Smart traffic lights in Amsterdam turn out not to be so smart after all

The aim of the smart traffic lights was to give certain groups the green light more quickly, such as heavy trucks and cyclists. It was a solution that the municipality came up with in December 2023 to ensure more efficient driving at busy intersections.

Smart traffic lights

In practice, the project was limited to a small trial. According to AT5 Smart traffic lights pose a risk to the protection of personal data because they can record who is in the area. The smart traffic lights work with apps, often without users realizing that their data is being processed. Something that has often been questioned by, among others, the Dutch Data Protection Authority.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority announced that traffic lights can collect personal information from people on a large scale, allowing entire routes to be mapped, including speed and time. This poses a problem, as road authorities such as Rijkswaterstaat and municipalities have access to the collected data, resulting in privacy risks. AP states that road authorities have not properly considered the privacy risks of these traffic lights.

Amsterdam stops at traffic lights

Smart traffic lights were installed at two intersections for the trial, but it soon became apparent that the intended benefits were not achieved. The expected improvement in traffic flow did not materialize, resulting in hardly any more efficient traffic. In addition, there were concerns about security against hackers and the high costs of maintenance.

Amsterdam is stopping it, but in Flevoland, Haarlemmermeer and Den Bosch, among others, there are locations where cyclists can get the green light more quickly with an app. Road user data is also processed at these smart traffic lights, which raises similar privacy concerns.

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