In Gothenburg, a number of drivers have agreed to have their driving patterns tracked anonymously. This will provide information on when snow removal is needed.
Gothenburg has found an innovative solution to combat the challenges that snowy weather often poses to traffic. The city's cars have now become part of the solution, as they can report when snow removal is needed.
Gothenburg has previously been known for traffic problems during the winter months, especially when temperatures hovered around freezing. Slippery roads created dangerous situations and delays.
To address these issues, the city has implemented a new data collection system that uses sensors in the roads as well as data from approximately 2,000 drivers who have given permission to anonymously share data from their cars.
When a car drives on slippery roads, this information is immediately sent to those responsible for snow removal.
"The information is collected almost in real time. That way we get a really good picture of where it's smooth," says Hawzheen Karim, project manager at ViaPM, the company coordinating the system.
This is reported by Swedish Radio .
The results have been remarkable. Already in the first year, the number of complaints about slippery roads fell by 47 percent. After two years, the number of reports from cars has fallen by a whopping 80 percent.
"We have seen a significant reduction in the number of complaints," confirms Hawzheen Karim.
The three-year project has already proven to be a success. The next step is to focus on areas where cars cannot collect data, such as pedestrian and bicycle paths.
However, it is expected that the reduced number of complaints about slippery roads will also generally be reflected in an improvement in conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
"Most complaints tend to be about these thoroughfares," explains Karim.
Here in Denmark, a system like the one in Gothenburg has not yet been introduced. But the question is whether it is necessary. A new count shows that 316,000 drivers are breaking a future law on winter tires. Read more about it here .
