Learning From America

LEARNING FROM AMERICA How cycling in the US is creating better cities

Portland Oregon to Portland Place in London – cycling across the USA, 2013 A

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Introduction We have a lot in common with the United States, and our proposition is that perhaps we can learn as much from Minneapolis and New York about cycling in cities as we can from Copenhagen and Rotterdam. Different things, but nevertheless highly relevant to the UK debate.

We found that, unlike here, cycling in the cities we studied was rarely discussed in isolation. A number of cities have ‘Active Transportation’ officers – active transportation involves the integration of walking, cycling and public transport. Equally, the Complete Streets is a policy and design approach which requires streets to be planned, designed to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of their mode of transportation. Complete Streets allow for safe travel by those walking, cycling, driving cars, riding public transportation, or delivering goods.

27 states incorporate Complete Streets principles in their transport planning.

Strong political leadership played a key factor in delivering a better environment for cycling which is seen to deliver a wide range of benefits – cleaner cities, quieter cities, healthier citizens, more effective use of space, vibrant streets and successful retail environments and better places. A commitment to cycling was the prerequisite of any forwardthinking city.

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We found that the American driving culture is generally less aggressive than over here and truckers and car drivers gave us greater space than we are used to – this is reinforced by the 3 feet rule, which is law in 21 states. An example that could well be followed in the UK. Around the world, cities are embracing active transportation, generating a fundamental shift in the way streets are used.

Car use in city centres is tumbling. If these changes can be delivered in the land of the automobile, then we all have a lot to learn about the processes of decision making and delivery of such a major cultural shift.

Peter Murray Chairman New London Architecture Coordinator, P2P

Beginnings From April to July 2013, a team of British riders rode from Portland, Oregon to Portland Place in London.

Part of our aim was to witness at first hand how cities are coping with the increasing interest in the bicycle as a practical form of urban transport.

We rode through 12 major cities to experience their cycling facilities directly, and spoke with local officials and politicians, advocacy groups and the many people who stopped to talk and sometimes rode with us.

P2P is a group of professionals in architecture, planning, media and design who came together to create a ride across the United States from the nation’s “cycling capital” of Portland to the HQ of the RIBA in Portland Place, London.

This report reflects what we learnt about making our cities more liveable, sustainable and future-proof by actively enhancing cycling.

Our informed views come from a combination of background data, interviews with leading figures in American cycling, and the actual experience of riding American streets with a professional gaze.

In short, the message we came back with is a simple one: “be bolder in vision, make change happen, and tell the world”.

The rapid pace of change in the US is being driven by good leadership, soaring demand for cycling provision, economic factors, cultural shifts and the availability of funding.

It also reflects mounting concerns about health and urban regeneration. American mayors have further ambitions for cycling, to attract young workers back into the city – and away from other cities.

New York, like London, isn’t vying to attract more people into the city; it is trying to get them around the city effectively. Where the motivation was once environmental, now it is focused on improving accessibility and the economy. Whether it is shop takings increasing or property prices rising because of street improvements, cycling and transportation is rising up the political agenda.

All these principles were evident as our route took us from Portland to Missoula, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, Cardiff, Bristol and London.

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Ideas to explore…

All cities should be liveable…

• A cyclised city is a liveable city; human scale and activity should shape and characterise the urban townscape more than buildings and cars do; and that the slower moving, easy access bicycle leads to positive changes in placemaking – good design counts for a lot

So how do we make our cities more cycleable, and thus more liveable, for all to benefit?

• There is a ‘tipping point’ when city cycling really starts to grow rapidly, and when riders of all ages and degrees of confidence are attracted onto the streets. Crucial to this is the perception of cycling as a means of safe, everyday transport, not exclusively a recreational sport • Some US cities talked of the combination of cycling, walking, and public transport, creating integrated strategies for each mode

Cycling in the USA and in Europe is driven by the same forces and concerns about health, pollution, congestion, higher density and crowding, insufficient public transport, economic pressures – and the growing demand for better cycling provision.

Urban streets were busy and successful social spaces until cars dominated, divorcing people from their surroundings and imposing physical barriers, noise and artefacts which serve to make living in the city harder.

We can’t afford to prioritise them like this any more.

We should put walking, cycling and public transport at the heart of all city policy and planning.

We like our favourite spaces, our lives and our buildings to be pleasant and attractive, so why do we treat our streets differently by letting vehicles at speed control the space? Americans have realised that rideable streets are also walkable, sociable, commercially active and attractive.

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Treat the street and the place, the activities and the architecture as one…

A city’s streets can make up over 30% of its area, a huge component of public open space and the setting for sociable interactions of all kinds, not just transport. They should therefore always be attractive.

The evidence suggests that proper cycle-friendly provision is a cue for better place-making; that businesses do better; and that walking, riding and driving are safer.

The “complete street” is common parlance in enlightened US cities. It means safe access for all users, not just automobiles – pedestrians, cyclists, young and old. Twenty-seven American states have adopted Complete Streets policies.

