8-5-2006

HOW TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING

Why do the Dutch keep on cycling? (EUROCITIES, WG Road Safety, 13th of September 2012)

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INDEX

• A little story about tools.

• The City of Utrecht.

• Why we all should go cycling

(6 random reasons).

• How to achieve people to

start cycling.

• Also …

• The Utrecht Road Safety Label.

• Traffic education for children

of all ages.

• So youngsters keep on cycling.

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A little story about tools

How the Dutch look at a bike

Some facts:

• Fourth largest city in the country.

• Over 310,000 inhabitants.

• In region 650,000 inhabitants.

• Largest university of the country.

• Busiest railway station of the

country.

• Intersection of major motorways.

• Still growing economy despite the

global recession.

Modal split (in general):

• Motor vehicles 38.5%

• Public transport 10.8%

• Cyclists 28.0% *

• Pedestrians 21.2%

• Others 01.5%

* 36% of all trips < 7.5 km are made by bicycle

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The City of Utrecht

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Why we all should go cycling (6 random reasons)

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Reason #1: Reducing traffic congestion

Highway A27 east of Utrecht

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Reason #2: Reducing air and noise pollution

Highway A16 near Dordrecht

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Reason #3: Saving natural energy sources

Saudi Arabia and the Canadian tar sands

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Reason #4: Saving human lives

Source: Geetam Tiwari (Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India)

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Reason #5: Stops increase of obesity

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Reason #6: Creating livable cities

Source: Donald Appleyard (Livable streets, 1981)

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So … let’s promote cycling

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How to achieve people to start cycling

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Built a network of good bicycle infrastructure

Bi-directional cycle path in Utrecht

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Create good bicycle parking

Guarded bicycle parking at Groningen main station

But do not only invest in infrastructure

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Children ‘copy’ the behaviour of

adults, so it is important to show

them the right attitude.

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• Invest in good traffic education for

the younger children.

• Make parents walk and cycle with

their children together.

• Show children the right behaviour

when participating in traffic.

Also …

Children are the car drivers of the

next generation.

Have them walk and cycle at an

early age. It will enlarge the

chance that these future car

drivers will remain cyclists!

Mental model

Some facts:

• A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about

how something works in the real world.

• Mental models can help shape behaviour and set an approach to solve

problems and do tasks.

• People have more attention for things that fit their own schedule.

• A change of the schedule is seen as an exception, therefore it takes time

for people to adjust.

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From ‘own control’ to ‘other control’

Source: Carlosfelipe Pardo (Cities for Mobility, 2012)

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Some facts:

• The human eye has it limits.

• We only see a maximum of 3 points per second.

• Among those 3 points are trucks, busses and blinking or bright traffic signals.

• Only as 4th or 5th point we notice little children crossing the street.

Myth: “Watch out and pay attention”

Some facts:

• They can not locate the sound of an approaching car like adults can.

• The front of a car looks like a smiling face.

• Because of their height we can not see them (play) between

parked cars.

• When they are 8-10 years old we protect them by putting them

in the back seats of our ‘safe’ cars. This is strange because around

this age they are finally able to experience traffic like we do!

Young children and traffic

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The Utrecht Road Safety Label (UVL)

What is the Utrecht Road Safety Label?

• It is a quality mark for elementary schools that

structurally put effort into the road safety around

the school and into traffic education.

• In exchange, the school gets money and support for

traffic lessons and small infrastructural improvements

in the direct surrounding of the school.

• Political target in 2007: at least 80% of the elementary

schools trying to receive the label in 2012.

It is a combination of three actions:

1) Creating safe and recognizable school zones and routes.

2) Influencing parental traffic behaviour.

3) Traffic education for children of all ages *

* Not only by the schools, but also by the own parents

1 school in school zone

2 schools in school zone

3 schools in school zone

Five pilot sites with eight schools involved (2009)

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1 school in school zone

2 schools in school zone

3 schools in school zone

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Location of all participating schools (2012)

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Creating safe and recognizable school zones

School zone in a northern suburb

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Influencing the parental behaviour (I)

Elementary school in a southern suburb

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Influencing the parental behaviour (II)

Simple measures can improve a lot

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Traffic education for children of all ages

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First a non-Dutch approach

Just one example, from the City of Stuttgart (Germany)

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And now for the Dutch approach

31 Learning to keep your balance

Traffic lessons given by the own parents (1-2 years)

32 Keeping your balance and building muscle power

Traffic lessons given by the own parents (2-3 years)

33 Going to a nursery by bike

Adults can show the right behaviour (3-4 years)

34 On their way to kindergarten

Parents and children cycle together (4-5 years)

35 Elementary school Villa Nova

Traffic lessons at the schoolyard (5-6 years)

36 Cycling on a busy bicycle route with the parents

Practicing by cycling in the ‘real world’ (6-7 years)

37 Elementary school De Spits

Traffic lessons in the classroom (8-9 years)

Children practice in their own neighborhood 38

Going to school by bicycle on their own (8-9 years)

39 … but also in the afternoon to swimming lessons

Children do not only cycle to school … (I) (8-9 years)

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Children do not only cycle to school … (II) (8-9 years)

… but also on a Saturday to the city centre

41 * The Dutch ANWB is the allied company of the English AA and the German ADAC

Streetwise = Special lessons by the ANWB* (all ages)

42 Classroom at the Utrecht traffic garden

Theory lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)

43 Over 90% of all children of elementary schools in Utrecht visit the traffic garden

Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)

44 Children of elementary school De Spits during practice

Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)

45 Cycling enlarges their ‘world’ a lot

Children enjoy cycling (10-11 years)

46 Briefing of volunteers by a local police officer Checking bicycles before the exam

Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)

47 The exam is a preparation for the ‘new life’ at secondary school

Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)

48 Teenagers on bikes in the Dutch City of Delft

So youngsters keep on cycling (I)

49 ‘What do you want to lose by winning a few seconds?’

Special programs by youngsters

50 Crossing the city on their way to secondary school

So youngsters keep on cycling (II)

elementary school

secondary school

51 51

Age (in years)

A

vera

ge c

ycling d

ista

nce (

in k

ilom

ete

rs)

Cycling enlarges ‘the world’ of youngsters

Allow

ed t

o d

rive a

moped

Allow

ed t

o d

rive a

car

52 52

‘The world’ of an average youngsters

home of Heather

her secondary school

home of friends & sports

direct bus route

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So students keep on cycling

Students on their way to college

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Adults keep on cycling

Dutch adults do everything on their bike (except for sleeping)

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And in the end … all generations keep on cycling

A grandmother with her grand children cycling in Delft

Thank you for your attention!

Ronald Tamse, The City of Utrecht (NL), September 2012 56