8-5-2006 HOW TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING Why do the Dutch keep on cycling? (EUROCITIES, WG Road Safety, 13 th of September 2012)
8-5-2006
HOW TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING
Why do the Dutch keep on cycling? (EUROCITIES, WG Road Safety, 13th of September 2012)
2
INDEX
• A little story about tools.
• The City of Utrecht.
• Why we all should go cycling
(6 random reasons).
• How to achieve people to
start cycling.
• Also …
• The Utrecht Road Safety Label.
• Traffic education for children
of all ages.
• So youngsters keep on cycling.
3
A little story about tools
How the Dutch look at a bike
Some facts:
• Fourth largest city in the country.
• Over 310,000 inhabitants.
• In region 650,000 inhabitants.
• Largest university of the country.
• Busiest railway station of the
country.
• Intersection of major motorways.
• Still growing economy despite the
global recession.
Modal split (in general):
• Motor vehicles 38.5%
• Public transport 10.8%
• Cyclists 28.0% *
• Pedestrians 21.2%
• Others 01.5%
* 36% of all trips < 7.5 km are made by bicycle
4
The City of Utrecht
5
Why we all should go cycling (6 random reasons)
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Reason #1: Reducing traffic congestion
Highway A27 east of Utrecht
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Reason #2: Reducing air and noise pollution
Highway A16 near Dordrecht
8
Reason #3: Saving natural energy sources
Saudi Arabia and the Canadian tar sands
9
Reason #4: Saving human lives
Source: Geetam Tiwari (Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India)
10
Reason #5: Stops increase of obesity
11
Reason #6: Creating livable cities
Source: Donald Appleyard (Livable streets, 1981)
12
So … let’s promote cycling
13
How to achieve people to start cycling
14
Built a network of good bicycle infrastructure
Bi-directional cycle path in Utrecht
15
Create good bicycle parking
Guarded bicycle parking at Groningen main station
But do not only invest in infrastructure
16
Children ‘copy’ the behaviour of
adults, so it is important to show
them the right attitude.
17
• Invest in good traffic education for
the younger children.
• Make parents walk and cycle with
their children together.
• Show children the right behaviour
when participating in traffic.
Also …
Children are the car drivers of the
next generation.
Have them walk and cycle at an
early age. It will enlarge the
chance that these future car
drivers will remain cyclists!
Mental model
Some facts:
• A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about
how something works in the real world.
• Mental models can help shape behaviour and set an approach to solve
problems and do tasks.
• People have more attention for things that fit their own schedule.
• A change of the schedule is seen as an exception, therefore it takes time
for people to adjust.
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From ‘own control’ to ‘other control’
Source: Carlosfelipe Pardo (Cities for Mobility, 2012)
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Some facts:
• The human eye has it limits.
• We only see a maximum of 3 points per second.
• Among those 3 points are trucks, busses and blinking or bright traffic signals.
• Only as 4th or 5th point we notice little children crossing the street.
Myth: “Watch out and pay attention”
Some facts:
• They can not locate the sound of an approaching car like adults can.
• The front of a car looks like a smiling face.
• Because of their height we can not see them (play) between
parked cars.
• When they are 8-10 years old we protect them by putting them
in the back seats of our ‘safe’ cars. This is strange because around
this age they are finally able to experience traffic like we do!
Young children and traffic
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The Utrecht Road Safety Label (UVL)
What is the Utrecht Road Safety Label?
• It is a quality mark for elementary schools that
structurally put effort into the road safety around
the school and into traffic education.
• In exchange, the school gets money and support for
traffic lessons and small infrastructural improvements
in the direct surrounding of the school.
• Political target in 2007: at least 80% of the elementary
schools trying to receive the label in 2012.
It is a combination of three actions:
1) Creating safe and recognizable school zones and routes.
2) Influencing parental traffic behaviour.
3) Traffic education for children of all ages *
* Not only by the schools, but also by the own parents
1 school in school zone
2 schools in school zone
3 schools in school zone
Five pilot sites with eight schools involved (2009)
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1 school in school zone
2 schools in school zone
3 schools in school zone
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Location of all participating schools (2012)
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Creating safe and recognizable school zones
School zone in a northern suburb
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Influencing the parental behaviour (I)
Elementary school in a southern suburb
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Influencing the parental behaviour (II)
Simple measures can improve a lot
28
Traffic education for children of all ages
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First a non-Dutch approach
Just one example, from the City of Stuttgart (Germany)
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And now for the Dutch approach
31 Learning to keep your balance
Traffic lessons given by the own parents (1-2 years)
32 Keeping your balance and building muscle power
Traffic lessons given by the own parents (2-3 years)
33 Going to a nursery by bike
Adults can show the right behaviour (3-4 years)
34 On their way to kindergarten
Parents and children cycle together (4-5 years)
35 Elementary school Villa Nova
Traffic lessons at the schoolyard (5-6 years)
36 Cycling on a busy bicycle route with the parents
Practicing by cycling in the ‘real world’ (6-7 years)
37 Elementary school De Spits
Traffic lessons in the classroom (8-9 years)
Children practice in their own neighborhood 38
Going to school by bicycle on their own (8-9 years)
39 … but also in the afternoon to swimming lessons
Children do not only cycle to school … (I) (8-9 years)
40
Children do not only cycle to school … (II) (8-9 years)
… but also on a Saturday to the city centre
41 * The Dutch ANWB is the allied company of the English AA and the German ADAC
Streetwise = Special lessons by the ANWB* (all ages)
42 Classroom at the Utrecht traffic garden
Theory lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
43 Over 90% of all children of elementary schools in Utrecht visit the traffic garden
Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
44 Children of elementary school De Spits during practice
Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
45 Cycling enlarges their ‘world’ a lot
Children enjoy cycling (10-11 years)
46 Briefing of volunteers by a local police officer Checking bicycles before the exam
Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)
47 The exam is a preparation for the ‘new life’ at secondary school
Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)
48 Teenagers on bikes in the Dutch City of Delft
So youngsters keep on cycling (I)
49 ‘What do you want to lose by winning a few seconds?’
Special programs by youngsters
50 Crossing the city on their way to secondary school
So youngsters keep on cycling (II)
elementary school
secondary school
51 51
Age (in years)
A
vera
ge c
ycling d
ista
nce (
in k
ilom
ete
rs)
Cycling enlarges ‘the world’ of youngsters
Allow
ed t
o d
rive a
moped
Allow
ed t
o d
rive a
car
52 52
‘The world’ of an average youngsters
home of Heather
her secondary school
home of friends & sports
direct bus route
53 53
So students keep on cycling
Students on their way to college
54
Adults keep on cycling
Dutch adults do everything on their bike (except for sleeping)
55
And in the end … all generations keep on cycling
A grandmother with her grand children cycling in Delft
Thank you for your attention!
Ronald Tamse, The City of Utrecht (NL), September 2012 56