Making way for BIKEWAYS in Bucharest/Romania

Current status of bikewaysin Romania

• Underdeveloped and poorly designed cycling infrastructure– Bucharest has about 50 km of cycling tracks, but they are just painted lines on sidewalks– drivers usually park their vehicles on them (+ negative attitude towards cyclists)– bike paths are poorly designed and go only half way to a destination

• There’s no guarantee for safety in traffic– Most people think cycling is too dangerous– the person riding the bicycle is exposed to traffic

• Because of the safety issue, the Road Police has recently declared illegal the current bike tracks and anyone who rides the bike on them is subject to penalties.– A solution came in the shape of a list of only 20 streets where bike riding is allowed.

• There is no official number of cyclists in Romania, and the mode share is estimated to be around 1%.

• Private bikesharing projects have helped increase the respective mode share, but at present they are prevented from being opened again for bureaucratic reasons.

• There are some cyclo-touristic projects running in the vicinity of Bucharest, but they don’t benefit from any funding that could help extend them to a larger scale.

Current legislative and administrative issues/weaknesses

• The flaws in the current standards for bikeways design– For example, STAS 10144/1-90 an 10144/2-91

establish a width of only 1 metre for a one-way lane, (instead of at least 1.6 metres, which would be best to ensure safety) and 2 metres for a two-way lane (instead of at least 2.5 metres, for the abovementioned reasons)

• Lack of provisions for bicycles only in the Road Traffic Code

• No update to mayoralties’ land survey plans

Green Revolution actions: communication & advocacy

• Active participation in the mobility group established by the General Mayoralty of Bucharest to develop a Master Plan for Transport– GRA did research work and compiled a preliminary Code of

Good Practices for Bikeways Design in Bucharest based on other countries’ already implemented regulations

• Thematic consultations with the other members of the urban cycling community and with key stakeholders (the General Mayor, Road Police, Bucharest Traffic Commission, the company of public transportation)

• Press release• Provision of an online public debate platform for Code of

Good Practices for Bikeways Design in Bucharest

Green Revolution actions:workgroup setup

Goal: to properly design bikeways on the North-South, East-West axes in BucharestAction: gathering a workgroup of road design entities, universities, transportation institutes and key stakeholders, totaling 27 membersThe first deliverable of the workgroup: the preliminary mapping of pilot itinerary of bikeways in Bucharest, on the North-South, East-West axesSupport activities:•Establishing the workgroup statute, developing work procedures and assigning tasks to each member - pending•Obtaining public recognition of the workgroup from the General Mayoralty of Bucharest – pending

Proposed itineraries of bikeways in Bucharest, on the N-S, E-W axes

Green Revolution actions:project proposal

Goal: to properly design bikeways on the North-South, East-West axes in BucharestForeseen actions:1. Analysis of project usefulness and public acceptance–Survey of the cyclists’ community regarding the envisaged itineraries–Survey of the public at large regarding potential changes triggered by bikeways in the neighborhoods: local residents and merchants2. Traffic analysis3. Feasability study () 4. Awareness raising campaign with the support of the

General Mayoralty of Bucharest

Green Revolution actions:“Cyclist’s Law” successful application

Activity Month no. 1 Month no. 2 Month no. 3 Month no. 4 Month no. 5 Month no. 6A1. Documented analysis of the current situation of bikeways in Bucharest

A2. Awareness raising campaign for the Code of Good Practices for Bikeways Design proposed by Green Revolution Association

A3. Public debate of the Code of Good Practices for Bikeways Design proposed by Green Revolution Association and organization of bike marches

A4. Advocacy for the Code of Good Practices for Bikeways Design proposed by Green Revolution Association to be adopted by the General Council of Bucharest

A5. Developing pilot project applications so as to design and implement bikeways according to the criteria set in the Code of Good Practices for Bikeways Design proposed by Green Revolution Association

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Ileana MagureanuR&D director

Green Revolution Association2011 Winner of National ENERGY GLOBE Awards

(the World Awards for Sustainability)Bucharest

3 Olteni StreetMobile: +40 728 132 978

Phone: +40 21 310 63 97 int. 115E-mail: ileana.magureanu@greenrevolution.ro

www.greenrevolution.ro