Cycling policy and experience

in the Netherlands
- what can you gain? -

Fietsberaad international

General presentation on bicycle policy 1

For starters – new website

General presentation on bicycle policy 2

Treasure trove for bicycle info
• Look at www.fietsberaad.nl

General presentation on bicycle policy 3

Why promote cycling?
• Bicycle is the most sustainable transport mode (140x
more sustainable than cars)
• Bicycling is clean (no air pollution)
• Bicycling is efficient (space, energy)
• Bicycling is the fastest transport mode in urban areas (if
there is good bike infrastructure provided)
• Bicycling is healthy (less work absenteeism)
• Bicycling is a strong instrument against poorness in
physical exercise
• Bicycling is cheap (0,5 % of investments in car facilities
provides for 27% of the trips)
• Bicycling contributes to more liveable towns
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Importance to society of cycling
• Sustainability
• Health
• Liveability of urban areas
• Traffic flow in urban areas
• Economy

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Emotion linked with modes of
transport

joy fear anger sadness aversion

car bike Public transport

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The bicycle and the car (1)
• What do we need in towns? Vehicles that
are:
– Space efficient (esp. parking space)
– Clean
– No noise
– Safe
• Conclusion: the bicycle is far better for
town traffic than the car
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The bicycle and the car (2)
• Cars congest the towns
• Asks for radical change in urban networks
– More space for cyclists
– High quality urban PT
– Cars/PT for interurban relationships
– Park and Bike
– Urban infrastructure for bikes, public transport, goods
• Make car use much more efficient and effective

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What can be learned from the Netherlands (and
other countries)
• General facts
• Cycling policy
• Infrastructure
• Safety (including the helmet discussion)
• Measures to promote cycling
• The image of cycling
• Combination cycle – public transport

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Facts – bicycle share
30%

27%

25%

20%
19%

15%

10%
10%
9% 9%
8%
7%

5% 5%
5%

2%

0%
the Denmark Germany Austria Switzerland Belgium Sweden Italy France Great Britain
Netherlands

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 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Commuter travel

Business trips

Services/personal
care

Shopping

Education

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B

Visit/stay

Social recreational

Touring/hiking

Other

Total
Facts – motives for cycling

Car
Byclicle

11
Cycling in daily life

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Facts - Bicycle ownership
Number of cycles per inhabitant

1,2
The Netherlands is the only European country with more cycles than
1,11
people

0,83
0,8 0,77

0,67
0,63

0,6 Number of cycles per inhabitant

0,50
0,45
0,40 0,40
0,4
0,34

0,2 0,18

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 Investment in cycling per inhabitant per year

€ 30,00
€ 26,95
€ 24,41
€ 25,00

€ 20,00
€ 15,66
€ 15,00 € 13,98
€ 12,62 € 12,60
€ 11,09
€ 9,95
€ 10,00

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Bicycle policy: present situation
• Highly decentralized policy
• Municipality at the core
• Provinces and cityregions : decentralised directors
(distribution of subsidies)
• State: Support for decentral policy
• Framework for decentralised authorities
• Issues only to be arranged at a national level
• Funding
• Support with research, knowledge and dissemination
• Fietsberaad: Supports decentralised authorities with
knowledge, experience and, exchange and research and
co-ordinates separate actions
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Relation bicycle associations –
car associations
• Co-operation is OK, though from a
different angle
• The car association (RAI) has also a
bicycle department
• The ANWB that represents most car
drivers is originally a cyclist federation and
still has strong bicycle interest

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Cycle infrastructure in ‘cycle developing
countries’: the chicken and egg problem
• No investment in cycling because hardly anyone
cycles
• Not much growth in cycling because of lack in
infrastructure
• Difference in actual safety and experienced
safety
• Can be tackled both ways: Invest in cycle infra
(Kielce, Poland) is best way when you want to
undertake governmental action.
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Engineering
Road categorization: (limited number) roads
for traffic flow; connectors and vast majority
of access roads
Coherent network of cycling routes of high
quality, independent of traffic flow by cars
Traffic circulation to avoid through-traffic by
cars and to make cycling faster

