Newsletter #6

Leadership award for cycling promotion 2012 This summer, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark is awarding an individual or an organization with the Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion 2012 for the fourth time.

By Jakob Schiøtt Stenbæk Madsen, Cycling Embassy of Denmark

We need your help to nominate the truly dedicated cycling promoters.

Who is to follow, Mayor Bloomberg, New York City, Roelof Wittink, Dutch Cycling Embassy, and Lake Sagaris, Ciudad Viva?

Award ceremony this summer On 26-29 June, the wheels will be turning in Vancouver when Velo-City Global – the largest global conference on cycle planning and infrastructure development rolls into the Canadian city. Keeping with the tradition, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark will be announcing the winner of the Leadership award for cycle promotion 2012 during the conference.

And you can have a say in who should receive the award this year.

All we need from you is a short email describing the individual or organization you believe deserves the award and why. Please send your nomination for this year’s award to info@cycling-embassy.org.

Former award winners The first-ever to receive the leadership award was New York Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who accepted the award in Copenhagen during the COP15 in 2009.

“Mayor Bloomberg has inspired cities around the world with his leadership in promoting bicycling as part of a broader sustainability strategy. The impressive results in New York City will be a driving force for increased cycling globally,” board member of the Cycling Embassy Niels Tørsløv from the City of Copenhagen argued.

At the Velo-City Global conference in Copenhagen in 2010, the award travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the Netherlands where Roelof Wittink from the Dutch Cycling Embassy has inspired people around the world.

“For many years, Roelof Wittink has inspired leaders, organizations and ordinary people not only in developing countries, but all around the world with his leadership in promoting bicycling.

He is admired for his persistent commitment, his believe in capacity building, democracy, and the strength in grassroots movements.

His extensive knowledge and dedication have been of great encouragement and support to those working for sustainable transport and poverty reduction in the world,” stated Chairman Troels ANdersen from the City of Fredericia.

In Seville 2011, the award travelled

back across the Atlantic to Chile to commend Lake Sagiris’s work at Ciudad Viva.

“Lake Sagaris is an outstanding example of how a committed activist can raise public awareness and mobilize citizens in a joint effort to demand a livable city. The results of her great dedication and professionalism are an inspiration not only to Chile but also to the rest of the world,” said deputy chairman Marianne Weinreich from VEKSØ.

But who is next? The word is yours; info@cycling-embassy.org.

Copenhagen’s bicycle mayor: Give back the space to the cyclists Space is in great demand in the Danish Capital. And it takes political courage to take it away from the cars and give it to the cyclists. But the result will be better urban life for all, says Copenhagen’s Mayor of the Technical and Environmental Administration.

By Frits Bredal, Danish Cyclists’ Federation

As Mayor of the Technical and Environmental Administration, Baykal is responsible for Copenhagen’s bicycle strategy, one of the highestprofile areas of the Danish capital.

Both Danish and international media report directly from the Danish cycle tracks. Every day, 150,000 people bike to their place of work or education in Copenhagen. By any standards, this is an extraordinarily high number of cyclists, especially when compared to cities much larger than Copenhagen that experience much smaller numbers of daily cyclists.

Morten Rixen, Baykal’s Head of Press, joins us. Initially, I had talked to him about scheduling the interview at a time when the debate about Copenhagen’s planned congestion charge had come to a conclusion. But at the time of this interview, on Tuesday, 7 February, the ruling parties and the RedGreen Alliance have still not come to terms as to how to unfold the congestion charge. The question is whether part of the money from the congestion charge is to go to the Cycle Super Highways, which will be launched with the opening of the Albertslund route on 14 April.

Baykal pulls her chair close to the table: “Ask away.”

Five sharp questions for the bicycle mayor: 1. Ayfer Baykal, what significance will the new Cycle Super Highways have for Copenhagen’s Bicycle Policy?

“Car drivers can go directly from the suburban municipalities and into the city centre. The Cycle Super Highways will give cyclists the same opportunity. Therefore, the Cycle Super Highways are an important part of Copenhagen’s bicycle strategy. We know that many car drivers will choose a different mode of transport in connection with the congestion charge, and here, bicycles and the Cycle Super Highways will be an alternative for many people.”

2. The Cycle Super Highways primarily consist of an upgrade of the connection between existing cycle tracks, but sometimes new cycle tracks take extra space. Do you have any good advice for politicians and public officers in other municipalities who want to develop bicycle culture and infrastructure?

“It is a political prioritisation. A question of political will. The public officers should not initiate it. They

are to find the best solutions to realise it, but the ideas, the priorities, and the visions have to come from the politicians.”

cycle track.”

3. That sounds easier said than done. What does it take?

“You cannot dream up more space.

You have a certain amount of square metres to divide so they benefit the citizens in the best way possible. In Copenhagen, we have gone against the tendency you see in many other countries: the tendency for cars to be automatically allotted most of the space in the city. But if you want to extend the cycle tracks, you need to cut somewhere else.”

5. Does taking part of the street and giving it to the cyclists trigger resistance from car drivers?

“Through the years, cars have conquered a large part of the urban space. We are trying to re-establish a balance by giving some of it back to cyclists and pedestrians. As we have seen on Nørrebrogade [one of the busiest cycling streets in Copenhagen], this generates protests.

At first! But now, most people see the advantages – because it is not just to the benefit of cyclists but of people, urban life, and shops. But there is resistance. And those kinds of decisions take political courage.”

4. Where do you make the cut?

“You have to take part of the roadway, for instance. This takes political will and courage. Here at City Hall, we look into specific areas where we can take part of a street or a parking space and turn it into a

After the interview, the government dropped the congestion charge entirely, replacing it with a commission and one billion kronor. The Danish Cyclists’ Federation is now advocating that part of the money be spent on the Cycle Super Highways.

