Newsletter.March 2013 Content ‘Herning Bikes’ in the middle of Jutland How do we get more people cycling? Strong bike lights with no batteries Call for nominees: Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion 2013
Published by Cycling Embassy of Denmark www.cycling-embassy.org info@cycling-embassy.org
‘Herning Bikes’ in the middle of Jutland In the middle-sized Danish town of Herning, 2012 was an important year for cycling. The Giro d’Italia mania had barely passed before Herning was chosen as ‘Cycle City of the Year’. The town’s efforts to boost cycling had already paid off, although they had just begun. Bicycle fest to celebrate the start of Giro d´Italia in Herning. By Trine Bunton, Rambøll Danmark
The ‘Herning Bikes’ project started in 2011. The goal is to reduce the number of short car trips by 5%. The project covers all the initiatives launched to get more people to bike in Herning and is part of the municipality’s climate plan and thus embedded in more than one department. From the very beginning, the bicycle project became a large-scale independent project in which the ambitions for making, consolidating, and communicating change were part of an overall strategy. Nearly half never bike to place of work or education Surveys show that 10% of the municipality’s citizens over 18 years of age most often go to their place of work or education by car, although the distance is less than 5 km. At least one day a week 37% bike to work – but 45% never bike to place of work or education. Thus, there is great potential for getting more people to bike. Focus on commuters, school children, and leisure cyclists Herning Bikes focuses on three target groups: commuters, school children, and leisure cyclists. The municipality put initiatives in place to help more people from all three groups choose the bike over the car. For instance, they have planned guided bike tours with various themes such as culture, nature, and history for both children and adults. The tours depart from different places so participants do not need to go there by car. Every year, Herning Bikes also helps organise several large bicycle races for both amateur racing cyclists and families. Change, consolidation, and communication The initiatives cover physical
improvements such as more bicycle parking and more bicycle tracks, on commuting routes in particlar. High-profile initiatives involve a railway station, new hospital, and park-and-bike facilities by the freeway. Campaigns that seek to influence the attitude and behaviour of the citizens also have high priority in order to affect significant change. For instance, campaigns in the schools aim to change the transport habits of parents so that they teach their children how to conduct themselves in traffic (by bicycle) rather than driving their kids to school by car. Another project lends electric bikes to companies so the employees can try an electric bike as an alternative to taking the car to work. Ambassadors a part of the strategy The consolidation of the various initiatives is important in order to achieve success. A number of ambassadors, including companies, schools, and local bicycle enthusiasts in Herning, support the project by telling about their own positive experiences with the campaigns they
have participated in or the physical improvements made by the schools. They are all obligated to be visible and pass on their good stories. Read more at www.herningcykler.dk (in Danish) or contact Trine Bunton at tbn@ramboll.dk. Herning named ‘Cycle City of the Year’ 2012. Chairman of the Danish Cyclists’ Federation congratulates Committee Chairman of Herning. The winning class in the local Bike to School competition ready to collect their prize: a MTB tour.
How do we get more people cycling? Several surveys have shown that people who bike on a daily basis are not only in better physical shape than people who don’t, they are also in better mental shape.1 But some find it difficult to incorporate the daily exercise into an already tight schedule. Every three months, 17 winners were found in CykelScore in
There are many cool prizes in CykelScore such as cycle gear
By Anne-Kirstine Juul Spring, Kofoed
Fredericia. Here, Frida Hornbæk Eriksen is having her winner
and gift vouchers. Sille Tonnesen from Fredericia, proudly
& Co
photo taken for www.CykelScore.dk.
shows off a prize.
Thus, cycling to and from place of work or education is an easy way to incorporate physical activity as an everyday routine in an otherwise busy week. Cycling is not only good for the individual, but also for the environment, for society in the shape of lower health costs, and for companies in the shape of fewer sick days among their employees, which again increases productivity.2 CykelScore can! CykelScore is a concept to get more people to bike more. CykelScore is the only all-year concept that challenges everybody to bike more all year round – both in terms of more bike trips and also longer trips – and it’s working! In CykelScore, participants can win cool prizes – simply by cycling! The more often one bikes, the greater chance of winning. When participants also pass some of CykelScore checkpoints, they can get an extra reward in the shape of more registrations and points. In this way, CykelScore supports, exposes, and rewards healthy and green transport habits, and this motivates both children and adults. In February 2013, CykelScore participants in Fredericia filled out a survey. Close to 60% - children and adults – stated that CykelScore to some or a large degree motivates them to cycle more. The survey also showed that 1/3 of the children are motivated by campaigns and competitions like CykelScore because it makes cycling fun. The program spreads largely by word of mouth: 82% of the adults in the survey have recommended or mentioned the concept to others. And 96% of participants deemed the project to be good or very good.
