Experiences and Best Practices Bike Commuting

Transcription

1 Experiences and Best Practices Bike Commuting Esbjerg Kommune

2 Contents Experiences based on the papers from the participating municipalities... 3 Campaigns and other initiatives... 3 Surveys... 4 Physical improvements... 4 Drawn conclusions... 4 Focus Areas... 5 Best practices... 6 Encouraging the companies to promote bike commuting... 6 Making it easier to commute by bike... 6 Experiences from Odense... 7 Sources of information When quoted or otherwise used in the text, files from the common file management system are referred to by their ID number and relevant page number. 2

3 Experiences based on the papers from the participating municipalities Campaigns and other initiatives When it comes to bike commuting, the recurrent theme in the Danish municipalities has been the campaign; we bike to work. The campaign is the result of cooperation between The Danish Cyclists Federation (DCF), the Danish Company Sports Association (DFIF) and the companies DSB and DONG Energy. The aim of the campaign is to get more people to ride their bike to work instead of commuting by car, and it takes place every year in May. Employees join the campaign in teams, and for every day they bike to work, they earn a lottery ticket and might win a price. In addition, some municipalities have had internal contests and exhibitions in connection with the campaign. Some of the municipalities have supported the campaign e.g. by handing out merchandise and free food for the participants or promoting the campaign in the media (press releases) and through public information (i.e. leaflets). In Odense alone, 9.5 per cent of all employees took part in the campaign, and nationwide the number of participants rises every year. Similar campaigns and competitions have been carried through in the German municipalities, and cooperation has been established between the authorities and relevant organizations. Overall, cycling campaigns and initiatives of different kinds are used in both Germany and Denmark. The table on page four gives a brief comprehensive view of some of the campaigns and initiatives mentioned in the experience papers. 3

4 Campaign/initiative In English Theme/goal Cykelvenlig arbejdsplads Cycle-friendly companies About stressing the companies responsibility of the health and well being of their employees. Evaluated by looking at parking for bicycles, facilities for bathing and repair, company bicycles and bicycle policy. Firmacykler Company bikes Companies are offered company bikes at low prices. The bikes were to be used in work-related situations. 1 ton mindre 1 tonne less About CO2-reduction and personal responsibility. Mit dem Rad zur Arbeit/Vi cykler til arbejde We bike to work About promoting bike commuting Gewinn-Faktor Fahrrad Profit factor bicycle About making companies understand that they can gain from employees commuting by bike. Surveys In Flensburg, a household survey has been carried through, and the intention is that the result shall be the base of future planning. Physical improvements Traditional and safety measures, such as establishing new bicycle paths and additional markings for cyclists, has been implemented several places, and some cities offer public bicycle rental at different locations. Bike maps are available in most cities and Kiel has opened a bike information- and service center. Drawn conclusions The experience papers are, with some exceptions, characterized by lack of reflection on the initiatives. Many of the papers mention future activities, but no thoughts on already executed initiatives. Though the campaigns are described in the experience papers, there is practically no information on the efficiency of the initiatives. It would be advisable that an evaluation takes place after every campaign/initiative to get an idea of the effect on bike commuting. This would also be helpful when planning future activities. 4

5 Focus Areas The conclusions that are featured in the experience papers state that it is important to:..create an absolutely clear message: you do the cycling we do the rest!..work with a clearly defined target group..make direct contact..ensure low prices for taking part in activities..ensure visibility..link the initiatives to competitions with rewards..motivate the decision-makers on the spot (792:2) Challenges in the process: It s difficult to raise sufficient funds to carry out the initiatives (793:1) The improvements and initiatives rarely lead to an increase in bicycle use The potential for bike commuting can be limited due to long distances from the employees homes and the workplace. It s hard to motivate companies to support bike commuters due to lack of information on the advantages for the workplace. Consulting services for encouragement of bike commuting are mostly only accepted by companies when they are free of charge. It will most likely be necessary to use public funds for such initiatives. (1113:1) Positive experience with initiatives Campaigns and competitions stimulate the participants to commute more often by bike Employees that commute by bike most of the year has reduced sickness and absent rates compared to the average. In contrast to this, employees who only commute by bike in the summer have an increased sickness absence rate, even compared to the car commuters. (1113:1) Negative experience with initiatives Cyclists and especially summer cyclists have significantly more commuting accidents than the car commuters. (Not absolutely statistically reliable) (1113:1) 5

6 Best practices The following is an attempt to describe and simplify some examples on European best practices when it comes to bike commuting. The primary sources of information are reports uploaded to the common file manager by the participating municipalities. Encouraging the companies to promote bike commuting According to the Dutch research organization TNO, the three most important ways to get employers to encourage cycling to work is: Government support, such as increasing the tax allowance for so-called company bikes Tangible evaluation of the benefits of such investments Cooperation with an organization able to professionally promote cycling to work. More than 75% of the responding managers were not aware of existing campaigns or organizations that currently promote cycling to work. (1124:2) Making it easier to commute by bike For the cycle commuters it is important, that the inner city with many workplaces is easily accessible by bike. (1131:3) According to the report on visual environment and bike commuting (ID nr. 1113), it is also important to consider the aesthetics of the urban space when planning to integrate e.g. bicycle paths in the overall traffic planning. Clear separation by color and materials between cars, bicycles and pedestrians and clear separation between cyclists going straight ahead and to the right. All laid out as an aesthetic whole. (Münster) (1131:5) 6

7 This was formerly one of Groningens most traficced streets in the inner city with at least four car lanes. Now the bicycle area (in combination with parking lane) takes up as much space as the road. And there is space for urban life along the facades. (1113:3) Experiences from Odense A list of implemented initiatives from Odense which have made the city more accessible for bike commuters. Short cuts: avoiding unnecessary stops for red light when turning to the right in traffic lights The cyclist in front of the cars in traffic lights: a pocket for the cyclists in front of the cars when waiting for the green light T-crossroad - cyclists crossing for red light: to improve the flow of bicycles they are allowed to go across T-crossroads when light is red. Security in crossroads with duty to give way: in front of crossroads with duty to give way a bicycle lane has been marked with blue paint Alternatives to barriers on bicycle paths: o Give-way markings o Stop markings with stop line, stop sign and stop marked in red and white on the path o Bumps with markings on the path o Bollards (792:1) 7