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Conflict between pedestrians and cyclists: The effect of a new type of sign surprises researchers
Tourists moving through unfamiliar surroundings, people following maps on their phones, and distracted road users in general can easily overlook regular traffic signs.
The Tromsø Bridge in northern Norway has a separate walkway on one side and a cycle path on the other.
The aim of the new signs is to reduce conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, and electric scooter users.
Nevertheless, many pedestrians choose the wrong side of the bridge.
For Troms County Council, this raised an interesting question: Could signs projected directly onto the ground improve traffic safety?
Projected signs appear as illuminated signs on the ground.
Tested on more than 28,000 road users
To find the answer, the county municipality asked researchers at SINTEF to conduct a study on the bridge in the spring of 2026.
“We combined camera observations with a survey among road users. All told, over 56,000 registrations were collected before the dataset was quality assured and reduced to 28,432 relevant crossings in the direction of Tromsø city centre,” says SINTEF researcher Claudia Moscoso.
The researchers tested several different versions of the signs. The first scenario served as a reference and consisted only of the current signage.
The other three variants included LED projections on the ground. These used different combinations of symbols and text.
One of the alternatives used well-known blue symbols for pedestrians and cyclists. The others included variations, such as the text 'Walk here' and a sign prohibiting pedestrians.
Pedestrians are primarily the ones making mistakes
“One of the most striking findings was how big the problem actually is,” says Moscoso.
The study showed that half of all registered pedestrians walked in the bike lane. At the same time, only 1.5 per cent of cyclists rode on the pedestrian path.
So it was primarily pedestrians who chose the wrong lane.
“We also found that the problem is greater on weekends. The probability of choosing the right side of the bridge is around 40 per cent lower than on normal weekdays,” says Moscoso.
The LED signs made a difference
All three LED solutions improved road users’ choices compared to the current signage alone.
But one solution clearly stood out.
The scenario that used blue projected symbols for both pedestrians and cyclists had the strongest effect.
With this solution, road users had a 210 per cent higher likelihood of choosing the correct path than with the existing physical signage.
The proportion who actually chose correctly increased from 61.5 per cent with the current signage to 83.4 per cent with the best LED solution.
Not an alternative on its own
The findings point to a clear area of application for the technology.
But although LED signs work well, their role is primarily to support existing traffic regulations.
“This provides an important premise for further use: LED projection should not be understood as an alternative to official traffic signs, but as a means of understanding the existing signage,” says Solveig Sandnes.
She is a senior adviser at Troms County Council.
Why do these signs work?
The explanation seems to be that LED signs catch people’s attention exactly where the decision is made:
“Traditional traffic signs are on poles next to the route, whereas LED signs are projected directly onto the ground in front of the road user. This way, you are presented with the information at the moment you have to choose between a pedestrian and a bicycle path,” says Moscoso.
The survey also showed that road users prefer symbols they are already familiar with.
Signs that resembled established traffic signs were considered both more visible and easier to understand than solutions based on text or prohibition symbols.
Most visible around dusk
Since the signs are projected onto the ground, they are not covered by large amounts of snow like traditional signs can be.
There are nevertheless limitations.
People found the signs most visible at dusk. Bright daylight made the projections more difficult to see. Younger road users also reported better visibility than older ones.
Nearly 70 per cent stated that they easily understood the meaning of the signs. Nevertheless, the results show that design and contrast remain crucial to their effectiveness.
Can the technology be used in more places?
The researchers believe the results are promising, but at the same time point to an important question:
How should this type of horizontal traffic sign be regulated?
"Today’s regulations are designed for vertical signs along the road. If horizontal or projected signs are to be used, it may be necessary to clarify how they should be standardised and what legal status they should have,” says Moscoso.
A small measure with a big impact
The technology alone cannot solve everything.
Nevertheless, the results show that familiar symbols on the ground can make it easier for people to find their way and can contribute to improved road safety.
“For a city that's receiving more visitors each year, a luminous symbol on the ground could prove to be just the reminder needed to get people to choose the right path,” says Moscoso.
Reference:
Paredes et al. LED-lys projiserte trafikkskilt og deres effekt på fotgjengernes adferd (LED-light projected traffic signs and their effect on pedestrian behaviour), SINTEF research report, 2026.
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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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