Customised CityQ bike assesses Mechelen’s cycling infrastructure

Source: Stad Mechelen

The XenoBike – a customised four-wheel electric bike made by XenomatiX in partnership with LEVA-EU member CityQ – is using its on-board road lidar technology to create a 3D model of 50km of the Belgian city of Mechelen’s bike paths.

XenoBike is specifically engineered to assess the condition of cycle lanes, identifying potential hazards such as cracks, potholes and bumps. The resulting digital model provides a quality rating along with practical recommendations for improvement. It has been developed on the foundations of a CityQ four-wheel e-bike, and being lightweight and compact is ideally suited to navigating narrow spaces such as cycle lanes.

The Mechelen inspections will be used to deliver added value in the management, safety and comfort of the city’s cycling infrastrucutre. The pilot project is part of the European project CitCom.ai, of which the City of Mechelen is a partner. XenomatiX secured the contract in 2023 for assessing bike lanes with AWV (Agentschap voor Wegen en Verkeer), the agency responsible for roads and traffic in Flanders.