripe is envisioned as a road
marking (e.g. a 30 cm green stripe
on the left side of the cycle track)
indicating that the cyclist is on a super
cycle track. The info stripe should show
lane lights and pictograms indicating
cycling times, e.g. to the next S-train
station.
CopenhagenWheel prototype. 11.36
GREEN EXTENSIONS, ACTUATED SIGNAL
CONTROL
Green extensions are already utilized
for buses and cars. Groups of cyclists
in the final part of the green phase
may be able to get across with a green
extension of perhaps 10 seconds.
BUS WAITING AREAS
When it is not possible to install a
traditional waiting area at a bus stop,
a virtual bus waiting area might help
cyclists and bus passengers pass each
other with fewer conflicts. The idea is
that when the bus’s arrival is registered,
a waiting area becomes visible by
changing an asphalt coloured stripe to
white. The cycle track becomes visually
narrower while the bus is waiting, but
still allows cyclists to pass.
DYNAMIC TURN PROHIBITIONS
Dynamic turn prohibitions for motor
vehicles can be established by a no
turning sign that is activated at peak
times, when there are many cyclists
and many potential conflicts between
cyclists going straight ahead and
turning cars.
GPS
GPS, which is increasingly common in cell
phones, can be used for GPS trailing in addition
to telling you where you are. GPS technology
can also be used in promotional campaigns.
Several municipalities have presented 12-13 year
olds with the GPS based cycle campaign “Can
you bike around the world in 80 days” 11.34
The students help the virtual circumnavigator,
Dr. Glob, circumnavigate 40,000 km around the
world by cycling themselves. A GPS log controls
the number of kilometers cycled, and uploads it
to www.80dage.dk.
Bicycle counters
Bicycle counters or “bicycle barometers” are a
way of showing cyclists that they count, and that
cycling is a desirable transport mode. Odense
Cycle City 1999-2002 11.29 developed the
country’s first bicycle counter, which shows
cyclists and other citizens the number of cyclists
passing and also serves as an automatic traffic
counter. It provides useful information on bicycle
traffic developments but is not as accurate as a
manual count. Several other cities have acquired
bicycle counters which are now available as a
standard product in a couple of brands. Bicycle
counters have become a Danish export item
11.35.
Cyclists can see they’re being counted
while they’re being counted. The
picture shows a bicycle counter
on a cold December afternoon in
Frederiksberg. The counter shows this
year’s and last year’s bicycle traffic as
well as the number of cyclists on the
given day. 11.35
Copenhagen Wheel
Copenhagen Wheel 11.36 was developed by MIT
(Massachussetts Institute of Technology) for the
COP 15 climate conference in Copenhagen in
2009. The wheel can be mounted on any bicycle
and transform it into an e-bike that regenerates
braking energy, etc. The wheel contains a motor,
3 gears, batteries, sensors, GPRS, etc. A smart
phone can be mounted onto the handle bars,
and communicates with the wheel via Bluetooth.
The phone can be used to lock the bike, switch
gears, activate and deactivate the motor, and
see real time information on air and noise
pollution, congestion and road conditions. CO 2
levels, NOxs, noise (db), relative humidity and
temperature are measured. The data gathered
can be used individually, but if data is donated to
the city it can provide new information that can
be used for planning, etc.