Overview
Cycling is fast on its way to become a mainstream tool for cities to conquer back their centers and to increase the quality of life in their cities. The image of cycling is growing, but on the streets there is still limited activity. SPICYCLES realises that the minor role the bicycle still plays in the overall transport systems is due to reasons of both technical and political nature. To solve the problem, there is a need for an articulated strategy that tackles the issue from different but equally important perspectives.
Cities need support in making it happen: the increase of the modal share of cycling in their cities. Spicycles will create this support and will make it to available to them in an attractive format. SPICYCLES will demonstrate that the modal share of cycling can be increased in European cities with different geographic, climate and cultural conditions. The coordination of all such actions will provide at the end for an integrated set of measures that can make the difference in the long term.
SPICYCLES aims to give a positive boost to local cycling policies by showing what can be achieved. The experiences with different types of measures and the results obtained will be disseminated to a wide audience of European cities.
The success of the SPICYCLES project depends to a large extent on the support it will be able to gain around the implementation of cycling initiatives. It is essential to obtain at first the consensus of potential beneficiaries of the project: they are all those groups potentially gaining from an improved accessibility to and improved liveability of urban areas.
Examples of target groups are: City administrations (local decision makers and urban planners) and networks of cities; public transport infrastructure managers and undertakings; cycle rental companies; bicycle users (current users of bicycle) and cycling associations; other citizens not using bicycle as a means of transport.
SPICYCLES will demonstrate that the modal share of cycling can be increased by 4 types of actions in European cities. Participating Cities are: Rome, Barcelona, Berlin, Göteborg, Bucharest, and Ploiesti.
The main impacts of these actions are expected on 'Cycling modal share' and on:
- energy consumption;
- emissions;
- attitudinal change;
- local stakeholders involvement;
- integration transport/spatial planning;
Four types of actions will be carried out and tested at the local level:
- bike-sharing, a challenging and innovative measure seeking to transfer the better known principles of car-sharing to bicycles. This WP will be led by Berlin (DB Rent);
- communication and Awareness Raising, led by Göteborg, will address the efforts to inform travellers and make them aware of the benefits of alternative clean travel options and particularly cycling;
- planning for Cycling will tackle the issue of encouraging cycling from a different angle, that of integrating cycling planning in the broader framework of spatial and transport planning and accordingly providing adequate infrastructure for deployment. This workpackage will be led by Rome (Dipartimento X);
- building Local Partnerships will work towards involving local actors in the cycling plans of the municipal authorities. It will be led by Barcelona.
Results
As the project comes to an end it can be concluded that huge strides have been
made. All the partner cities have improved their cycling policy. All of them
now have a public bicycle system, even though Barcelona and Bucharest had
not even planned for these at the start of the project. Berlin has enthused us
all with its leadership in cycling planning. Bucharest and Ploiesti have been
inspirational—their approach to local partnerships and to communication
and awareness-raising programmes has provided amodel for cities of a similar
size and background, and their experiences are reflected in the brochure “Cycling
in Eastern EuropeanCities”, which was produced in Polish,Hungarian,
Romanian andCzech. Rome showed us that determination leads to results,
even in themost complicated circumstances, andGöteborg has been a trailblazer
inmany areas, with its excellent communication projects, bicycle highways
and advanced bike-counting systems.
Policy implications
The following recommendations were made:
Public bicycles:
- Integrate scheme into long-term transport plans
- Integrate with traditional public transport
- Integrate public bicycles into the public transport revenue-sharing agreement
- Do not put out combined-service tenders
- Spend time on tender preparation
- Identify milestones to reach if there are several implementation steps
- Make systems interoperable
- Examine regulations about allocation of public spaces
- Create incentives for greater efficiency
- Use innovative communication technologies
- Create links with other marketing campaigns
- Promote image
Planning:
- analysis of needs (potential demand)
- planning of single actions
- planning of total strategy, rationalisation of activities and drafting of a cycling master plan
- infrastructure and services development
- analysis of existing demand (monitoring and calculation)
- integration and improvement of pre-existing services (infrastructure and public bicycles)
Communications and awareness:
- Clear communication begins with sound project planning
- Identify target groups
- Communication with the public
Local partnerships:
- The involvement of stakeholders has been key in achieving almost all the
- specific measures of the project. Stakeholders also helped to establish plans
- and platforms so that work can continue beyond the project period.