Newsletter.June 2012 Content Shared (parking) space for cars and bikes Cycle cities awarded bicycle counters Cycle Super Highways to generate more cyclists in Greater Copenhagen Area Danish cycle experts heading to Velo-city in Vancouver, B.C.
Published by Cycling Embassy of Denmark www.cycling-embassy.org
Shared (parking) space for cars and bikes Can bikes and cars share the space?
By Niels Hoé, Atkins Denmark
In cities where space is in short supply, you need to think outside the box to make room for everyone. When it comes to a cycle city like Copenhagen, with its countless cyclists, you also need to allot parking space for both cars and bikes. Copenhagen and many other Danish cities are increasingly transforming car parking spaces into bicycle parking. Such a solution of course limits the number of car parking spaces, but this is not necessarily a negative thing. Rather than saying ‘either/or’, the City of Copenhagen, in cooperation with consultants from Atkins Danmark, decided to say ‘yes’ to both bikes and cars, and in turn developed the concept of flex parking. Using the same space twice In order for flex parking to work, it is crucial that the two user groups – cyclists and motorists – are in need of parking space at different times. Take, for example, the Ingrid Jespersen high school in Copenhagen, a test site of flex parking. As is the case at most other educational institutions in Copenhagen, many people bike there, and the students are only in class for a limited period of time during the day. The school is located in a residential area with many car owners. At night, the need for car parking increases as people come home from work. Precisely this combination of a need for bicycle parking during the day and car parking at night made it possible to use the same space twice.
How does flex parking work? The asphalt of the original car parking space is signed with the flex parking logo and a text, and there are signs indicating the time span allotted for bikes and cars respectively. Cyclists can use the space between 7 AM and 5 PM, and car parking is allowed between 5 PM and 7 AM. In order to ensure that time limits would be respected, a pamphlet was distributed to all students and residents in the area so that both cyclists and motorists were familiar with the new initiative and knew how to use it. The biggest challenge comes around the times when the area switches from car parking to bicycle parking and vice versa. A few times, a car or bike has not been moved, but this has not caused any problems or accidents. Flex parking may not be 100% ideal for cyclists, as there are no
bike racks; nor 100% for motorists, who have to respect the time limit. But on the positive side, both parties – not just one of them – get a parking option. Without flex parking you can only have car or bicycle parking, which is only used for one third of the day. Poor accessibility before the trial period
The test has shown that it can be done. Yes, bikes and cars can share the space.
Students parking their bikes in the flex parking area Car parked in the flex parking area
Cycle cities awarded bicycle counters
In Freiburg, all cyclists going on Wiwili-Brücke in direction of the Jazz House are now counted. And only cyclists are listed in the statistics – by registering speed, amount of metal, and the distance between the wheels, the bicycle counter can distinguish between a bicycle and other wheeled objects, such as prams or skateboards.
By Marie V. Magni, VEKSØ. A bicycle counter was recently presented to each of the three German cities of Offenburg, Karlsruhe, and Freiburg in the Land of Baden-Württemberg. All three cities have been officially nominated as cycle cities by the German Ministry of Transport on the grounds that “a bicycle counter is a visible proof of a dedicated effort to strengthen cycling.” The new bicycle counters have quickly become a landmark of the three cities. Professionals, politicians, and the press closely followed the opening in April 2012. As the massive media coverage indicates, the bicycle counters both recognise the work that has been done, and highlight the work that lies ahead. The title of ‘Cycle City’ is valid for five years. Then, the cities will have to pass a new test: What results have the city achieved since nomination, and are they still worthy of the title? The bicycle counters will serve as a daily reminder to the responsible city planners and politicians to continue the good work in the name of sustainable mobility. Most importantly, the bicycle counters will show cyclists that every single citizen who chooses to transport themselves on a bike, counts. Marketing boost Besides counting cyclists and keeping track of the status of cycle traffic, the counters are a useful marketing tool that calls attention to cycling traffic and helps make visible the city’s efforts to increase bicycle traffic. The counters also serve as an encouraging
boost, complimenting the many people who already cycle, while motivating those who want to cycle but haven’t yet jumped in the saddle. Even though the three cities already have many cyclists, they all have a stated target to further increase the modal split of cyclists. Hopefully, the bicycle counters can help demonstrate to all citizens that their cities consider cycling an important focus area. Perhaps, the bicycle counters can also be a role model for other German cities that want to focus on cycling.
