From bicycle sensor boxes to targeted measures on the Maintal cycle path - THWS researchers are focussing on innovative approaches to identify obstacles for cyclists and improve road safety
Published on 10 June 2024
School grade four - this is the result of the cycling climate test carried out by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club (ADFC, German Cyclists' Association) for the city of Würzburg. Last year, around 1,000 people rated the Franconian city's bicycle friendliness in a nationwide survey. This result puts Würzburg in the mid-table of the comparison of German cities. Nevertheless, the test reveals clear shortcomings in the local cycling infrastructure.
Shortcomings in Würzburg's cycling infrastructure
"There are plenty of sections in Würzburg where the cycling traffic is terribly managed," says Torsten Staab, board member of the cyclist association ADFC Würzburg. Although the city has made improvements in recent years, these are far from sufficient. The narrow cycle paths and the lack of distance to moving and parked cars in Würzburg are still a problem, as is the traffic management with road works. "As a result, many people no longer have the confidence to cycle in city traffic," says Staab.
But where are the weak spots in Würzburg's transport infrastructure and where are improvements needed to ensure the safety of cyclists? An interdisciplinary team of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) is researching exactly this in one of their current research projects.
"In everyday life, we often hear about dangerous intersections or sections of road where drivers don't keep the required distance from cyclists," says Professor Dr Nicholas Müller, initiator of the project and holder of the Professorship of Socioinformatics and Social Aspects of Digitalisation at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Systems (FIW). Together with his colleagues Professor Dr. Jan Wilkening, programme director of Geovisualisation at the Faculty of Polymer Engineering and Surveying (FKV), and Professor Dr. Arndt Balzer, holder of the Professorship of Computer Architectures and Embedded Systems (FIW), Professor Dr. Müller has therefore set himself the task of identifying the shortcomings in Würzburg's cycling infrastructure.
Road traffic data collection through bike boxes
So-called bike boxes make all this possible. With the help of the boxes, the previous reports on problematic points in Würzburg's traffic are to be substantiated with quantitative data. For this purpose, the self-designed containers are equipped with various sensors and attached to the steering wheel of a bicycle. In addition to air pressure, temperature and vibration sensors, they also have sensors for distance and particulate matter measurement. "For example, we can determine when and on which road section there is a particularly high level of fine dust pollution or road damage," Professor Dr. Müller explains.
In a pre-test in early 2024, about 30 bike boxes are planned to be handed out to students. Over the course of the year, the number of boxes is set to rise to up to 100. The only condition for participation in the project is that the students are regularly travelling by bicycle. "We record all the data and the corresponding coordinates. However, a few hundred metres are deleted at the beginning and end of the recording for data protection reasons," explains Professor Dr. Müller. The sensors send the recorded information to an app on the test subjects' mobile phones via Bluetooth. As soon as the students connect their smartphones to the WLAN, the data is transmitted to the THWS research team.
"If we detect conspicuous measurements for several people at the same point in road traffic, the data could serve as a concrete starting point for making improvements," says Professor Dr. Müller. This was particularly true for distance measurement: If several measurements by different students show that the mandatory minimum distance of one and a half metres is repeatedly undercut at a certain section, this would be an indication of a problematic point in road traffic. "It is possible that the cycle path is too narrow at this point or needs improved marking or securing," Professor Dr. Müller points out.
Successful study on the Maintal cycle track
In spring 2023 in the course of her bachelor's thesis, student Laura Pressel investigated the effects of a well-marked cycle path on road safety. To this end, Pressel carried out a so-called community behavioural intervention on the Maintal cycle path between Würzburg and Randersacker, i.e. a targeted intervention in the local conditions in order to bring about changes in behaviour. Along this section, the Maintal cycle path merges with a pedestrian path and is separated by a white line, with corresponding signposting only at the start of the route. If you stop at one of the beer gardens or restaurants, you will be faced with the challenge of choosing the right route after your break. "I cycle a lot myself and have almost collided with someone at this point several times," says Pressel. For her study, the student renewed the signs for pedestrians and cyclists near a beer garden. "The results clearly show that fewer people were travelling the wrong way as a result of my intervention," Pressel explains. The student made her final thesis available to the municipality of Randersacker - and the municipality immediately utilised the information gained: There are now two new signs on the Maintal cycle path.
Data accessible by everyone
The bike boxes are supposed to provide indications for similar interventions. The research team led by Professor Dr. Müller wants to use the analysed geodata to create thematic maps that illustrate the deficiencies in road traffic. The results and maps are made available to the general public via the City of Würzburg's open data portal. All citizens can access the data free of charge and use the visualisations to track their own commute. "Of course, we are hoping that our data will also be used by the city of Würzburg to improve the problematic areas for cyclists," Professor Dr. Müller emphasises.
Until then, Torsten Staab of the ADFC advises cyclists to drive confidently and proactively: "You should not stick to the kerb but keep about one and a half metres away from it or from parked cars." This is not only required by law, but also prevents accidents that can be caused by car doors suddenly swinging open. The most important thing, however, is to wear high-visibility clothing so that everyone on the road notices you, says Staab. Especially in winter, wearing highly visible reflective strips on clothing could prevent many accidents.
