Skip to main content

Using Bluetooth technology to smooth traffic flow

The Municipality of Randers in Denmark is using Bluetooth technology from Danish company Blip Systems to improve traffic flow in the city. Consultancy company Cowi developed the Cowi CitySense system using BlipTrack sensors from Blip Systems. The popularity of Bluetooth technology makes it ideal for traffic monitoring, as increasing numbers of drivers use Bluetooth-equipped headsets or hands-free systems for their mobile phone. Small boxes with built-in Bluetooth sensors monitor traffic on a 2.5 km long st
December 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The Municipality of Randers in Denmark is using Bluetooth technology from Danish company 3778 Blip Systems to improve traffic flow in the city.

Consultancy company Cowi developed the Cowi CitySense system using BlipTrack sensors from Blip Systems.  The popularity of Bluetooth technology makes it ideal for traffic monitoring, as increasing numbers of drivers use Bluetooth-equipped headsets or hands-free systems for their mobile phone.

Small boxes with built-in Bluetooth sensors monitor traffic on a 2.5 km long stretch around Randers Bridge at Tørvebryggen and Havnegade; each time a driver with a Bluetooth device passes, its anonymous Bluetooth signal has been registered by the sensors, enabling the municipality to monitor the vehicle’s travel time and produce a clear picture of the traffic flow.

“We now use the information to adapt to the new traffic lights so that traffic can move faster during rush hour. When the new signals are set up, we will again conduct research on the stretch to see how it has worked and to possibly make adjustments to the new lights, “says Randers Municipality project manager, Henrik Kaldahl.

“We can use these measurements with great confidence,” says Cowi senior specialist Jonas Olesen. “The challenge of the pilot project in Randers was that cyclists and pedestrians carrying a Bluetooth device became part of the statistics. But with a few modifications, we managed to embed them in the system, enabling us to separate cyclists and pedestrians from cars.  Randers is the first place we have used the system, so it is a kind of pilot project. It has given us some really good experiences and enables us to use Cowi CitySense in virtually all parts of the country,” he said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Autonomous driving – what can we really expect?
    June 6, 2016
    Dave Marples of Technolution BV looks beyond the hype to the practical implementation of autonomous vehicles. Having looked at the development of this sector for some time, I am concerned about the current state of autonomous driving development as engineering (and marketing) have run way ahead of the wider systemic, and legislative, requirements to support an autonomous future.
  • Flow Labs and Tapco agreement is ‘natural step’ to reach out
    May 26, 2023
    Partnership will give both companies new perspective on North America traffic solutions
  • ISS launches DeepBlue traffic monitoring sensor
    December 11, 2017
    The DeepBlue sensor range from US-based Image Sensing Systems offers a simple to deploy solution for traffic monitoring. Suitable for obtaining online travel time information and origin/destination information for improved infrastructure planning, the auto-configured, easy-to-install, side-fire sensor detects the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals from vehicles including hands-free sets, mobile phones and navigation systems.
  • Bluetooth monitoring to reduce Istanbul’s congestion
    May 14, 2013
    Spanish company Trafficnow and Isbak are working together to help in taming the congestion in Istanbul, one of Europe’s most congested cities. They are to install 250 DeepBlue Bluetrack sensors along all the major corridors and access points of the city, together with the DeepBlue core centralised system. The sensors use the signals emitted by Bluetooth-enabled devices such as GPS navigation systems and mobile phones to track vehicles and calculate travel times. With up to ten lanes of traffic, the city aut