The Netherlands is renowned around the world for its distinctive bicycle culture. With over 23 million bicycles – 1.3 per inhabitant – cycling is strongly engrained in the daily lives of the Dutch. Dutch individuals rode their bikes 4.8 billion times last year alone, covering 18.2 billion kilometres, or 3 kilometres every day. A quarter of all trips are conducted by bicycle, and the nation has an astonishing 37,000 kilometres of bike trails.
Despite this, there is still untapped potential. It is known that seven out of ten vehicle users say they would like to cycle more often for short trips but cars still prevail in this type of trip. Recognising the opportunity, initiatives like “Bike to Work Day” and nationwide campaigns have been launched to further encourage cycling. As cycling traffic is growing, safety and efficiency of the cycle paths are becoming a critical issue. This increasing demand highlights the requirement for robust systems for bicycle flow monitoring and control.
The Dutch city of Utrecht is a good illustrative case of how urban authorities track cycling traffic. In the city of Utrecht with a population of 300,000 people, more than 10,000 cyclists are travelling through certain streets every day during working hours. In order to control this flow and measure the adequacy of cycling policies and infrastructure to meet the demand, the city council also carries out periodical bicycle counts. Because of the immensity, counting is automatically performed by devices placed for a short time in many locations all around the city every year.
To further refine their strategies, Dutch municipalities are turning to advanced technologies. Merel Sterk, a researcher at the Delft University of Technology, explored the use of six types of sensors: push buttons, loop sensors, infrared sensors, WiFi/Bluetooth trackers, mobile applications, and smart cameras.
Sterk’s research highlights that 37% of large Dutch municipalities currently use bicycle sensors in similar ways, with push buttons and loop sensors installed at up to 100% of signalised intersections. When loop sensors fail outside the cyclist’s direct control, the push button forces the cyclist to exert a particular type of control while guaranteeing detection. When coupled with magnetic field change sensing embedded in the road, loop sensors sense pressure fluctuations generated by metal bicycles and translate these pressure signals into magnetic field changes observed by the magnetometer.
Yet, these approaches have limitations, such as difficulty in recognizing non-metal bicycles and errors in the rush hour. The applications of infrared sensors, WiFi trackers, mobile applications, and smart cameras extend the scope of data acquisition, while image analysis based on AI and demographic information creates a more enriched understanding of cyclist behaviour. Along with these more or less traditional approaches, Amsterdam has deployed a next-generation solution – the Signum Bicycle Counter – to transform the way cities monitor and control bicycle traffic.
The Dutch capital, facing the complexities of managing 400,000 daily cyclists, turned to the Signum Bicycle Counter to address the shortcomings of traditional counting methods. In contrast to, for example, temporary systems, thanks to radar technology usage, the Signum counter gives continuous and best data about cyclist’s intensity and velocity. Operating 24/7, and achieving more than 90% accuracy, it provides real-time feedback while providing secure, anonymised information to comply with GDPR.
This radar-based system reduces interference from stationary cyclists at intersections and can precisely sense traffic volumes during rush hours. Policymakers are now equipped to improve road safety, optimise traffic light timings, and reduce congestion on cycleways to provide a more comfortable and safer cycling experience.