bicycle counter more than ten years ago for the city of Odense when the city bore the title of Denmark’s National Cycle City in the period 1999-2002. Since then, VEKSØ has provided bicycle counters for a number of Danish and foreign cycle cities. Moreover, VEKSØ has just begun a collaboration with Eco-Counter, the market leader in terms of developing counting systems and data processing of active transport.
www.cycling-embassy.org/?p=4789
Minister of Transport for the Land of BadenWürttemberg, Winfried Hermann, and Mayor of Karlsruhe, Michael Obert, at the opening on 26 April 2012. The counters are a clear
VEKSØ and Urban Cycling Solutions The bicycle counters are provided by VEKSØ, one of the co-founders of the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, which produces a list of services and products for the bicycle-friendly urban space, including bicycle parking, air pumps, water fountains, and more. VEKSØ developed its first
and very visible way of showing citizens that the city is focussing on bicycle traffic.
For further information about VEKSØ Urban Cycling Solutions and bicycle counters please contact Joel Mulligan at jtm@vekso.com or visit: www. vekso.com Read what the press wrote at:
Cycle Super Highways to generate more cyclists in Greater Copenhagen Area Air pumps every 1.7 kilometres are one feature of Denmark’s first cycle super highway.
By Søren Bom und Lillan Clemmesen, City of Copenhagen. Commuters keen on cycling to their place of work or education in the Greater Copenhagen area have just gotten their first route in what will become a whole network of world-class cycle routes. Denmark’s first ‘cycle super highway’ between the suburb Albertslund and Copenhagen’s City Centre opened in April. With few stops and a high level of comfort, the cycle super highways will make it fast, easy, and safe to reach more destinations. The first cycle super highway in the Greater Copenhagen area is now open. A temporary orange line, permanent air pumps, and green-light waves are just some of the perks that are intended to get more people to bike to their place of work or education on the route named ‘C99 Albertslundruten’ [the Albertslund route]. The route runs between Vesterport Station in central Copenhagen to the suburb Albertslund , 17.5 kilometres away and is the first piece of a new network of 26 routes, making up more than 300 kilometres of cycle super highways. ”If we can get more people to park the car and jump on the bike instead, it can curb congestion. For a long time, we have seen the potential in getting more people to bike to and from Copenhagen, so it is great to see the project realised. Collaborating with our neighbouring municipalities and the Capital Region of Denmark about the cycle super highways is the best offer to cyclists since we built the first cycle tracks more
than 100 years ago,” says Ayfer Baykal, Mayor of the Technical and Environmental Administration in Copenhagen. The partnership behind the first cycle super highway consists of the Capital Region of Denmark and the Municipalities of Albertslund, Glostrup, Rødovre, Frederiksberg, and Copenhagen. According to the plan, two more routes will open this year, called ‘Farumruten’ and ‘Vestvoldruten.’ More than 200 cyclists participated in the opening of the first cycle super highway, which had been announced in newspaper ads and on Facebook. Orange bike bells and a taste of Copenhagen City Hall’s famous pancakes served as encouragement and fuel. The object of the cycle super highways is to get more people to bike further than usual, as surveys indicate a great potential there.
Today, a third of all trips to one’s place of work or education in Copenhagen are conducted by bike, and most of these trips are less than 10 kilometres long. The cycle super highways can potentially increase the number of cyclists by 30 percent, corresponding to 15,000 more cyclists on the whole cycle super highway network. This will save about 7,000 tons of CO2 and about 300 million DKK in health costs per year. The cycle super highways project is a multi-annual project. The partnership consists of more than 20 municipalities and the Capital Region of Denmark, all of whom participate in the planning and financing of the routes. The project has also received a state subsidy. Read more at: www.cykelsuperstier.dk
Typical traits of a cycle super highway • A high and consistent level of maintenance along the entire route, despite its transcending municipal boundaries. • Constructing level crossings that help secure cyclists from traffic to and from byroads. • Green light waves, LED Lane Lights, and countdown traffic lights so cyclists can adjust their speed and avoid having to make a full stop. • Improved safety in high-traffic intersections. • Light on the route and in tunnels. • In many places, new cycle tracks and surfaces have been constructed to ensure a high level of comfort and traffic safety.