But we should view the street as a larger whole, and design for people in the place as well as passing through.

“Liveable streets is not a fad, it’s an investment in public health, the environment, building stronger communities and creating a sustainable economy” – Congressman Joseph Crowley

Active Transportation brings physical, economic and social health benefits…

Active transportation (AT) means movement by human power. That is, walking and cycling and public transport. And, as the title implies, it reflects health, safety and getting around efficiently.

It makes the leap from limited arguments about bike lanes to the real health, economic and social benefits of cycling. New York’s Center for Active Design further extends this dominant thread of healthy living to include all aspects of buildings and places.

Use Active Transportation as the way for communities and policymakers to work together and use available resources effectively, with empowered advocacy groups to assist in local delivery.

Many US cities have Active Transport alliances or groups which operate “within the system” by being responsible sounding boards that are reasonably well funded, running major projects and publicity.

The groups do this without compromising their campaigning role.

The combination of these resources and their energies suggest that local government and communities elsewhere could adopt less stilted working ways. Active Transportation relies on rebalancing policy approaches, but it is wholly in line with, for example, the stated role for UK Health & Wellbeing Boards.

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Bold visions and leadership create momentum…

The American cities showing the most rapid and extensive cycling growth have common factors – strong mayors and senior officials, leading from the front and pursuing continuous programmes for infrastructure, innovation and communication.

Moreover, they aren’t going to take 40 or 50 years to do it, like Copenhagen. They are effective fundraisers and lay the foundations for future implementation, in part by keeping expectations high.

Their achievements are notable given the national automobile culture and the damage this has wrought in their cities. It is always going to be hard to succeed with dramatic visions of car-free cities, but there are US champions of real change who eloquently demonstrate that when the objective becomes healthier, safer, liveable cities, cycling is a key part of that vision.

Strong political leadership and a clear vision create momentum and positive expectations – and a pride in progress.

Americans show enthusiasm and pride in their public activities and works. One plausible outcome is that bike infrastructure and placemaking are locked into the city psyche as recognisable landmarks and aids to navigation. There is a lot of potential pride in improving cycling in London and enjoying all the associated benefits.

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“You have to make it sing…”

New York’s Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan is in no doubt about the value of good communications and marketing.

In all the cities we visited, there are constant reminders of what’s on offer for cycling in the US. These messages cover the whole system, from what the law requires and good driving etiquette, to advertising where to try new infrastructure. There are thousands of events for biking all year round, some involving many street closures like New York’s Summer Streets - and it’s happening here, with RideLondon.

These positive reinforcements are often associated with family life, safe streets and good health, suggesting that riding has tangible, worthwhile benefits as well as being a way of getting you around town.

Contrast all this with the mixed messages from the UK government: some more money for cycling but, a month later, fewer constraints on car parking.

Help the change in cultural attitudes…

Liveable city policies and visions are riding on the cultural change taking place, and the outreach and discussion this implies. Because of the strong pushback against reducing road capacity for cars, it’s no surprise that American transportation agencies work hard to counter some of the misleading arguments used to block provision for cycling.

It pays dividends, too. Recent studies in Portland and New York indicate businesses and real estate values benefit from the larger and slower footfall of pedestrians and cyclists using new bike lanes and urban spaces designed around them. Cycle tourism is a growing income earner across the country – $400m a year in Oregon alone; and it’s expanding in the UK too.

Debunk the myths about cycling and its impacts.

Other research shows that overall traffic flows are not generally impeded, while lower speeds result in fewer accidents for all modes of transport. A key benefit of cycling infrastructure is that walking becomes safer too. Elsewhere, Copenhagen demonstrates a net saving in health and other costs per kilometre cycled compared with driving, and a recent estimate for the Australian government suggests major benefits to the economy from riding and walking, mainly savings in transport infrastructure and health costs.

Education on wheels…

While there is some evidence of training in the UK, physical infrastructure for cycling needs the support of “softer” measures and public messages that overcome some of the cultural barriers to cycling.

We found every city we visited in the US to be running some, and in one case, all of these programmes: • Learning in classrooms, community centres and during consultation exercises how cities can be more liveable with active transportation; • Focused training on safety and use to build riders’ confidence for where the streets are shared • School training, which reaches the first-time riders and reduces the school run • Requirements for cycle awareness training built into driver training and testing – including bus and cab drivers and the police.

The Parliamentary All Party Committee Cycling Group (APPCG) on cycling recommends that: “Just as children learn to swim at school they should learn to ride a bike”.

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Invest more, with a coherent strategy…

Money talks. But bicycle infrastructure and promotion cost a fraction of other transportation modes, and the health, business and other dividends are considerable. Our streets have to respond to increasing demand from a growing population, and squeezing the primary modes of walking and cycling into the margins is no longer an option.

