The Minnesota Department of Transportation recently installed a new bicycle detection system at a Highway 3 intersection in Northfield, MN; a system that replaces older technology the agency has successfully pilot tested since 2016.
[Above image by MnDOT]
MnDOT said in a statement that the new video-based system detects bicycles waiting at an intersection and triggers the signal at Highway 3 and Second Street West in Northfield; part of an area that witnesses steady, regular bicycle traffic throughout the day. The system can detect bicyclists and alert the traffic signal, the agency noted.
MnDOT and the city of Northfield have worked on this system through the years to improve service for the community’s bicyclists. For a number of years, a loop system in the pavement activated the signal, but not all bikes could activate it. Approximately 10 years ago, MnDOT pilot-tested a radar bicycle sensor that improved the responsiveness to bikes. However, that technology eventually wore out, which is why MnDOT sought funding for the video detection system that replaced it.
The agency noted, however, that weather, wind, and visibility can affect the video-based signal’s detection performance. And if the system does not detect them, MnDOT said bicyclists will need to manually use pedestrian pushbuttons to activate the crossing signals.
Across the country, state departments of transportation engage in a broad range of efforts to improve safety and ease of travel for bicyclists.
For example, in November 2025, the Hawaii Department of Transportation unveiled a new “Priority Multimodal Network” – a collection of 113 projects on the state highway system that will fill accessibility gaps for pedestrian, transit, and bicycle users across the Hawaiian island chain.
The agency said those projects include shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and transit facilities – with the program focusing resources and accelerating implementation timelines sooner than originally planned. Together, those projects will provide affordable transportation options and improve connections between Hawaiian communities, Hawaii DOT emphasized.
Meanwhile, in December 2025, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation began installing what it calls “kid-friendly signage” along some of the state’s most popular bike paths.
Those signs depict images of smiling woodland creatures – such as skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits – holding stop signs. They are placed near the current stop signs where bike paths cross streets, but on separate posts and lower so they are more eye-level for young riders, the agency said.
And in March of this year, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said its Special Commission on Micromobility – established by the state legislature as part of the economic development bill, the Mass Leads Act – issued a final report that offers recommendations for expanding micromobility options statewide.
The agency noted that “micromobility vehicles” include bicycles, electric-power bikes or e-bikes, scooters, e-scooters, skateboards, and other small personal travel devices. The report’s recommendations will be used as a resource for future legislation, regulations, and program development to support safety and encourage growth and expansion of micromobility, MassDOT noted.
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