Smart lights used to ‘nudge’ commuters away from crowds

SMART lighting is being used to “nudge” commuters away from crowded areas in Westminster and Wiltshire to try and prevent the spread of coronavirus as lockdown is eased.

Westminster Council said it had tested the use of “projections” around Bond Street to encourage pedestrians to move from the station entrance, adding that the trial was still in its infancy.

In a recent European Commission report about smart cities, Westminster City Council’s Dean Wendelborn said he was interested in reducing the number of people who linger outside tube stations looking at their phones.

He said: “If we can use our lights to ‘nudge’ them away, or use the lights to say ‘hey, what’s that over there?, that would help with crowd control in a potential or continuing socially-distanced world”.

A similar scheme is being used at Chippenham Railway Station, where stairs are lit in red and green LED lights to encourage passengers to walk on one side and avoid the other. Pulsing lights have also been installed in station handrails to encourage people to walk faster or slower, depending on congestion.

When councils around the country began upgrading their streetlights to more energy-efficient LED lighting, many installed “smart systems” which meant every light could be controlled remotely from a central control room.

Initially this was used to enable the streetlights to send alerts if they were faulty. But smart systems are now being used to encourage behaviour that will minimise the spread of Covid.

This draws from an area of behavioural science called “nudge theory” which recommends using positive reinforcement or subtle suggestions to influence people’s behaviour.