BYPAD Bicycle Policy Audit CITY OF GENT March 2004 Summary Tim Asperges Liesbeth Reekmans Langzaam Verkeer
1. INTRODUCING THE CITY OF GENT The city of Ghent is a medium-sized Flemish city with 230 000 inhabitants. It is a dynamic city with a great historic inheritance and varied culture activity. Every year 1.3 million people visit Ghent. Because of the favourable location it is an important trade and service centre with 134.000 jobs. Ghent has a school population of 85.000 persons of whom 25.000 are university students. Ghent is considered as one of the most dynamic cities in the field of mobility policy. In 1997 the city council implemented a far-reaching mobility plan, which has the ambition to radically improve the living conditions in the city of Ghent by eliminating the dominance of cars and giving space to cyclists and public transport. This integrated mobility policy was boosted by the cycling project Gent which was introduced in 1993. At this moment the bicycle policy is integrated in the mobility policy. The last years there have been a lot of organizational changes in favour of the bicycle and mobility policy in general: a mobility department, a bicycle officer, new financial means, political interest, traffic research cell, officer responsible for bicycle parking,... 12.7 percent of the trips in Gent is done by bicycle. Modal share in Gent in percentages in 1999 1999 Car use as driver 42.2% Car use as passenger 16.2% Public transport 6.2% Motor cycle/moped 1.8% cycling 12.7% walking 13.7% other 7.2% (Source: Onderzoek Verplaatsingsgedrag Stadsgewest Gent (1999-2001). LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 1/2
2 RESULTS OF THE BYPAD AUDIT IN GENT Gent scores with his cycling policy 72.4%. This means that the cycling policy in Gent is nearly reaching level 4, the integrated approach. 100% 75% Level 4 50% Level 3 25% Level 2 Level 1 0% User needs Leadership Policy on paper Means and Personnel: Infrastructure Communication & Education Target groups and partnerships Complementary activities Evaluation & Effects: Cycling policy Gent For the single modules, the cycling policy in Gent reaches at least level 2. User needs: 70.8% Complaints and questions of users are collected at a central point (mobility contact point). The city wants to work more together with residents association for handling complaints. The cooperation with the cycling user group (fietsersbond) is not optimal, the city want to improve this relation. Leadership: 79.2% The bicycle department is integrated in the mobility department. There is a consultative body concerning traffic and spatial planning (VERO) consisting of representatives from different departments in the city and with political representatives. The city has a good contact with de Lijn (public transport company), AWV (administration roads and traffic) and the NMBS (national railway company). But there is no structural consultation with the environment, tourism, education and the health department. The cooperation between the mobility department and other city departments has to improve. An important problem is the realization of the bicycle policy on the field. Policy on paper: 100% The bicycle planning is an essential part of the whole mobility policy. Planned actions are linked with budget and timing. There is a good communication strategy. The mobility department publish every LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 2/3
year a communication note with the priorities. The mobility policy aims to curb car use. The introduction of the maximum speed of 30 km/h in school neighbourhoods and residential areas and a strong parking policy support this policy. In Gent there is a policy of cycling in one-way streets and cycling in pedestrian-only streets. Means and Personnel: 87.5% The budget for bicycle measures is fixed for several years. Besides the budgets from the mobility department there are also other financing parties (mobility covenants of the Flemish government). The mobility department has a strong own experience in bicycle policy. The mobility department consist of: 1 director of the mobility department 1 officer responsible for bicycle parking with 4 co-workers 1 officer responsible for the bicycle depot with 5 co-workers 1 officer responsible for traffic liveability 1 officer responsible for school neighbourhoods 1 officer responsible for GIS and traffic research with 2 co-workers 1 communication officer 5 administrative fellow workers There are 15 people working for the bicycle policy. Infrastructure: 66.5% The city of Gent is working on a bicycle route network. The 4 main routes are almost realized, 4 more routes are planned. There is also a bicycle map coming out in 2004. The priority is to improve the bicycle infrastructure in the surrounding boroughs. From 2002 there is a consultant responsible for bicycle parking. In the period 1995-2002, 1400 bicycle parking places have been realized. But there is a huge demand for more bicycle facilities for residents and at transfer points of public transport and in shopping streets. Besides the unguarded bicycle parking the city of Gent set up guarded bicycle facilities during happenings. There is a demand for permanent guarded bicycle sheds. The following bicycle services are offered by the city of Ghent: The bicycle depot : a depository for stolen bikes and student bikes during the holidays. In 2002 154 owners found again their stolen bicycle. Bicycle guard: searching abandoned bikes. The bicycle workshop: work experience project for maintenance, repair of the bicycles of the city, bicycle registration, and bicycle test. In the period 1995-2002, 36604 bikes have been registered. Public bicycle pumps Bicycle brigade, team of six policemen in special equipment on bikes (image building) LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 3/4
