Urban cycling routes and cycling networkDevellopping strategic policy for cycling

Marjolein de Lange, LCDG conference Newcastle, 5 November 2013

Spuistraat, Amsterdam1950-1970

More and more cars

Congestion

Road unsafety

Parking problems

Call for safety and liveability in many Dutch cities

main roads and living areas

industrial areas

green, blue and leisure

designated cyclepaths

implementation from 1950

Amsterdam Extension Plan 1935

The bicycle:

The perfect vehicle in the city

• clean• silent• affordable• healthy• saves energy• and

space

Traffic lights at National Museum:

± 20 cars in 40 seconds

> 50 cyclists in 10 seconds

time

But how to get the cyclists?

Make cycling safe for all

And easy and fast

• cycling means physical and mental effort

• cyclists are diverse

• design must fit the human limitations

Road user as measure for design

Road Safety: Sustainable Safety

- Roads have a clear function:

streaming, connecting or living area

- Cyclists and cars can mix when number of cars and speed are low

- Separating when speed and/or car intensities are high

- Concentrate car traffic on main roads

- Quiet residential zones

Residential zones:

30 km/h and < 6000 mvh/24hrs

bikes and cars mix

speed humps

circulation in favour of bicycles

Partial one-way street

Short cuts for cyclists

Main roads

(distributor roads)

through traffic

50 (or 70) km/h

seperate cycle paths

Main roads with too many functions…

Challenges

Main Bicycle Network

Amsterdam 1979: City and Cyclists’ Union define bicycle network

Quality requirements for bicycle network

Coherent

Direct (logical, straight routes)

Safe (traffic safety and social safety)

Comfort (pavement, wide curves)

Attractive (clean air, no steep hills)

Cycling network as a policy document

• quality requirements

• planning instrument

• allocating money

• safeguarding routes

Network

Coherent: - origins - destinationsDirect - mesh width 250mSafe - options of routes

- linked to other modes

ComfortAttractive

Network

Coherent - minimal d-tour factorDirect: NL: 1,25 < 90% < 1,5Safe - min. stopping chance

NL: 0,4 < 90% < 1,56 /km

ComfortAttractive

Network

CoherentDirectSafe - min. conflictpoints

- low speed at conflictpoints

- high speeds or volumes: seperation

ComfortAttractive

Step by step bicycle network is completed

Now about 90-95% meet the standards

Vision, patience, persistence,

Space is the most difficult to find

Easier in 30km/h zones

Bicycle network in Amsterdam

Weteringschans, Amsterdam

Safe, easy and fast

New lay out:

Alternating one way for cars

Cycle path/ cycle lane

Free tram lane

+ 56% cycling, trams faster

More cyclists More road safety Cycling for all

ThinkBike workshop Washington

Safety and bicycle use

•0

•200

•400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Bic

ycle

km

pp

py

0

10

20

30

40

50

Cyc

le f

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itie

s p

er b

illi

on

bic

ycle

km

Bicycle use Bicycle fatalities

1950 –1975:

- Suburbanisation- Car use- Transport policy- Old fashioned

1975 - now:

- Suburbanisation- Car use+ Transport policy+ Clean & Healthy

Development in time

Main roads with too many functions…

Challenges

Van Woustraat, Amsterdam