What strategies or official policies does your city or town have in which you think cycle parking could play a role?
We've already seen two examples in the introductions of cities with SUMPs. What else have your cities got?
While preparing this task I read an announcement of an information activity at the railway station where the service team of our municipality (that guards the cycle parkings), together with the police and cycle shop owners inform the public on how to lock your bicycle properly. To do it right you need two locks, and thast is probably why the bicycle shops are interested. Bicycle theft is a problem in our region.
Translation: 'You don't want to walk, do you? Always use 2 locks with an ART2-certificate: fixed lock through your back wheel, Chain lock through your front wheel and frame (!) and through the bicycle parking instrument. Do not give a chance to bicycle thieves. Lock it properly.'
There are several policy areas where cycling and cycle parking can be introduced.
Social affairs: Bicycle parking is also used to give a 'job' to unemployed people who get their monthly payment from the municipality. They are guarding the cycle parkings at the railway stations. In this way they learn what it is like to work, and they prevent the theft of bicycles (which is a big problem).
Economic affairs: A good infrastructure for bicycles is important for tourism. Our region is very well equiped for tourism (there are several ferrries to cross the rivers which are only meant for cyclists and pedestrians). There are special route signs specifically for bicycles. There is a network of numbered crossings with direction signs tot the next numbered crossing, and at every numbered crossing there are maps of the near region so you can see where the next numbered crossing is and design a trip following several specific numbers.
Public health: Stimulating people to use their bike makes them healthier because they move more, they are more active than when they travel by car. This lowers the costs of public health. Several years ago our municipality has distributed their future plans to every address in the municipality together with a bicycle route of about 50 kilometres. (see attached file)
Hi Bert (and everyone else of course!),
A couple of points:
1. Thanks for sharing the notice on safe bike parking. It made me think it is even more important to provide bike racks that people can actually lock their bikes to properly (i.e. not wheel benders). Wouldn't that make bikes more difficult to steal?
2. I like your policy references. More and more cities and regions are discovering that cycle tourism is good for the economy. Since people move more slowly, they usually spend more money - and not just in Western Europe. I was reading the new Slovak National Cycling Strategy recently, and they also talk about tourism as having lots of potential. And of course the health aspect is clear. You can read a description of it on the Eltis website and there's a link to the whole document there as well. I really like the bike route map that was distributed in Elst. To link this all back to the parking aspect, any time someone talks about how healthy (or good for tourism or the environment) cycling is, you can point out that encouraging people to cycle means having places for them to park their bikes safely.
Bonnie
Hello everyone,
I would like to encourage you to share some of the policies or strategies that exist in your cities that might be useful to increase cycling (and the understanding of the need for more cycle parking).
Please share your knowledge and ideas with others.
Thanks!
Bonnie
Hello everyone,
As I already mentioned, the City of Krusevac has no adopted strategy dealing with traffic issues. The Assembly of City of Krusevac has adopted in 2011 Sustainable development Strategy , as well as Spatial Plan of City of Krusevac. We are working on preparation of the General Urban Plan of the City and several Plans of general regulation, so in these plans could be processed subject of bicycle traffic and parking for bikes.
Also we are working on the preparation of the Local Environmental Plan, which should take into account the transport, given that a large percentage of environmental pollution and energy consumption, originate from traffic.
I like how Bert outlined bicycle traffic impacts on the social, economic and health aspect of life.
Unfortunately I think that in my city decision-makers and planners, are not aware how many citizens use the bike every day and what are the benefits. For this reason, during the reconstruction of streets or designing plans, they don’t have idea about the formation of bicycle paths and bicycle parking.
In the pictures you can see that in front of some public enterprises there is a simple street furniture for parking bicycles. Many people think that this is enough. Nobody take into consideration that if you have bike path and parking, that that will encourage people to use bike more.
Also you can see that in the absence of proper places, people bind their bikes to a traffic sign, tree or light pole. But this fact bothers no one, because citizens get used on that.
Given that in the city is a factory for the manufacturing of bicycles, as well as other companies involved in the processing of metals, there would be an opportunity for public-private partnerships. The city should work on the influence on the public awareness about the benefits of cycling, as well as the necessary infrastructure. But on first place, city managers and planners should think more about cycling.
Best Regards,
Jelena
Hii Jelena,
Is the bicycle manufacturer a major employer? Or the metal factory? As businesses, I can imagine they could be important influencers with the city if they took an active interest in getting more high-quality cycling infrastructure in Krusevac - and I would think it would be good for the reputation of the bicycle manufacturer if Krusevac is a good cycling city. Or maybe they would financially sponsor some good parking infrastructure? What kind of role do they play locally?
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
the bicycle manufacturer "Planet bike" is not a major employer. They produces 40.000 bicycles per year, and employs cca 70 people. The factory mostly exports bicycles. But they could have a much greater role in promoting cycling in the city, either through the creation of infrastructure for parking or through some other activity.
