Smart pedestrian lights: City of Offenbach tests contactless "green signal" request

Pedestrian traffic lights that turn "green" when the button is pressed are widespread. But contactless is also possible: in Offenbach, smart radar buttons for pedestrians have been tested at the Berliner Straße / Herrnstraße pedestrian lights since Wednesday, June 19. As soon as a person enters the set area, "green" is automatically requested for the pedestrian. The area in which the device reacts can be set in stages. The blind request on the underside remains as usual. The new buttons can be recognized by the LED strip illuminated on the side and the symbol on the button. When a request is made, the "Signal coming" field lights up as usual.

"Promoting pedestrian traffic, especially in the city center, is an important concern for me," says Mayor and Head of Mobility Sabine Groß. "The crossing at Berliner Straße / Herrnstraße is located in the middle of the lively heart of the city around the adult education center, town hall, Haus der Wirtschaft and Büsingpalais. It is particularly important here that pedestrians can cross the road easily and without complications and don't have to wait unnecessarily long at the traffic lights because they don't know or forget to request the green light. With the contactless request, we are testing a simple solution for everyone in this area."

The traffic lights on Berliner Straße / Herrnstraße were deliberately chosen for the test operation. The large installation area and the heavily frequented cycle route also pose particular challenges when setting the detection field. After all, the "pedestrian green time" should not be triggered unintentionally.

After the test phase, a decision will be made as to whether and to what extent the contactless buttons should be used in the future.