Cyclists in the Netherlands Can Now Get Green Lights Faster Through a New App
A new feature in the "Da's zo gefietst" app sends an anonymous signal to smart traffic lights as cyclists approach, prompting them to turn green sooner. The number of intersections where it works is set to grow significantly in the coming years.
Cyclists in the Netherlands can now get green lights faster at certain intersections, simply by having a specific app on their phone. The feature, which has just gone live, is part of an app called "Da's zo gefietst" (roughly translating to "Cycled it"), and it works at so-called "slimme verkeerslichten," or smart traffic lights, across the country.
When a cyclist using the app approaches one of these intersections, their phone sends an anonymous signal to the traffic light, letting it know a cyclist is on the way. The light can then adjust its timing to turn green sooner. As Jeroen van Dijken, the Zuid-Holland deputy responsible for traffic and transport, put it, it is "as if you are already pressing the button of a traffic light while you are still cycling toward it."
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How smart traffic lights work
Smart traffic lights, formally called intelligente verkeersregelinstallaties or iVRIs, are not entirely new in the Netherlands. There are currently around 1,400 of them across the country, and they are designed to improve traffic flow by responding in real time to whatever is approaching. They can give priority to ambulances and public transport buses, and in some areas even trucks. In the busy greenhouse region of Westland, for example, the lights respond to approaching freight vehicles.
What is new is that cyclists can now also be recognised through the app, joining the list of road users that smart lights take into account. The faster-green function does not, however, guarantee an instant green light. The system still has to balance everyone using the intersection, including pedestrians, cars, public transport, and emergency services.
Eight provinces, one app
The app was developed by Dutch company Mobidot at the request of the provinces of Zuid-Holland, Overijssel, Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and Utrecht. Three more provinces, Drenthe, Gelderland, and Groningen, have since joined the project, meaning the function works at smart traffic lights in much of the country.
Zuid-Holland alone is home to nearly 350 smart traffic lights, while smaller municipalities such as Rijswijk have around 19 of them. A full overview of where the function is active can be found on the official map at map.udap.nl.
Privacy and safety
A common concern with apps that interact with infrastructure is what happens to the user's data. According to the developers, the app makes only a temporary connection with each traffic light, and that connection cannot be traced back to a specific person or phone. Trip data stays within the app and is not shared with traffic lights or third parties.
The app is also designed to be safe to use while cycling. It does not send notifications during a ride, so users can stay focused on the road. After completing a trip, cyclists can check in the app which traffic lights gave them faster green along the way.
Rewards for choosing the bike
Beyond the faster-green feature, the app also includes a points system to encourage people to cycle more often. Users earn points for every ride, which can later be exchanged for discounts, prize draws, or donations to charity. The app supports personal goals, weekly challenges, and team challenges with friends, neighbours, or colleagues.
The thinking behind the rewards is simple: making cycling slightly more attractive could help convince more people to leave the car at home. "The app makes cycling even more appealing," Van Dijken said, adding that the bicycle is "an indispensable piece" of keeping the country accessible.
More smart lights on the way
The number of smart traffic lights in the Netherlands is set to grow over the coming years, with more existing intersections being upgraded to the smarter version. As the network expands, so will the number of places where cyclists can benefit from the faster-green feature.
For now, the app is free to download via the App Store and Google Play, and it works anywhere in the country where smart traffic lights are connected to the system.