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Education
Primary schools: Terms on traffic to fulfill;
freedom of methods
Campaigns for safer school environment:
route, crossings, free entrance
School parents coordinate involvement
Concern for independent mobility
National play-street day

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Safety

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Safety
600 60

Number of fatalities/billion km
500 50
Number of fatalities

400 40

Number of cycle fatalities

300 30
Number of fatalaties/billion
km

200 20

100 10

0 0
50

65

75

80

90

05
55

60

70

85

95

00
19

19

19

19

19

20
19

19

19

19

19

20

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How did we realize these
figures?
• Duurzaam veilig (sustainably safe):
• Functionality
• Homogeneity
• Forgiving for mistakes
• Lots of separate cycle paths and measures at
intersections (fly-overs, special right-of-way-
measures, traffic lights, shared space
• Where cars and cycles come together: carspeed
max 30 km/h; speed ramps etc.
• Special feature: Fietsstraat = Cycle street,
designed for cycles, where cars are guests
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Example fietsstraat

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Fietsstraat
• The ideal solution for bikes in narrow carriageway
– Cyclists are the primary users
– Car drivers are the guests (have to stay behind the cyclists
– Works well in practice
• Fietsstraat is a very good solution for creating an urban
bicycle network
– Use the small streets as main bicycle routes (fietsstraat), when it
is not possible to create separate bicycle tracks
– Special solutions when the bicycle network meets the car
network

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Bicycle lanes vs. separate
bicycle tracks
• Objective safety in countries with few
bikes: lanes are better, because cyclists
are seen by the car drivers
• Subjective safety: People feel far more
safe on a separate track

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Discussion cycle helmets
• Pro
– Less damage when an accident happens
• Contra
– Facts
• Only for unilateral accidents (helmets ar hardly of use when a
collison with a car takes place)
• Thus: only with high speed (so racers should wear helmets)
• More accidents happen with cyclists wearing helmets
– Counterproductive to cycle use
• Less casual cycle use
• Uncomfortable
• Diminishing feeling of freedom

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Safety campaigns
• Bicycle has a central role in traffic; enough
awareness
• Special education at schools and for
immigrants
• Actions for blind angle mirrors for truck
drivers

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Enforcement

Traffic enforcement focus on speed,

alcohol and safety devices

Speed: police interacts with engineers

to let road design do most of enforcement

Law states that drivers are >50% liable for

accidents with pedestrians and cyclists

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Enforcement (1)

General philosophy:
Car drivers should take the
responsibility of conducting
vehicles that could kill
Should be aware of the capricious
nature of cyclists (esp. children)
Always liable when an accident
happens
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Promoting commuter cycling
• Tax advantage (via employer) for buying a
bicycle
• Compensation of commuter cycling
(€0,15/km)
• Mobility budget
• Showers and cycle facilities at work place
• Free OV-fiets pass

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Image of cycling
• In many countries you’re a loser when you
cycle
• In the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia
it shows you have a sportive, healthy,
conscious livestyle
• Everyone is also a cyclist in the
Netherlands

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Cycling-Public Transport
combination
• Faster, more comfortable, more reliable,
cheaper, healthier and a lot more
sustainable than car use
• Basics: a good cycle network
• Lots of cycle storage facilities at public
transport hubs
• Fast Public Transport connections
• Transport from hub to work (OV-Fiets)
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The OV-fiets at a Fast Ferry
terminal

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Excellent cycle storage in
Zutphen

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What can be done in your
country
• Make more space in the towns for cycles - everywhere;
• Make consistent cycle networks
• Tackle the problem of bad air quality for cyclists (by
using the small roads (fietsstraat) as cycle network
• Think at all intersections about cyclists
• Communication on the advantages of cycling
• Promote commuter cycling
• Invest on the bike-public transport hub
• Introduce cycle lending or hiring systems
• Make doctors aware on the advantages of cycling
• Start at school
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Some points to consider
• No Change of habits overnight
• Cycle policy needs stamina and endurance
• Raise awareness of car drivers
• Reduce the status of a car

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More facts and figures
• www.fietsberaad.nl
(Contains a lot of English-language
information)
• Hans Voerknecht
+31102825818
voerknecht@fietsberaad.nl

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