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Radar holds the lights until you cross

TrafiRadar would undoubtedly make traffic-light intersections safer for both cyclists and motorists.

A new radar system combines movement sensing and video to detect when a car is still in an intersection while the lights are yellow – and hold them there until it has safely crossed.

The TrafiRadar system, unveiled by Belgian company Traficon, is able to analyse how much more time a car needs to get through the intersection, and keep the opposing lights from changing until the coast is clear.

In tandem with TrafiRadar, Traficon revealed a similar system that uses thermal imaging to determine if a cyclist is still in the intersection, and give them enough light time to get clear. The VIP Bike technology can also tally the number of bikes that uses the intersection.

The technology was presented in the US last week at the 117th annual conference of the International Municipal Signal Association, which explores and certifies public safety technology for a range of systems from traffic lights to fire alarms,

“Vulnerable road users in general, and bicyclists more specifically, just need more time than motorists to make it across the intersection,” Traficon USA vice president Bill Klyczek said in the presentation.

The systems are another step in the developing arsenal of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication aiming to make the streets safer. And technology such as TrafiRadar would undoubtedly make traffic-light intersections safer for both cyclists and motorists – with a likely reduction in rear-end and T-bone collisions.

But we have to wonder whether Australian councils might consider it collides with the current network of revenue-earning red light cameras.