AARHUS CYCLING CITY 2009-2012 NEW AMBITIONS FOR THE CITY OF TOMORROW a 8000 reasons to cycle MUNICIPALITY OF AARHUS DEPARTMENT OF TRAFFIC AND ROADS TECHNICAL SERVICES AND ENVIRONMENT AARHUS CYCLING CITY 2009-2012 AARHUS CYCLING CITY - NEW AMBITIONS FOR THE CITY OF TOMORROW International tailwind on the Aarhus leading the way New, high-grade cycle routes within cycle paths In Aarhus, almost one in four people use their Ringgaden, the inner ring road. The new It’s happening in Paris, London, Tokyo, Sydney bicycle to get to work, but the ambition is to main routes will in future connect the and New York - they are focusing on the bike as increase this proportion considerably. towns and villages around Aarhus with an urban means of transport. the city centre. In 2007, the Aarhus City Council therefore In Denmark we have been using bicycles as decided on a large-scale Cycling Action Plan Denmark’s first ‘cycle streets’ along Mejl- a way of getting around for 100 years, but in setting out completely new ambitions for cycle gade and Frederiksgade. the past year large numbers of urban and traf- traffic. fic planners in the West have started looking A pilot project to reduce accidents invol- favourably at the bike to an extent not seen in All in all, the Cycling Action Plan embraces ving cyclists and right-turning trucks. recent times. projects totalling DKK 250 million, and promi- ses a wide range of exciting and innova- A comprehensive plan for Aarhus and Relaunching the bicycle as an urban means of tive projects, initiatives that have already put high-grade parking facilities. transport has become relevant for a number Aarhus on the national map as one of the most of reasons. First, with the advent of the global cycling-friendly municipalities in Denmark - if High-grade path and route signage and financial crisis, the bicycle has become an at- not the world! cycle barometers and electronic info dis- tractive alternative to private car use. plays as a special service to cyclists. DKK 70 million to kick-start Second, the challenge posed by climate change cycling in Aarhus Massive upgrading of cyclist safety and has increased focus on the bicycle as a CO2- Aarhus City Council has already allocated DKK passability through various improvements neutral means of transport. 70 million for the 2009-2012 period to realise at crossroads, new surfacing of cycle paths parts of the Cycling Action Plan. etc. Finally, the growing awareness of the health benefits of cycling is playing an ever greater And in the near future the following projects Several exciting projects in role for the individual. will be realised: the pipeline If Aarhus Cycling City wins a share of the state Nationally in Denmark, the trend is also clear A large-scale campaign to brand and pro- pool for cycling improvements, we expect - at the beginning on 2009, the Danish govern- mote Aarhus Cycling City. A large number to launch even more exciting and innovative ment adopted a green transport policy, and in of exciting campaigns, events and ‘gim- projects - including ‘park and cycle’ terminals the coming years this transport policy will lead micks’ will follow in the wake of this on the outskirts of Aarhus where people can to investments in Danish cycling towns and initiative. park their cars and continue their journey along cities totalling billions of kroner. cycle ‘motorways’. CYCLE PARKING INCORPORATED CLEAR SIGNS IN NEW WAYS TO GUIDE CYCLISTS 2 AARHUS CYCLING CITY - NEW AMBITIONS FOR THE CITY OF TOMORROW AARHUS CYCLING CITY 2009-2012 THE CYCLE-FRIENDLY URBAN ENVIRONMENT CYCLING BAROMETERS WILL SHOW THAT CYCLISTS COUNT A cycle-friendly urban space and a cycle-friendly The cycling barometer on Frederiks Allé is the first infrastructure are essential if you want to pro- of many such barometers which will be in- mote cycling. stalled at strategic locations to monitor the development of cycling in Aarhus. In addition to basic installations such as bicycle parking facilities, crea- The cycling barometer has been ting a cycle-friendly urban space designed by the Municipality of involves offering cyclists spe- Aarhus, and the design line cial services which both high- will be repeated in a number light and reward cyclists of other products in the and makes being a cyclist urban space which will attractive, easier and be launched in the more fun. coming years. To focus on realising The cycling barometer the Cycling Action ‘takes the pulse’ of Plan and promoting the city’s cyclists cycle traffic, a spe- while putting each cial campaign will cyclist into a larger be implemented to context. promote and brand Aarhus as a cycling city. One of the most important aspects of branding Aarhus as a cycling city is a uniform line in the design of facilities and equipment for cyclists. The equipment and fit- tings are designed so they are not only