Promising New Tech Could Put an End to Waiting at Red Lights for Cyclists

Picture this: You roll up to a traffic light just as it turns red- And it immediately turns green! Magic? Nope-that`s just life for cyclists in Aarhus, Denmark, thanks to a funky new application of a wireless sensor technology called RFID.

Sensors for traffic lights aren`t anything new: Plenty of intersections have them, but bikes are too light to trigger the sensor that would make the light change in their favor. Back in April, after learning that constant stopping was a leading reason Danes resisted bike commuting, the City of Aarhus created a pilot program to equip 200 cyclists with RFID-radio-frequency identification-tags that can be attached to bike wheels, according to Smithsonian Magazine. These tags present a way around the weighty problem by activating sensors at traffic lights around one of the city`s busiest intersections, prioritizing cyclists in traffic.

The pilot program recently concluded and, according to city representatives, went pretty flawlessly and didn`t receive criticism from drivers. By mid-2016, Aarhus plans to have even more sensors and tags up and running. The city`s ultimate goal is to make cycling even more appealing as a mode of transportation, thereby cutting down on car congestion and helping the environment. It`s just one part of the European Union`s RADICAL program that incorporates tech into city planning.

European countries have long been savvy about supporting bike commuting-but will we ever see RFID sensors at traffic lights in the States? Martha Roskowski, vice president of local innovation at People for Bikes, thinks so. "It's a great concept," she says. "My guess is that we'll see some leading US cities exploring this technology soon, as they work to improve mobility by making biking more convenient and comfortable."

Still, don`t expect that change to happen overnight. Roskowski adds that the biggest challenge won`t be the tech or the dollars involved: As always, the tough part will be convincing local governments to give cyclists the jump. "The challenge in the US will likely not be the technology-RFID chips are already being explored to reduce thefts-it will be the philosophical leap of giving people on bikes an additional benefit," she adds.