11 Cities on 2 Wheels for 3 Years the Nordic Cycle Cities Project – Experience and Results

11 cities on 2 wheels for 3 years The Nordic Cycle Cities Project – Experience and results 1 Foreword Contents 11 Nordic communities join together to promote cycling Foreword .......................................................................................................................2 Cycling is a healthy and environmentally friendly transport mode; it improves public health and reduces CO2 emissions from transport. For this The Nordic Cycle Cities Concept ....................................................................... 4 reason 11 Nordic communities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden decided to join together in a cooperative venture to encourage cycling in the Kattegat- Bicycle Account ........................................................................................................ 6 Skagerak region. Bicycle Strategy ........................................................................................................ 8 The interregional project was co-financed by the European Regional Devel- opment Fund IVA program for the Kattegat-Skagerak region. Bicycle Action Plan ................................................................................................ 10 The participating municipalities were: Children on Bikes .....................................................................................................12 • Denmark: Frederikshavn (lead partner), Randers, Silkeborg, and Viborg • Norway: Sandefjord (Norwegian project owner) and Kristiansand Cycling to Work ........................................................................................................14 • Sweden: Mölndal (Swedish coordinating partner), Varberg, Svenljunga, Tranemo and Mariestad Astra Zeneca’s Cycling Motivator ....................................................................16 Cycling addresses major challenges Serving Cyclists Better ..........................................................................................17 In recent years politicians and public authorities have been confronted with a number of major challenges including rising health care costs and interna- Security and Safety ................................................................................................18 tional regulations aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. Nordisk Bicycle Day................................................................................................21 Experience from other cycle city projects shows that investing in cycling significantly improves public health, resulting in significantly lower health Press Cuttings ..........................................................................................................22 care costs. Furthermore, when citizens switch from cars to bicycles road congestion and CO2 emissions drop. Making cycling a priority is a forward Summing Up .............................................................................................................23 looking, win-win solution. The cornerstone of the project was to develop new approaches through in- novative knowledge sharing, collaboration and concept development. The project partners met regularly throughout the entire period to learn from each other’s and other players’ experiences so as to be better equipped to successfully deal with the challenges of promoting cycling locally. Ownership and anchorage Throughout the project the partners focused on creating political commitment and ownership of the promotion of bicycle transport and on solidly anchoring it in the municipal organization. The project also focused on creating campaigns and activities for citizens, the purpose of which was to encourage drivers to switch from cars to bicycles as their daily transport mode.” In the present publication we’ve collected the experience gained in the project and give specific examples of the activities we organized. It is the hope of the other project participants and myself that other cycle cities, present and future, may find here a systematic, structured framework that will prove useful in their own efforts to promote cycling. We hope you enjoy it. Published by Frederikshavn Municipality, May 2012 Lars Møller Finn Rasmussen Text and layout: Mayor Project manager Lead Partner, Lead Partner, Frederikshavn Municipality Frederikshavn Municipality 2 3 The Nordic Cycle Cities Concept For us, the main thing is that Nordic Cycle Cities got cycling onto etween 2009-2011 11 Nordic ” the political and municipal agenda to a far greater extent than be- communities collaborated on the interregional Project Nor- fore. Drawing up the bicycle action plan gave us a concrete plan B for addressing 7 focus areas and the structured approach to bicy- dic Cycle Cities, the aim of which was to encourage more citizens to cle strategy, the bicycle action plan and the bicycle accounts really cycle. Bicycle Account seems to have given the coming cycling budget allocations a major The 11 communities found them- boost. The Nordic Cycle Cities project is almost over, but it feels as selves facing a host of challenges though it’s just starting. when it came to cycling: Ulf Bredby, project manager, Nordic Cycle Cities, Mölndal. • Fewer and fewer people use bicycles as a transport mode. • CO2 emissions from motorized traffic are on the rise. • Health care costs resulting from physical inactivity among citizens Bicycle Action Plan Bicycle Strategy are on the rise. Interregional collaboration and ex- range of professional disciplines opener for many of the participants, • Cycling promotion is often a change of experience (traffic engineering, urban planning, showing them what a systematic random, ad hoc affair. The aim of bringing 11 Nordic mu- climate, health, tourism, and com- and holistic approach to cycling can nicipalities together was that they munications) deepened the collabo- achieve. These were the challenges the three should each impart new knowledge, ration, creating a positive synergis- year Nordic Cycle Cities project set share their experience from former tic effect out to address. The aim of the pro- cycling initiatives, and gain new in- ject was to devise common meth- sights from working on the project. Working groups odologies and solutions in order to Working groups were established create a solid foundation for future Organizational anchorage The three core documents are: from the outset to serve as focal cycling promotion. To achieve this and political ownership The best part of the collabo- points for the discussions and ex- the 11 municipalities developed a The primary aim of Project Nordic • A bicycle account, or balance ” ration with the other Nordic change of ideas. There were four three pronged strategy: Cycle Cities was to create a solid sheet, which contains key perfor- countries was the professional working groups: Children on bikes, platform for future cycling promo- mance indicators for bicycle trans- feedback. It was fantastic cycling to work, security and safety, Nordic Cycle Cities, in contrast to • Quality assurance and systema- tion in each of the 11 communities by port, ensures knowledge building, how it made us see things and serving cyclists better. The former cycle city projects, focused on tization of cycling promotion. drawing up a number of core strate- and provides a solid foundation for differently when we were working groups’ mandate was to small and medium sized communities. • Citizen activities such as promo- gic documents that would establish drawing up a bicycle strategy and back at work planning cycling provide a survey of existing experi- The communities differed from each tional campaigns, information political commitment and ownership action plan. promotion. The discussions ence in their own working area and other in terms of size, demographic and events. of cycling promotion and ensure • A bicycle strategy, which defines made us question our own develop new ideas for concrete makeup and topography. The 11 municipalities are: • Investing in a bicycle friendly that it was solidly anchored in the the visions, goals, objectives, and legislation. The network and citizen-oriented local activities. urban environment. entire municipal organization across focus areas for bicycle transport. the exchange of experience Denmark: all disciplines. • A bicycle action plan, which among all 11 of us were invalu- • Frederikshavn (Lead partner) operationalizes the strategy into Inspiration able; this is something we’ll be • Viborg Process plans concrete actions and timelines. able to use for many years to The project involved three annual • Silkeborg A key element of the interregional collaboration was a jointly developed process plan come. meetings to exchange knowledge • Randers for drawing up the bicycle strategy and bicycle action plan, and the bicycle account. This systematic, holistic approach to Gitte Merstrand, project and ideas. In addition, study trips Drawing on the experience of other cycle cities, the participants drew up their own cycling promotion was highly suc- manager, Nordic Cycle Cities, were arranged to Lund and Odense, Norway: joint process development plan as the starting point for the individual municipality’s cessful in anchoring the project po- Silkeborg Municipality. generally considered to be two of • Kristiansand work. litically and administratively in the Europe’s leading cycle cities. • Sandefjord local communities, which was one of The ongoing professional discus- One of the main focus areas of the planning process is to promote citizen and stake- Sweden: the main objectives

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