A traffic light against traffic emissions?!
In the Netherlands, and now also in Oldenburg in Germany, a cyclist traffic light switches faster to green in bad weather. Could this approach also be used in the case of heavy air pollution? could take place?
In Oldenburg, traffic on the roads will flow differently during bad weather. At a set of traffic lights on the Quellenweg bicycle lane, pedestrians and cyclists will now get the green light in rain and snow and move faster. This was announced by the city administration a few days ago. For this purpose, the traffic lights are fed with current weather data in order to adjust the traffic light phases in favour of cyclists even in the case of light rain. traffic light phases in favour of cyclists and pedestrians.
If the new traffic lights pass the first test phase with flying colours, the city of Lower Saxony plans to install the prototype on other roads - as was already possible in the Netherlands. Traffic lights of this kind are frequently used there. For years, different technologies and systems have been For years, different technologies and systems have been tested in Dutch cities in order to create favourable conditions for more environmentally friendly pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
But why not use this technical possibility also in the case of bad air values? From a technical point of view, the new sensors, which are designed precisely for weather monitoring, can certainly be adapted to receive other data - such as air values collected by nearby measuring stations. The innovative traffic light system could then, in the case of poor air quality, give pedestrians and cyclists the right of way on the roads. In this way, on the one hand, those who on foot or by bicycle could be protected from prolonged exposure to air pollutants. On the other hand, traffic lights would make life more difficult for motorists, possibly leading indirectly to a reduction in road traffic.
A measure that would therefore ideally lead to a reduction in traffic emissions and at the same time promote green forms of mobility. This is in line with the growing interest and need of many German cities to make their transport routes and mobility services more sustainable - for the sake of the environment and the health of their citizens - for the sake of the environment and the health of the citizens. Whether such an "air traffic light" will ever become reality, however, remains to be seen. It would certainly be a good idea.