System

A Modular Construction System

Construction system for the creation of elevated BikeHighways
BikeHighways with 2 lanes per direction have a capacity of up to 4,000 bikes per direction and hour
Lightweight wooden construction on a steel support structure
Railing with integrated PV-system
Integrated track heating
Integrated intelligence for increased safety and reduced maintenance costs
Guidance system for optimising traffic
Patent applied for globally

The track element is the core building block of the urb-x system. It consists of three main components:
- A track panel with a specialised heated surface
- Two railing elements with integrated PV modules
- Optionally a street lamp with integrated sensors and navigation signals
The track panel is made of wood, which is treated with a special coating from the Conica company. The railing elements are made of steel or aluminium.
Track elements are available as either straight or trapezoidal curve elements with 8 different curve radii
A complete track element weighs around 700kg
Track elements have a standardised coupling mechanism to the adjacent track elements and to their supporting structures

The support element in the form of a box girder is the central load-bearing structure of the urb-x system
The essential infrastructures of the urb-x system are integrated in the support element
A straight support elementhas a length of 20m, a width of 2m and weighs around 5'400kg
For the implementation of curves, trapezoidal support elements with different lengths are adapted to the corresponding roadway elements.
All support elements are equipped with a standardised coupling at their ends, which enables the connection to the next support element and the connection to the pillar
Each support element is also equipped with standardised coupling mechanisms for the carriageway elements

The urb-x system enables a wide range of support options. This means that pilars can be placed and flexibly adapted to the local requirements.
Depending on the shape and height of the pillars and the nature of the ground, the foundation must be correspondingly proportioned
The standard pillars are made of 40cm steel tubes. Other versions are also possible

Various sensors measure state of the track, all systems and environmental parameters
Two networked controllers per girder element handle all data and enable communication and storage of information
All power and data cabling is housed inside the girder elements.
The technical components of the girder element, such as the high-performance power bus bar and the communication network are available for third-party usage if required.
Excess space within the girder elements can be used for other infrastructure applications.

Continuous measuring and cloud storage of the track state as the base for various traffic management applications.
Integrated track direction signals and display boards allow situation-aware interaction between traffic management and bike highway users
Automatic detection and reaction on various traffic situations such as:
- New rider entering the track ==> alert riders already on the track
- Pedestrian on the track ==> alert, lock lane
- Accident ==> alert, block track
Capacity-based usage of track allowing to switch from a 2+2-lane system to a 3+1- or a 1+1-lane system

Standard ambulances (< 5 tons, height < 2.75m) can access urb-x tracks with a speed limit of 30 km/h. The traffic management system will block the respective track sections.
Standard road cleaning machines (< 5 tons) can access urb-x tracks. Automated cleaning robots could be envisaged. As a track heating is integrated, significantly less maintenance work can be expected.
Various sensors continuously monitor the “health” of the various modules. Machine learning algorithms issue predictive maintenance alerts to the track operator.
In case of defects the various modules can be replaced with minimal interruption of the urb-x tracks availability. A stock of replacement modules ensures a high availability of the track.
Defect modules can be repaired or recycled back in the work yard of the track operator.