Support of the organisation of recreational cycle tours. Communication & Education: 67% Primary schools organize road safety lessons for their pupils. The city of Gent has outlined an educational route for alerting children to different traffic situations. The city of Gent produces several brochures and initiates actions for stimulating bicycle use. Target groups and partnerships: 54.2% Promoting bicycle use for three major groups: The officials of Gent. (Bicycle fee for coming to work with the bike, guarded bicycle parking, showers and lockers for changing clothes, use of city bikes,...). Students: bike rental project for students. Children: actions such as distributing helmets, flags and reflecting coats for children, in order to stimulate bike use. Complementary activities: 62.5% The mobility policy aims to curb car use. The city centre is largely a low-traffic zone. Parking policy discouraging car use. A parking route leads cars to different parking places (paid) outside the city centre. Evaluation & Effects: 64.1% On the main cycle routes some counting has been done, but not on regular basis. In the period January 2000-2001 the city did for the first time an investigation about the behaviour of movement of the population of Gent. This forms a good basis for evaluation of the bicycle policy in the future. The creation of the cell for traffic research is a good basis for systematic collection of data about bicycle use and accidents with bicycles. LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 4/5
3 RECOMMENDATIONS Consultation on regular basis with residents associations. The user groups would have more influence on the local cycling policy. The co-operation between the mobility department and other city departments has to improve. Better co-ordination between the bicycle policy and the implementation. Development of a better system for the maintenance of the bicycle infrastructure. Further extension of the bicycle routes. Further extension of bicycle parking facilities with added services The city should stimulate more education projects in schools. The city has to stimulate local employers to encourage their employees using the bike. The follow up of bicycle accidents must be optimized, more cooperation with the police is necessary. LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 5/6
4 INNOVATIVE MEASURES The Slim-op-weg -club: For involving the normal users more in the transport policy of Gent, the city of Gent started up a Smart travelling club (slim op weg club). The members of this club are inhabitants of Gent who commit theme self to travel as much as possible with sustainable transport modes. They also commit theme self to drive carefully and polite following the traffic rules. The city of Gent publishes a newsletter reporting about the activities of this club, including the traffic measures and activities concerning mobility. This club is an ideal basis to test the mobility and bicycle policy Gent. Bicycle depot : The re-use of an old water tower for storing a student bikes during summer holidays, storing stolen bikes, storing a bicycle repair service, Bike rental project for students: together with the high schools and the university the city of Gent organises a bicycle rental service for students. Students can rent a bike for a whole year and can repair their bikes in the bicycle repair service. LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 6/7
5 QUESTIONNAIRE User needs 1. How are user needs ascertained? 100,0% 2. How is data on user needs made accessible? 62,5% 3. How are user(group)s involved? 50,0% 70,8% Leadership 4. Where is the cycling policy prepared and executed? 75,0% 5. What impact do key individuals (both officials and politicians) have within the political decision-making process concerning cycling? 75,0% 6. What steering platforms exist (who participates and what subjects are dealt with)? 87,5% 79,2% Policy on paper 7. What is the content of the local cycling policy? 100,0% 8. How is the realisation of actions in the policy plan ensured? 100,0% 100,0% Means and Personnel: 9. How is the financing of the cycling policy safeguarded? 100,0% 10. Is finance available to support new initiatives of third parties or innovative projects? 62,5% 11. What is being done to improve the topic-related knowledge and skills of the staff? 100,0% 87,5% Infrastructure 12. What is being done to improve the infrastructure for cycling? 73,3% 13. How is the maintenance of the cycling infrastructure organised? 50,8% 14. What is being done to improve the orientation of bicycle users? 46,7% 15. What is being done to improve bicycle parking? 65,8% 16. What is being done to prevent bicycle theft and vandalism? 82,5% 17. What is being done to improve safety for bicycle users? 78,3% 18. What is being done to optimise the combination of public transport and cycling? 60,8% 19. What is being done to encourage cycle use through services to bicycle users? 73,3% 66,5% LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 7/8
Communication & Education 20. How is the cycling policy communicated to decision makers and (potential) actors? 75,0% 21. What is being done to increase the image of cycling? 71,7% 22. What initiatives are taken to encourage life long cycle use? 66,7% 23. What is being done concerning education and cycle training? 62,5% 67,3% Target groups and partnerships 24. What is being done to encourage officials to cycle to work? 95,0% 25. What is being done to promote cycling to work among local employers? 12,5% 26. What is being done to promote cycling to school? 75,0% 27. What is being done to promote cycling to leisure sites? 46,7% 28. What is being done to promote shopping by bike? 54,2% 29. What measures are taken to promote family biking? 63,3% 54,2% Complementary activities 30. What is being done to curb car use? 83,3% 31. How are the positive health effects from cycling used to support cycling policy? 25,0% 62,5% Evaluation & Effects: 32. How are the effects of the cycling policy measured? 75,0% 33. How is the quality of projects and actions safeguarded? 62,5% 34. How is bicycle use monitored? 75,0% 35. How does the municipality collect and use safety-related data? 43,8% 64,1% Cycling policy Gent 72,4% LANGZAAM VERKEER / MARCH 2004 / BYPAD-GENT 8/9