Danish cycle experts heading to Velo-city in Vancouver, B.C.
When Vancouver, B.C., opens its cycle tracks to Velo-city Global conference goers from across the globe this June, the Danes will be on the spot. A delegation of 15 from the Cycling Embassy of Denmark will cross the pond to share knowledge and search for new inspiration. Velo-city Global 2012 will be a hub of cycling expertise. With a list of presentations, including several keynote speakers, and a stand at the exhibition, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark are aiming to make a strong showing: “The Velo-city Global conference is the place to be this June. You have a massive amount of cycle knowledge gathered at one place, so it is the perfect place to share your best ideas and be inspired. We hope to have many visitors at our stand at the exhibition,” says Frits Bredal from the Danish Cyclists’ Federation, a member of the Cycling Embassy of Denmark. What is the Cycling Embassy of Denmark? The CED is the world’s first cycling embassy, currently counting 17 members (municipalities, private companies, NGO’s), and aims to make Denmark the world’s leading cycling country and the primary source for knowledge, dialogue, and innovation in the field of cycling. In recent years, the interest in everyday cycling has been growing slowly but surely all over the world. This has made foreign city administrations and NGO’s look to countries such as Denmark (and Holland), where the cycling
mode share is high. As a result, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark is increasingly organising master classes, excursions, and courses for foreign visitors. “We are simply trying to copy what they are doing in Copenhagen,” said Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, upon receiving an award from the Cycling Embassy of Denmark for his city’s work to construct one thousand kilometres of cycle tracks. Cities like Los Angeles, Melbourne, London, and Bogotá have also “copenhagenized,” a.k.a., built bicycle infrastructure and fostered bicycle culture, with Copenhagen as a model.
Meet the Cycling Embassy of Denmark at
• Dea Seeberg, VEKSØ; presenting “11
Velo-city Global 2012:
Municipalities on 2 wheels in 3 years - How
• Frits Bredal, Danish Cyclists’ Federation,
to ensure political and organisational owner-
presenting “Bicycle Tourism – Version 2.0”
ship and prioritization of cycling in small and
• Jens Loft Rasmussen, Danish Cyclists’ Fed-
medium sized municipalities”
eration, presenting “It starts with the children”
• Niels Hoé, Atkins Danmark; presenting “Can
• Anja Larsen, City of Copenhagen, present-
we do without cycle parking?”
ing “How to optimize the capacity on cycle
• Aske Wieth-Knudsen, Head of Strategy,
tracks - lessons learned in Copenhagen”
Communications and OSH, DSB S-train;
• Niels Tørsløv, Director of the Traffic Depart-
Keynote speaker
ment, City of Copenhagen; Keynote speaker
• Troels Andersen, City of Fredericia; present-
• Ayfer Baykal, Mayor of the Technical and
ing “Bike Score – How can Electronic Chips
Environmental Administration, City of Copen-
Boost Cycling?”
hagen; Keynote speaker • Dorthe Gyldenlund Råby, City of Odense • Steen Møller, Mayor of Culture and Urban Development, City of Odense; Keynote speaker • Jesper Kinch Jensen, Politician and Member of the Culture and Urban Development Committee, City of Odense
For further information, please contact Frits Bredal, phone (+45) 29 47 67 04, frb@dcf.dk, or visit www.cycling-embassy.org.
• Lone Andersen, City of Frederiksberg • Joel Mulligan, VEKSØ • Marianne Weinreich, VEKSØ; presenting “Around the World in 80 Days - Getting children cycling through new tech and an old story!”