Rain Makes the Light Go Green in Odense, Denmark

 As the first city in Northern Europe, Odense has implemented a brand new rain sensor in a traffic light along their Super Bike Highway which enables the intersection to measure when it is raining. As a result cyclists will experience up to 20 second longer periods of green light, meaning less time standing still at a red light, soaking up what the heavens throw at you those not so sunny days. The rain sensor interacts with two motion detectors also mounted on the traffic light, allowing the system to register when bikes are within 70 meters of the intersection and automatically maintain longer periods of green light for cyclists approaching the junction.

A box mounted to the traffic light informs cyclists of the system, and will light up when the system kicks in. Naturally, cars traversing the Super Bike Highway will experience a correspondingly longer red light, but then again they aren’t the ones getting soaked, so they properly shouldn’t complain too much. The idea behind the system is to make it easier to choose the bike, and the rain sensor is a smart technological gadget making every day commuting slightly better for cyclists.

Source : 

Source : https://stateofgreen.com/en/partners/state-of-green/news/10-examples-of-green-mobility-in-cities/

Source : https://stateofgreen.com/en/partners/state-of-green/news/10-examples-of-green-mobility-in-cities/

As a result, nine out of ten Danes own a bike and 49% of children from the ages of 11 to 15 cycle to school. Denmark’s cycling culture is so widespread that in 2016 the number of cyclists outnumbered cars in the nation’s capital Copenhagen.

A city that stands out in terms of cycling is Denmark’s third largest city Odense. In 2015, Odense received the Cycle City award at the Danish National Bicycle Conference. In this article, we have highlighted a few reasons why Odense is Denmark’s most bike-friendly city as well as tips on where to cycle during your visit to Odense.

Smart Technology and Innovation

Odense is constantly creating new ways to improve cycling for both visitors and locals. In 2015, a beautiful new foot and cycle bridge was built across the railway that connects the center of Odense with the newly revitalized harbor. The new bridge also makes it more convenient to travel by bike with the addition of 1400 new bike spaces. Another innovative project was the addition of rain sensors in a traffic light along the Super Cycle Highway. The sensor measures when it is raining in order to ensure that cyclists have a green light for twice as long. Odense was the first city in Northern Europe to implement this kind of smart technology.

Children and cycling

Odense prioritizes cycling for children and families through creative cycling campaigns. In a campaign called, “Quack-Witted in traffic” children were invited to walk or cycle to school with their parents for a span of two-weeks. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage more parents to walk or cycle with their children to school. Overall, fifty-four kindergartens and over 3,000 children participated in the competition. In total, the children and families made 12,000 trips. The outcome of the campaign was successful with an increased awareness in the importance of cycling and walking to school. 

Source : https://www.visitodense.com/tourist/what-do/cycling/denmarks-most-bike-friendly-city

Post by, 

Nurul Ihsan binti Ahmad Bakhari