Virtual Bike Lanes for Smart, Safe, and Green Navigation

Abstract

Cairo ranks as one of the most polluted cities and recently traffic congestion has been a major problem in its streets. One of the viable solutions is reducing vehicles and increasing the use of bikes. However, cyclists in Cairo are facing many challenges, which makes the use of the bike slightly inconvenient in this case. In order to reduce the challenges and ensure safe navigation, this paper provides a multi-criteria route planner developed specifically for the streets of Cairo. The system provides the best possible path which maintains the comfort, health, and safety of the rider. The system is able to operate independent of information regarding bike lanes and traffic rules. Furthermore, due to the significant impact of the weather on cycling decisions, real-time weather information was added as a factor within the proposed routing function. Real-life testing of the best routes and their alternatives was conducted to assess the applicability of the system. The proposed approach in this paper can be applied in any location, where the required online information is provided without any need for specialized infrastructure.