Jelena
Hi Jelena,
I muts admit, if Planet Bike doesn't take any interest in cycling in Krusevac, I find that very disappointing. They sell themselves in North America as being very supportive of cycling in cities and even donate 25% of their profits to causes that support cycling. Take a look at this link on their website. Is it possible that nobody has ever really talked to them about supporting cycling in Krusevac? I would be really curious to know what they say.
Bonnie
Dear Bonnie,
As I already mentioned, city managers and planners don't have clear vision about improving mobility in the city. More or less everybody notice that there are to many cars on a streets and not enough parking place, but nobody realize how many cyclists are on the streets and how to improve infrastructure for them.
So nobody from city management have't discuss with company "Planet bike" about cooperation on improving infrastructure for cyclists. In my opinion, the initiative for cooperation should come from the city and the "Planet bike" will find their interest for sure.
Jelena
Hi Jelena,
Your post makes me think of a couple of things:first, it makes me wonder how many cities really count their cyclists. In the city where I live (Bremen, Germany), even cycling supporters were surprised how high the numbers were when they installed bike counters about 3 years ago. Bicycles are so quiet and take up so little space, people often don't even reaise how many there are.
With new plans being developed in Krusevac, it might be an opportune time to start talking about the role and importance of cycling and of cycle parking. If you talk to the right people, you may be able to get them integrated into your new plans as they are being developed. That would be ideal.
But even if they aren't named specifically in the plans, I'm sure sustainable mobility in general will be a major point, and obviously cycling is a significant mode, so you may be able to sell cycling as a means of reaching the goals set in the plans.
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
I agree with you. Many people are not aware how many cyclists there are in the traffic, because they take up so little space.
This course and articles, that I have read, helped me to observe situation in my city from another perspective. I began to notice things that previosly I have not perceive.
Jelena
Bonnie,
I agree. One of the biggest mistakes planners and politicians make is to draw plans and do big investments without real data.
As an example, my city never did a proper mobility survey. There is no data about cycling. And even worst, there is no data about who would use the bike if there were some facilities or infrastructure.
Here everybody has at least one bike, but there is no incentives or help to use them as a form of transportation. I have four bikes, one of them a quite cheap hybrid that I usually park in the street because I'm not very worried about thieves, but I would never park the mountain bike to a sign post while I'm working, and many people has only an expensive mountain or road bike. You have to provide safe parking to help those people not to be afraid of thieves.
I think that if you ask people if they would use their bikes if there were this kind of safe bike parking we would be surprised.
Hello,
In my case I must say that there are some plans and policies that should be very useful to improve cycling in theory, but the results are very poor.
There is a regional (Galicia) "Alternative modes of transportation Plan" that only refers to cycling. After a lot of data (no surveys) and graphs, they propose routes linking mayor cities along existing roads. Not very useful. Specially taking into account that here ends one of the biggest bike route in the world (The Way to Santiago), but cyclist are not very well treated. You are "second class" in The Way.
I am afraid that this document is more propaganda than an actual plan.
At city level, we have a Urban General Plan (sort of a Master Plan) where they draw some red lines along some streets as bike lanes, but without any detail.
We have also a SUMP (without survey or bike use data), where they draw a net of bike infrastructure. But there is no detail either.
In five years since the SUMP was finished nothing was made. I think we need the SUMP development regarding bikes, pedestrian, car parking, cars speed, etc. So, with the council engineers support, I proposed to the mayor the development of a Bike Plan, starting with oline surveys focused on target groups (schools, University, large working places, sports centers, etc). We hope that this plan could lead to a rational bike infrastruture plan. We want to know where to spend money with success.
So, nowadays, I am afraid that there are few plans or policies that could improve cycling here in Lugo.
Nevertheless, there are some examples of good policies in other spanish cities or regions: Catalunya Mobility Act; Local regulations in Vitoria, Burgos, Barcelona...; Andalucía Bike Plan, etc.
Jesús
Although no official Bike Plan exists or is planned in the near future, politicians at Provincial level are considering many different strategies including:
1) Establishment of a "Provincial Bicycling Office". The roles of this office would include review of new construction or building plans, both public and private/residential, within the Province and the office's consideration/remarks regarding the allowance for adequate (well-lit, secure, covered) bike parking areas. Additionally, the office would review and suggest upgrades to existing structures and provide that the budget for upcoming years would fund for these upgrades. The office would implement or subscribe to an on-line bicycle registry for theft prevention of both public (Bike Sharing) and privately owned cycles.
2) Providing incentives (zero taxation for occupying public space) to local businesses that provide cycle parking facilities and/or rental services.
3) Awarding local businesses and employers that provide incentives for employees that cycle to work (e.g.: Secure cycle parking, shower/locker facilities, discounts through local cycle shops, free replacement of stolen bikes registered in an on-line theft prevention registry system).