The New Nørreport Station: Rethinking and Doubling Bicycle Parking The renovation of platforms, buildings, and the urban space around Nørreport, the busiest railway station in Denmark, has begun.

By Sten Sødring, Public Arkitekter

The project is based on a proposal

by Public Arkitekter in cooperation with COBE, Grontmij Carl Bro, and Bartenbach Lichtlabor, which won first prize at an international architectural competition.

Every day, more than 250,000 people pass through Nørreport Station; improving the conditions for cyclists and pedestrians has been a must for the architects.

According to Søren Arildskov from Public Arkitekter, “The project emphasizes creating a special atmosphere that is urbane and intense while reflecting the special open and straightforward atmosphere characterising Copenhagen. Therefore, the many parked bicycles will not be hidden from view. On the contrary, the project will show that in Copenhagen, we are proud to be the world’s best city for cyclists.”

All bikes will be placed in welldefined and slightly-lowered areas called “bicycle beds”, which will help create a clear and calm urban space. The bicycle beds will be strategically placed so cyclists can always find one from wherever they enter. The idea is to make it as easy as possible to park your bike on your way to the platforms – without unnecessary detours.

Nørreport Station previously had space for around 900 bikes. After the renovation, there will be room for approximately 1,900.

Placing the parked bicycles about 40 centimetres below the standard level of the station gives a good overview while securing functional-

ity and accessibility. The change of level and pavement between the bicycle beds and the rest of the station will clearly mark where—and where not—to park your bike.

The bicycle beds themselves will be laid out in concrete with a non-skid surface, and the newly developed bike racks in stainless steel will be designed for tight angle parking in order to maximize capacity. Every rack will have built-in LED-lights on the top. The many small lights will clearly mark the bicycle beds, which will be made to look like organically shaped, shining islands in the city’s busiest urban space.

Along Nørre Voldgade, all car and bus traffic will be gathered into two car and bus lanes passing Nørreport Station on only one side, a change from the current configuration. This will create a new, continuous plaza connected to the medieval city centre, and make room for urban life and bicycle parking in one

the city’s busiest urban spaces.

“The renovation of Nørreport Station and the surrounding urban space is an example of how integrating cycling and public transport can markedly improve conditions for both user groups,” says Søren Arildskov. “We need to prioritise and rethink these conditions if we want our bicycle culture to develop further.”

Light, transparency, and accessibility are key words for the new urban space. The architects have chosen to gather all the station’s functions under a number of light, almost floating, roofs. Thus, is will be possible to cross the plaza in every direction, and all facilities, stairs, and elevators will be visible and easily accessible.

The few actual buildings under the light roofs will be constructed entirely from glass as transparent pavilions. This avoids bleak build-

ings, and the rounded shapes of the buildings are designed to make room for the expanding streams of passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The New Nørreport is scheduled to open at the end of 2014.

Can you export Danish Bicycle knowhow?

The short answer is yes. Danish municipalities and consultants have a lot of knowledge that can benefit other countries in their efforts to improve conditions for cyclists.

By Niels Hoé, Atkins Danmark

Many foreign cities have discovered the benefits of using Danish bicycle know-how. In recent years, many Danes have presented their bicycle-related work at international conferences, and several consultants are involved in international projects. Thus, to an extent, the export of Danish bicycle know-how is already in progress.

International clients greatly appreciate the advice of Danish consultants who can contribute with experiences and know-how from a recognised cycle country. Yet, it is of key importance to study and understand local context because Danish bicycle know-how does not always translate directly into the conditions of other countries in terms of culture, prevalence of cycling, or legislation. So, the objective is to take the best from Denmark and adapt it to the other country’s conditions for cycling.

Innovative bicycle solutions in Central London For instance, Atkins Danmark was involved in a traffic-calming project on Regent Street in London. The first visible initiative was a (Tokyo) Shibuya-inspired pedestrian crossing at Oxford Circus. Some of the project’s overall goals were to create better conditions for cyclists and pedestrians and to limit the number of busses and cars through traffic calming.

The Danish contribution to the project consisted of developing infrastructure and innovative solutions for cyclists, parking, various service initiatives such as flexible bicycle parking on sidewalks, and

designing bike racks that fit into the urban space while respecting the expression and history of the street.

However, cultural differences appeared when it came picking the equipment. The type of bike rack characteristic of Denmark, where the front wheel of the bike is fixed in the rack, is unthinkable in Great Britain and other countries. There, the Sheffield, or staple, racks are prevalent.

Out of respect for the historical expression of Regent Street and the client’s preferences, the Sheffield rack was redesigned so that the icon for the borough of Westminster, where Regent Street is located, became the general mark.

The result is a bike rack that fades into the urban space as it is in line with the design of lampposts, rubbish bins, and phone booths (the ‘classic red’ British phone booths in Regent Street are black and

gold, like the rest of the city-owned equipment).

Although the need for bicycle parking is much less than in Denmark, it can still be difficult to find the necessary space. Regent Street has a lot of very wide sidewalks, but it also has a high number of pedestrians – albeit primarily during the shops’ opening hours.

Therefore, flexible bicycle parking was introduced. Here, areas for bicycle parking on the sidewalk are discretely marked in the pavement by lights that are on in the evening and at night when bicycle parking is needed.

Blue paint is a no go Another example is the characteristic Danish blue bike lanes marking the bike paths. These are completely unthinkable in Regent Street, which is a historical street where special architectural features must be considered. As an alternative

to the blue lanes, the solution was a very light change where a small lowering makes drivers and cyclists aware of what is roadway and what is cycle path.