Chapter 4: "Best Practice Review" of EU projects
Chapter 4.3: Project UrBike and Dresden
UrBike, started in spring 2004, will be an occasion to invite urban bicycle actors all over enlarged Europe to bring their testimony and, when possible, their help. The project is firmly connecting to European Union actors, promoting new opportunities to overcome constraints of local authorities, particularly in environment and urban mobility.
UrBike’s specific innovation is to concentrate its approach on “militant” day after day work of local authorities, in their own territory, and is suitable for cities in the beginning of their bicycle policy, aiming to optimize their first efforts in this direction. The UrBike interregional network also legitimates continuity in the effort, in order to facilitate its widening, introducing other groups of cities willing to undertake the same direction of action.
Integration of Urban Bicycling in Dresden
The before-mentioned integrated approach and understanding characterizes the theoretical or philosophical basis for the UrBike-project in Dresden. Fig. 11 shows the nine European cities which work together in the EU – INTERREG III C Project “UrBike” to integrate bicycles in their urban scheme by 2006.
Using existing knowledge, the state of the art of good bicycle planning, operation and management, we want to exchange “best practices” and improve their implementation in the member cities. “Achieve more together” could be the slogan of the UrBike cities. The theoretical basis is, for instance, summarized in the German National Bicycle Plan 2002 – 2012 (Fig.12). In Dresden we do not plan to conduct more theoretical analysis on bicycle traffic. The data basis by the University of Technology Dresden and the City
of Dresden provides an adequate starting point.
Dresden’s strategy concentrates on soft measures for promoting bicycle use. A main feature involving integration of all social actors on cycling round tables is managed by the Mayor of Dresden. This strategy seeks to establish a network of local authorities, companies, and associations to make cycling more attractive and to improve conditions for bicycle use. The three working fields which were specifically chosen for development are:
(1) “Cycling to work”: This project supports transfer of best practice examples in mobility management measures to Dresden companies. The project group can use practical knowledge and experience of the company “Infineon Technologies Dresden” with about 5400 employees who successfully introduced and
surveyed mobility management for cyclists.
(2) “Cycling to retail trade and tourism”: This project aims to promote cycle use to shopping facilities, leisure and recreational areas. This is done by communicating best practices of other towns and regions. Specific information will be provided to tradesmen as well as to the customers.
(3) “Cycling to school”: This project seeks to improve the situation for bicycles around schools and on the way to school. An important question is how to motivate students to use bicycles. Using conceptual guidelines, school students do their own investigations on the school cycling network, on cycle use to school, and on deficiencies along the route to school. With help of local authorities and external city planning experts students develop a cycling school travel plan including suggestions for improvement. The city of Dresden intends to support participating schools, companies or shops by improving bicycle infrastructure around these facilities.
Meanwhile, round tables for each project have been established and some first results are:
- A high quality cycling map - Through sponsoring activities of newly gained Ur-Bike partners, the price could be kept down and number of prints increased significantly.
- A poster campaign - “Your bike likes to go on a ride” poster was a successful action developed in cooperation with the local Agenda21 office.
- A large cycling conference - “Bicycle traffic in Dresden – Out of the dark into the spot light” presenting activities for cycle promotion in other cities and how to improve cycling climate took place on May 23rd.
Conclusion – Goals and Hopes of UrBike
The following major goals and objectives should be achieved with the described Ur-Bike activities:
- Clarifying and communicating urban benefits of bicycling
- Increasing understanding and knowledge of (potential) bicyclists other traffic participants public opinion (citizens, media and politicians) managers and responsible operators at sources and destinations of bike trips
- Improving transportation culture, tolerance and understanding in traffic
- Creating consensus for integrated and coordinated measures with a special focus on better bicycle infrastructure and operating conditions
- Convincing pupils and students, employees and customers of the benefits of a more frequent bicycle use
- Definition and execution of many joint actions
Better bicycle perspectives should become reality soon, if the actions in terms of
- information, marketing
- cooperation, more tolerance and understanding
- bicycle/transportation systems – improvements
- fund-raising for bicycle purposes are successful in all the UrBike cities. Another increase of maybe 6% of the modal split for cycling in Dresden might stop further growth of automobile traffic, which means less congestion, less pollution and less noise.
Contact: Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Traffic and Transportation Sciences „Friedrich List“ Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, D-01062 Dresden, Ph.: +49-351-463 32975
gerd-axel.ahrens@mailbox.tu-dresden.de
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