Comment by CountGeek
5 hours ago
I recently learned that with smart traffic lights cyclists can change traffic lights -https://nltimes.nl/2026/04/28/new-app-turns-traffic-lights-g...
5 hours ago
I recently learned that with smart traffic lights cyclists can change traffic lights -https://nltimes.nl/2026/04/28/new-app-turns-traffic-lights-g...
For a while I tried creating traffic-light-free bicycle routes from my home in the suburbs to my office in Amsterdam center (because intersections, especially with trams, can sometimes take a long time.
Unfortunately there was no API with data on which intersections have traffic lights and I had to build these routes manually in Strava using satellite images.
I did learn in the process that some traffic light data is actually available from the government, but only for selected partners. The Flitsmeister app for example has it and shows at some traffic lights how long it will take for the light to turn green (in a car, not on a bicycle)
OpenStreetMap has traffic lights (at least in my municipality in the Netherlands) so it might be usable for this purpose.
Also, https://routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl/ has options for different route types including an option to avoid traffic lights if a reasonable alternative is available.
Rotterdam is using rain data to asjust traffic lights. Bicycles are waiting less at intersections. They also make the amber light longer to give you time to break for farther away and avoid a fall.
https://popupcity.net/insights/rotterdam-traffic-light-prior...