The cyclists can compare scores and results with other participating cyclists on the website, and compete across schools, classes, companies, and departments. Alice Mikkelsen, an enthusiastic participant in CykelScore states that: ‘There is something about the element of competition because I would never go on a detour of 15 km just for the fun of it. I never thought I would be so into it. But it is really motivating!’
1
”Cykling, motion, miljø og sundhed”, 2005 -
Det Økologiske Råd, Hjerteforeningen, Skole & Samfund og Dansk Cyklist Forbund 2
”Sundhed og trivsel på arbejdspladsen – 2010” -
Sundhedsstyrelsen
In the spring of 2013, CykelScore 2.0 will be launched to include new check points and tags as well as a new website with new, cool functions. For more information about CykelScore, please contact Kofoed & Co at info@cykelscore.dk.
Read more at www.CykelScore.dk or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (the sites are in Danish).
Strong bike lights with no batteries A bike light that lights up the street for you without wheel resistance or the batteries running dry? That is the reality with magnetic lights – today’s version of the dynamo light. The newest model from the Danish company Reelight has an extra strong front light, perfect for areas with no streetlights. “Many bike lights are just meant for the cyclist to be seen by other road users. Now, Reelight has developed a new light that gives a strong and constant light cone, even without batteries. Some cyclists need a front light that can really light up the street. With our newest model, RL700, they get a strong light that generates power on its own. The light is ideal if you bike outside town or in areas with poor street lighting”, says director of Reelight, Kenneth Linnebjerg. Magnetic lights: modern technology Previously, dynamo lights stole energy from the momentum of the cyclist, who felt a clear resistance. In snowy weather, they often didn’t work at all. That’s not the case with Reelight magnetic lights, which are friction-free and work through induction. Three little magnets are fixed on the bike wheel. Each time they pass a generator, they produce power for the lights. You cannot feel that the bike is creating its own energy, and the robust technology works in all kinds of weather. Good for both environment and cyclist Users of magnetic lights are enthusiastic about them for several reasons. First, it is easier to not have to worry about changing batteries. Not having to replace batteries is also good for the environment. Second, magnetic lights are fixed on the bike and automatically turn themselves on every time you start cycling. Finally, it takes tools to remove the lights so you can leave your bike without having to worry about the lights getting stolen. What do cyclists say about the lights? ’It’s a pleasure to get so much light in
front of me. It means that I’m not only visible, I can also see where I am going myself when I’m taking my kid to daycare.’
have no batteries and are always on, my wife is now insisting that I purchase the RL700 for both of my daughters’ bikes!’
’Where I live, it is pitch dark. We have no streetlights. So, the lights are great because they are visible from far away, and they light up very well. I could see my daughter from a long distance.’
The new magnetic lights have been well received by Danish cyclists and bicycle dealers. They are now available in the rest of Europe.
’It’s a good idea that you can also see the light from the side if a car comes from a side street. That makes me feel safe.’ ’It’s quality, and I don’t mind paying for that and the extra security.’ A bike rider from Louisiana: ‘As a long-time user of the first versions of magnet bike lights, I was amazed at how much brighter the RL700 is – the front light illuminates the road for several meters in front of my bike, and the back light even puts a red illumination on the road. I was also amazed at how well the back light stays illuminated at traffic lights and other stops. Because they
Read more here: http://shop.reelight. com/bicycle-lights/20-rl700-set/
Call for nominees: Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion 2013 This summer, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark will award an individual or an organisation with the Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion 2013 for the fifth time. But we need your help to nominate the truly dedicated cycling promoters. Who is to follow the previous winners, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City; Roelof Wittink, Dutch Cycling Embassy; Lake Sagaris, Ciudad Viva; and Randy Neufeld, SRAM Cycling Fund? Award ceremony in Vienna On 11-14 June, urban planners, NGOs, and bicycle experts will convene in Vienna for the Velo-city 2013 conference. Keeping with the tradition, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark will announce the winner of the Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion 2013 during the conference. This is your chance to tell us who you think should be honoured with the award this year. All we need from you is a short e-mail describing the individual or organisation you believe deserves the award, and why. Please send your nomination for this year’s award to info@cycling-embassy.org not later than April 26, 2013. Former award winners Previous award winners include New York City’s Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Roelof Wittink of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, Lake Sagaris from Ciudad Viva, and Randy Neufeld from the SRAM Cycling Fund. In 2012, chairman of the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, Troels Andersen, gave this motivation for honouring Randy Neufeld: “This year, the award goes to a man who has a hands-on approach to cycling promotion, and who is always ready to support cycling-promotion initiatives. Since the start of his career as a cycling advocate, he has inspired by his example and has gone from being an activist to being an extremely influential figure for decision makers shaping transportation policy. His continuous personal and professional devotion to promotion of cycling – from Chicago to Eastern Europe – has made him the natural choice for this year’s award.”
But who is next? The word is yours: info@cycling-embassy.org