Central government public investment is essential In the US it is clear that without major pump-priming funds from Federal resources much less would have happened in the cities we visited. They have provided the momentum and enabled rapid change on a significant scale across the country.

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Provide it, and they will come…

Minneapolis has the right infrastructure, attracting exponential growth in cycling. The ingredients that draw more people into cycling are those that make the journey viable and comfortable. Expenditure is thus most effective if directed to major changes in capacity and focused incremental improvements.

All types of cycling infrastructure have one valuable aspect in common: they serve as visible proof that cycling is a transportation option anyone can use.

Part of any strategy should reflect spatial thinking about the city. Many people will ride if their journey is less than, say, 20-30 minutes or up to about 10km. So, “shrink the city” by providing more direct, dedicated routes.

The Minneapolis “Greenway”, an old railroad, provides such a direct route – complete with parking and bike shops; and there are others in Pittsburgh and Portland.

We need to use the full range of infrastructure…

In the US we also saw a strategic approach which recognises that, given the dominant car culture, long-term prospects are best served by shorter-term gains, which accumulate over time into a complete infrastructure. After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.

Good examples of this are in New York where pilot schemes are used to showcase what can be achieved; Mayor Bloomberg had a programme of “aggressively retrofitting streets”, using signs and markings as relatively cheap quick wins. In Minneapolis and Missoula, routine street repaving becomes the opportunity to reshape the whole street, with pedestrian and bike infrastructure as the starting point.

Significant cycle-carrying capacity on trains and buses increases the ability to cut journey times and make cycling easier. Portland buses have front racks and interior capacity.

Almost every US city we visited aspires to introduce segregated cycle lanes, as simply the safest and most attractive option for riders. New York officials are proud of what they can achieve simply with paint, but aim for real separation, by parking. Again, this is a recommendation of the APPCG, who say “More use should be made of segregated cycle lanes, learning from the Dutch experience”.

In suburban areas where there is generally greater car usage, cycling is being encouraged by “sharrows” and bike boulevards, and by focusing on recreational cycling infrastructure to encourage more ridership.

These models can develop into orbital routes connecting suburban centres, when new vehicle routes through built up cities are impossible.

But perhaps one of the strongest lessons the US model can teach is attitudinal. In the majority of places we visited, car users shared the road with other modes with care, consideration and politeness. UK, take note.

Bikeshare schemes have been eagerly adopted in the US as both transport option and “starter kit”, encouraging people to get their own cycles.

A community bike shop in Minneapolis lends out bikes to try and teach adults to ride – often their only option for work and job-hunting.

Comfortable and secure cycling includes when you stop…

We found the US cities thinking about the whole journey too. Bike parking facilities range from artworks to fully enclosed “stations”, often with valet and servicing facilities included.

Businesses in Chicago and Portland – as in some enlightened parts of the UK – are creating in-house storage, showers, lockers, and the like, partly in response to building codes, but largely driven by high demand.

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It is time to be bold and increase the pace of change

You can see the full story of the ride and a summary of the research on

The groundswell is already here: you only have to look at the tremendous enthusiasm for organised rides, family outings and the rate at which existing, safe capacity is being reached. In the US we found that the official rhetoric about cycling provision isn’t always matched by what’s on the ground, but this feels to be a reflection of how much harder it is there, not lack of commitment. Here, budgets are small, big-picture strategy is missing and messages contradictory.

We would like to thank all those in the cities we visited for their wisdom and generosity with their time – especially those good shepherds who rode out to meet us and guide us into town. Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to our many sponsors and donors for their support for the ride and the charities we raised money for.

It’s not about the bike: it’s a story of healthier, liveable and attractive cities.

Forward motion: an action plan for better cycling, and better cities So – what do we want?

The UK needs an environment in which: • More bikes are allowed on public transport vehicles • Complete Streets planning is commonplace – creating the policy for the city • The cultural perception of cycling is transformed • There are low speeds enforced on all city roads • There is, where possible, a completely segregated cycling system • Cycling and pedestrian education in driver training is institutionalised • All road users show care and consideration to others, perhaps with our own 3 feet rule imposed

And to do that, we need: • Good leadership, with clear decision-making; and • Dedicated funding streams and mechanisms Over to you.

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www.portlandtoportland.org

This report was compiled by Robert Cohen, Ben Hockman and Bob West, with input from the other P2P riders and IngMedia. All photos copyright P2P, Grant Smith and the compilers. August 2013.

P2P has raised of ÂŁ100,000 for Article 25 and Architects Benevolent society.

With thanks to all our supporters and sponsors: AHMM, Arthur J Gallagher International, NLA, Pipers, CapCo, Derwent London, DHL, Grimshaw, HOK, Jestico and Whiles, KPF, Pringle Brandon Perkins and Will, Paul Smith, Rapha, Vittoria Tyres, Wilkinson Eyre and ING Media Contact details: peter.murray@newlondonarchitecture.org www.portlandtoportland.org Twitter: @P2PCycle

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