Post on 28-Mar-2016
description
Newsletter.June 2012
Content
Shared (parking) space for cars and bikes
Cycle cities awarded bicycle counters
Cycle Super Highways to generate more cyclists in Great-er Copenhagen Area
Danish cycle experts heading to Velo-city in Vancouver, B.C.
Published by Cycling Embassy of Denmarkwww.cycling-embassy.org
By Niels Hoé, Atkins Denmark
In cities where space is in short
supply, you need to think outside
the box to make room for every-
one. When it comes to a cycle city
like Copenhagen, with its count-
less 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 solu-
tion 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 coopera-
tion 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 bicy-
cle 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 motor-
ists, 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.
The test has shown that it can
be done. Yes, bikes and cars can
share the space.
Car parked in the flex parking area
Poor accessibility before the trial period
Students parking their bikes in the flex
parking area
Shared (parking) space for cars and bikesCan bikes and cars share the space?
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 coun-
ter 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, politi-
cians, and the press closely fol-
lowed 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 responsi-
ble city planners and politicians
to continue the good work in
the name of sustainable mobil-
ity. 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 at-
tention to cycling traffic and helps
make visible the city’s efforts to
increase bicycle traffic. The coun-
ters 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.
VEKSØ and Urban Cycling Solu-
tions
The bicycle counters are provided
by VEKSØ, one of the co-found-
ers 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
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.
For further information about
VEKSØ Urban Cycling Solutions
and bicycle counters please con-
tact Joel Mulligan at
jtm@vekso.com or visit: www.
vekso.com
Read what the press wrote at:
www.cycling-embassy.org/?p=4789
Minister of Transport for the Land of Baden-
Württemberg, Winfried Hermann, and Mayor
of Karlsruhe, Michael Obert, at the opening
on 26 April 2012. The counters are a clear
and very visible way of showing citizens that
the city is focussing on bicycle traffic.
Cycle cities awarded bicycle counters
In Freiburg, all cyclists going on Wiwili-Brücke in direction of the Jazz House are now counted. And only cy-
clists 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 Søren Bom und Lillan Clemmes-en, 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. Den-
mark’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 Den-
mark 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 participat-
ed 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 Co-
penhagen 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 fi-
nancing 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 tun-
nels.
• In many places, new cycle
tracks and surfaces have been
constructed to ensure a high level
of comfort and traffic safety.
Cycle Super Highways to generate morecyclists in Greater Copenhagen Area
Air pumps every 1.7 kilometres are one feature of Denmark’s first cycle super highway.
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 count-
ing 17 members (municipalities,
private companies, NGO’s),
and aims to make Denmark the
world’s leading cycling country
and the primary source for knowl-
edge, dialogue, and innovation in
the field of cycling.
In recent years, the interest in
everyday cycling has been grow-
ing 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 Copenha-
gen,” said Michael Bloomberg,
Mayor of New York City, upon re-
ceiving 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.
For further information, please
contact Frits Bredal, phone (+45)
29 47 67 04, frb@dcf.dk, or visit
www.cycling-embassy.org.
Meet the Cycling Embassy of Denmark at
Velo-city Global 2012:
• Frits Bredal, Danish Cyclists’ Federation,
presenting “Bicycle Tourism – Version 2.0”
• Jens Loft Rasmussen, Danish Cyclists’ Fed-
eration, presenting “It starts with the children”
• Anja Larsen, City of Copenhagen, present-
ing “How to optimize the capacity on cycle
tracks - lessons learned in Copenhagen”
• Niels Tørsløv, Director of the Traffic Depart-
ment, City of Copenhagen; Keynote speaker
• Ayfer Baykal, Mayor of the Technical and
Environmental Administration, City of Copen-
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 Mem-
ber of the Culture and Urban Development
Committee, City of Odense
• Lone Andersen, City of Frederiksberg
• Joel Mulligan, VEKSØ
• Marianne Weinreich, VEKSØ; present-
ing “Around the World in 80 Days - Getting
children cycling through new tech and an
old story!”
• Dea Seeberg, VEKSØ; presenting “11
Municipalities on 2 wheels in 3 years - How
to ensure political and organisational owner-
ship and prioritization of cycling in small and
medium sized municipalities”
• Niels Hoé, Atkins Danmark; presenting “Can
we do without cycle parking?”
• Aske Wieth-Knudsen, Head of Strategy,
Communications and OSH, DSB S-train;
Keynote speaker
• Troels Andersen, City of Fredericia; present-
ing “Bike Score – How can Electronic Chips
Boost Cycling?”
Danish cycle experts heading to Velo-city in Vancouver, B.C.