Traffic Signals Timed for Bicycling

Here is an interesting bike infrastructure story out of Copenhagen, Denmark. 30,000 Cyclists Get the Green Wave:

Cars and especially buses have for year had the benefit of a green traffic light wave on the roads. But now it is the cyclists turn to enjoy a smooth ride through the city without stopping at red light writes the e-newsletter “News from Copenhagen – Environmental capital of Europe”.

Recently the first ‘green wave’ bike route has been inaugurated to the satisfaction of 30,000 cyclists, who use the bike lane on one of Copenhagen’s busiest streets, Nørrebrogade.

“My ambition is to turn Copenhagen into the best bicycle capital in the World. An obvious step is to regulate traffic to the benefit of the Copenhagen cyclists,” says Technical and Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam.

The green wave is the first of its kind and traffic light is adjusted to give cyclists a continuous ride if they travel 20 km/h. “It is a rational and sensible speed to pedal, as both children and elderly can keep the pace,” says Klaus Bondam.

The green wave stretches over a distance of 2.5 km and it will only take 7½ minutes to travel the distance whereas longer before. The green wave also means that it does not pay off to travel faster as the cyclist eventually will encounter red light.

The green traffic light wave is regulated towards the city between 6.30 and 12.00 and out of the city between 12.00 and 18.00. “At the moment we are looking for new stretches, where green waves are possible solutions to improve conditions on Copenhagen’s many cyclists,” says Klaus Bondam. Everyday the Copenhageners cycle 1.2 million kilometres.