EGO General Directorate has implemented a new application within the scope of environmental and sustainable transportation projects in Başkent. As a part of the "Integrating Micromobility Infrastructure with Existing Public Transport (MeHUB) Project", the first "Bicycle Counter" produced in Turkey by Sabancı University and OSTİM Technical University with domestic and national means has started to be used on the bicycle paths built by the Metropolitan Municipality. Statistical data will be collected by measuring the use of bicycles with the artificial intelligence-based bicycle counter installed in Bahçelievler Eser Park for the first time.
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality continues to bring together the citizens of the Capital with sustainable environmental transportation projects in Ankara.
As a part of the "Integrating Micromobility Infrastructure into Existing Public Transport (MeHUB) Project", the first bicycle counter produced in Turkey with the cooperation of the Metropolitan Municipality, Sabancı University and OSTİM Technical University, with domestic and national means, started to be used on bicycle paths. The bicycle counter, which is based on artificial intelligence and has a camera system, was first installed in Bahçelievler Eser Park.
DOMESTIC METERS WITH 100 PERCENT GRANT SUPPORT FROM EU WILL BE EXPANDED
The new project, implemented by the EGO General Directorate, Department of Transportation Technologies, is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an organ of the European Union, with a 100 percent grant.
Ali Onuralp Ünal, Project Manager of EGO General Directorate Transportation Technologies Department, stated that they aim to determine the usage rates while promoting the use of bicycles in the capital city, and gave the following information about the project:
“As EGO General Directorate, we have implemented one of the bicycle infrastructures we have built in many parts of Ankara within the scope of the 100 percent grant project of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, an organ of the European Union. R&D work was carried out for the bicycle counter within the scope of the project we carried out with Sabancı University and OSTİM Technical University. We have produced these bicycle counters, which have been used all over the world since 2002, locally in Turkey for the first time. Many different technologies are used in bicycle counters all over the world. While our bicycle counter is detecting bicycles with a wide-angle camera, it is also interpreted by artificial intelligence. It is shared instantly with decision makers in our institution. One has been placed in the area between the National Library and Beşevler, which is currently only on the 1st stage route. In the coming days, we will place 1 more and make determinations with 8 bicycle counters throughout Ankara. It is aimed to determine the density by measuring the pedestrians, bicycles and scooters passing through the bicycle paths, and as a result of this determination, the decisions of the future bicycle paths to be made in Ankara are aimed.
DATA IS COLLECTED BY CAMERA
The images obtained by the wide-angle camera in the bike meters will first be analyzed in real-time in the image processing unit.
The smart meter based on artificial intelligence-based image tracking technology, which will detect and classify the objects in the image, will transfer the generated statistical information to the server systems over the internet. OSTİM Technical University faculty members Assoc. Dr. Rıza Bayrak made the following evaluations about the bicycle counter project they developed:
“This project is the first smart bicycle counter with artificial intelligence-based, image transmission-based technology that we developed together with the EGO General Directorate. So this is part of the smart cities concept. It's just an optimization tool. Should bike lanes be built? How much should be done? For the answers to all these questions, usage rates are extremely important to us. Thanks to the R&D project we developed with EGO for this purpose, we are currently counting cyclists and pedestrians. We will include scooters in the next phase.”
THANKS TO THE METROPOLITAN FROM BICYCLE USERS
Emphasizing that the bicycle counter will be encouraging for those who want to use a bicycle, bicycle lovers expressed their thoughts with the following words:
Aygul Dogan: “I am 22 years old and a student. I have been cycling for many years. The data here is transmitted to the municipality. The more the number of bicycles, the more incentives will be given to those who want to use bicycles. According to these data, the municipality will further increase bicycle lanes. This project motivated us, we thank you.”
Burçin Tarhan (Founder of the Pedaling Women Group): “I cycle to work, shopping, and home all the time. As cyclists using bike paths, we don't know the statistics here at all. Therefore, local governments that do this are not aware of these numbers. Knowing these numbers means making business arrangements accordingly. Here is a statistic. The information collected here will be collected in the municipality's data collection system every year.”
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