Expo-Highlight Lübeck: Sensors for "Kreuzung frei" - Intelligent Traffic Control

Lack of parking space is part of everyday life in densely populated residential areas in Lübeck. However, due to blocked streets, fire and rescue vehicles as well as garbage trucks cannot get to the scene of the incident at all or only with great effort. This endangers public safety and order and, in an emergency, also human lives. This problem is now to be solved with the help of parking sensors as part of the Smart City infrastructure.

In the "Kreuzung frei" (free crossing) pilot project, 18 parking sensors were initially applied to the roadway at two particularly critical street corners. The sensors detect whether an illegally parked vehicle is above or next to them. This measurement data is forwarded to the municipal public order service in compliance with data protection regulations and made available in real time 24/7 on a dashboard. The public order office can then initiate appropriate measures to keep escape and rescue routes clear.

For the public order office, monitoring the parking area is helpful because it reduces the administrative effort and the number of operations. "Kreuzung frei" is a sub-project of the intelligent traffic control in Lübeck and can be used to analyze parking behavior and optimize rescue routes.

After the successful pilot, the support and further roll-out of the project was taken over by the Public Order Office. In the course of the expansion, 14 intersections were equipped with sensors by September 2023, with more to follow in the near future. A total of 50 locations with around 300 sensors are planned in the Hanseatic city. Stadtwerke Lübeck Digital GmbH was commissioned with the implementation. Due to the positive experiences, the "Kreuzung frei" project has generated interest from other cities in Germany and Europe.