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.

Related Content

  • November 19, 2013
    UK city deploys wireless sensors to reduce congestion
    In a bid to cut congestion, Portsmouth City Council in the UK has installed a wireless vehicle tracking solution in the city. The system, from Danish wireless technology company Blip Systems, was deployed by the company’s UK partner Smart CCTV which has installed BlipTrack sensors on the three most-often congested roads linking to the M27/A27 east-west corridor.
  • July 11, 2012
    BlueToad travel-time deployment on major arterials in Georgia
    TrafficCast International has successfully implemented two traffic signal optimisation projects in the State of Georgia. To improve key arterial roadway efficiencies, Cobb County and Fulton County have deployed TrafficCast’s BlueToad online suite of travel time data management tools to mitigate congestion and reduce travel delays.
  • November 14, 2013
    Bluetooth sensors monitor travel times on Ontario’s busiest highway
    Danish wireless technology company Blip Systems and its Canadian partner G4Apps have installed wireless sensors to help reduce traffic congestion on one of Ontario’s busiest highways, the Queen Elizabeth Way, which averages close to 200,000 vehicles per day. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is using Blip Systems’ combined Bluetooth and wi-fi sensors to verify travel time prediction algorithms. BlipTrack sensor are mounted on posts at strategic points in the road network and detect wireless
  • June 6, 2014
    Monitoring during construction reveals benefits of new expressway
    David Crawford reports on how the authorities in New Zealand are using Bluetooth technology to monitor the effects of a new expressway as it is being constructed. New Zealand Highway Agency (NZHA) is using Bluetooth-based vehicle detection to assess the impact of its biggest road building project as the various sections are completed. The large-scale deployment of a Bluetooth-based vehicle detection system is making substantial contributions to traffic data needs in progressing the new Waikato Expressway, a