So far, there has been a desired green at traffic lights for pedestrians only against contact. A technique is now being tested in Düsseldorf whereby pedestrians only have to approach the “traffic light button” so that the traffic light turns green. The city of Düsseldorf announced that it was the first of its kind to be in operation in Europe. The new buttons are manufactured by RTB, which is based in Bad Lippspringe, among others.

In the A small radar sensor is located in the new button, which enables the request via proximity detection. If the pedestrian enters a defined area in front of the button at the traffic light, the button recognizes him. The opening angle of the radar is 80 degrees horizontally and 40 degrees vertical. If a pedestrian approaches the button, he triggers the request that the traffic light be “green” for him. This zone can be set in four steps between 10 cm and 1 m. When the button is approached, the radar sensor forwards the request to the control unit, which is indicated directly on the button by the familiar “Signal comes” acknowledgment field.

Black with LED strips The non-contact buttons were attached to the traffic lights in Bender- / Dreher- / Neunzigstraße in Gerresheim. Together they cost 6400 euros. For the test, all three pedestrian crossings on Dreherstrasse and the crossing on Neunzigstrasse were equipped with contactless buttons. “If the test turns out positive, the button should be used as required when the traffic light system is to be converted,” explains Cornelia Anbke, head of the traffic department. The fitter at work. Whether he knows …

(Image: Uwe Schaffmeister / duesseldorf.de) The four road crossings were previously provided with the usual sensor buttons, where pedestrians triggered the request for the green time by lightly touching them with their hand or elbow. In order to be able to assess the behavior of the radar button in detail, this intersection in the Gerresheim district was deliberately chosen for the practical test, according to Düsseldorf. Both the existing cycle path and the divided pedestrian ford presented a special challenge for setting the detection field and user behavior in order to rule out unintentional demands.

(anw)