functional but add to the overall aesthetics of the urban space. VISIT WWW.AARHUSCYKELBY.DK FOR MORE INFORMATION Attracting attention abroad promoting cycling. Several countries even talk tribute valuable knowledge when town and city As Denmark is one of the best countries in the about ‘Copenhagenising’ their large cities. planners from countries such as the US, UK world for cyclists, politicians and town and traf- and Australia contact us, looking for inspiration fic planners from all over the world are look- In Aarhus we have just started noticing the in- on how to transform their towns and cities. ing to us when gathering experience about terest from abroad, and we are proud to con- ATTRACTIVE ROUTES TO PERSUADE A BICYCLE RING ROAD LEADS CYCLISTS MORE PEOPLE TO CYCLE QUICKLY ROUND THE CITY CENTRE AARHUS CYCLING CITY - NEW AMBITIONS FOR THE CITY OF TOMORROW 3 THE PLAN BEHIND THE AARHUS CYCLING CITY PROJECT CYCLING ACTION PLAN PAVES THE WAY FORWARD Cycling Action Plan Cycle traffic in Denmark For many Danes, the bicycle is an integrated The Cycling Action Plan for the Municipality One of the plan’s key foundation stones is the part of their daily lives. Many people cycle in of Aarhus is a long-term plan which creates a establishment of a seamless network of cycle towns and cities, where the bicycle offers nu- framework for investments in cycling-promot- routes. Here, the main route network has been merous advantages. Nine out of ten trips by ing initiatives in the coming years. classified. The classification will determine bicycle are less than 5 km long, and cyclists priorities concerning the future standard and account for 25 % of all journeys within this The key aim of the plan is to achieve a signifi- development of the route network. distance. cant increase in the number of bicycle trips in the Municipality of Aarhus. This is to help to The other focus areas cover improved passabil- In Denmark, 40 % of all bicycle trips change the traffic mix so that a larger share of ity, increased traffic safety, better parking facili- are made in connection with work or journeys in the municipality are made by bicy- ties, better options for multi-modal trips, better study, while one in four bicycle trips cle. This will result in less congestion, fewer maintenance of cycle ways and better dialogue is from people’s homes to their CO2 emissions and healthier citizens. and information on various aspects of cycling. leisure activities. The Cycling Action Plan has been drawn up Each focus area in the action plan is accom- For the young generation in particular, the bicycle is a fa- following collaboration between the municipal- panied by a strategy and a range of activities vourite means of transport. ity’s joint council and an advisory group which and projects. Nationwide, it is assumed included representatives of the former County that every other schoolchild of Aarhus and the Danish Cycling Association. The Cycling Action Plan’s focus areas cover the cycles to school. In Aarhus Moreover, in spring 2006, a public debate was main cycle route network. Local bicycle path the figure is 48 %. held on the Cycling Action Plan. networks in residential areas etc. are regulated via alternative planning. Cycle traffic inA arhus The action plan identifies seven focus areas. A The cycle’s popularity in multi-stringed strategy is therefore being pur- Aarhus does not appear sued to boost the number of cyclists, with the to differ significantly from synergies between the seven focus areas pro- the general picture in Den- viding an eighth dimension. mark, neither in relation to how often nor how far people cycle. Almost 20 % CYCLING ACTION PLAN in vain for a place to park their bicycles. Con- of all trips in Aarhus are - SEVEN FOCUS AREAS sequently, more and better parking facilities by bicycle, with an average need to be provided for cyclists. journey length of 1.5 km. The Cycling Action Plan embraces seven focus 4. TRAFFIC SAFETY areas. A multi-stringed strategy is therefore Cyclists are an exposed group of road-users, In recent years, the Munici- being pursued to boost the number of cyclists, and the risk of accidents constitutes a prob- pality of Aarhus has conduct- with the synergies between the seven focus lem in relation to getting more people to cycle. areas providing an eighth dimension. Traffic safety must therefore be incorporated ed a considerable number into every effort. of cycle traffic counts. Recent The action plan singles out the following analyses of the development in initiatives: 5. MULTI-MODAL TRIPS A multi-modal trip is a trip where the road- cycle traffic show that it is slight- 1. A SEAMLESS NETWORK OF CYCLE ROUTES user uses several means of transport, for ly lower than in the early 1990s, The options available to cyclists for fast, direct example combining cycling and public trans- but rising.