Too many bikes
Jaap Valkema Cycling Officer City of Groningen the Netherlands jaap.valkema@groningen.nl Introduction
do you know Katie Melua s song Nine million bicycles? this song is about China s capital: Beijing 20 million inhabitants 0.45 bicycle per inhabitant Nine million bicycles
Groningen: capital north of the Netherlands and 7 th largest city approximately 200,000 inhabitants estimation: 350,000 bicycles 175bi 1.75 bicycle per inhabitant t Nine million bicycles
1.75 imagine Beijing with 0.45 bicycles per inhabitant 35 million bicycles! Nine million bicycles
traffic circulation since 1977 (no through traffic in city center) compact city (within 3 kilometers of city center live 80% of inhabitants) consistent traffic and transport policy (bicycle is number 1) Nine million bicycles
high bike ownership means high number of bicycle trips between 50 and 55% of all trips are done by bicycle target 2030: 65% Nine million bicycles
population (+12% between 2000 and 2012) number of students (+23% between 2006 and 2012) car use (-2% between 2000 and 2012) public transport use (-2% between 2000 and 2012) bicycle use (+28% between 2000 and 2012) parked bicycles railway station (+200% between 2000 and 2012) cycling has had a lot of potential, and the good news is it still has! Car and bicycle (2000 = 100) Developments / trends
Groningen is very proud of the high bicycle use objective is to increase bicycle use in modal split but the nuisance of large number of parked bikes everywhere and the abundance of cyclists in the streets threaten this success even the public opinion of cycling and cyclists changes negatively how can we change this positively? Developments / trends
1. bicycle parking (city center, railway station) 2. bicycle infrastructure Content
Bicycle parking
Bicycle parking
City center - 1 introduction of several measures for bicycle parking on the street: red carpets peak hour parking facilities parking bays (paint and through illumination) bicycle parking instead of car parking bicycle parking zone (not outside racks) Bicycle parking
City center - 2 facilitate bicycle parking: new bicycle parking garages parking garages on prime hotspots and at the end of major bicycle routes Bicycle parking
Bicycle parking
City center - 3 plans for Groninger Forum (2016/2017): easy and direct access (tapis roulant or conveyor) space for special bicycles ambiance of the facility e-bike charging station referral system for empty spaces Bicycle parking
Railway station - 1 10 years ago (3,000 bicycles) today (10,000 bicycles) it s free convenient located easy to find bicycle path maximum 12 days Bicycle parking
Railway station - 2 growth in the number of parked bicycles (15,000 to 17,000) parking management is a concern (paid versus free) enforcement is under pressure (budget cuts) Bicycle parking
Bicycle parking???
Bicycle infrastructure
To and from city province and region invest in construction of bicycle highways to city of Groningen: direct route (maximum detour factor 1.2) at least 3.50 meters wide space between bicycle path and road 6.00 meters right of way at intersections maximum distance 20 kilometers Bicycle infrastructure
realized / under construction planning stage Bicycle infrastructure
In the city itself present-day situation: primary cycling network corresponds to main road network secondary cycling network passes through residential areas attractiveness, safety and comfort for cyclists decreases but also: public transport and car traffic have to deal with large number of cyclists (delays, congestion, etc.) unbundling of car and bicycle infrastructure focus is more and more on cycling highways in the city itself political discussion: input for election campaigns (March 2014) main topic in new traffic and transport plan (end of 2013) new priority in our bicycle policy Bicycle infrastructure
Bicycle infrastructure
In / around city center prevention of through bicycle traffic by creating alternatives bicycle ring road around the city center: fast, safe and comfortabel alternative for through traffic fast and easy access to main bicycle parkings Bicycle infrastructure
Bicycle infrastructure
Wrap up / conclusions
Conclusions Groningen is a real bicycle city (modal split 50-55% - target 65%) if we don t take real measures, public opinion can change negatively the city of Groningen has a new vision: several measures for bicycle parking on the street t high quality parking garages on prime hotspots more attention for bicycle parking on P&R s and train stations change the parking behavior of cyclists construction of bicycle highways between city and neighbouring villages unbundling car and bicycle traffic in the city itself bicycle ring road around city center priority for cyclists on roundabouts and at traffic lights Wrap up / conclusions
Questions / discussion