INTERNATIONAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BEST PRACTICE STUDY Report for Transport for London INTERNATIONAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BEST PRACTICE STUDY TEAM: URBAN MOVEMENT PHIL JONES ASSOCIATES with Rod Black Niels Hoe (Hoe 360 Consulting) Philip Loy (Project Centre) Andy Mayo (Local Transport Projects) Professor John Parkin Mark Strong (Transport Initiatives) + David Taylor & Peter Murray of P2P - the Portland, Oregon to Portland Place charity cycle ride and research project PROJECT LEADS: JOHN DALES PHIL JONES DATE: DECEMBER 2014 10095 CONTENTS 00 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY + KEY FINDINGS 5 01 INTRODUCTION 11 02 OBSERVATIONS + LESSONS 15 03 COMMON TECHNIQUES 20 Links 23 Junctions + Crossings 47 Network + Traffic Management 66 Interaction with Other Users 77 Miscellaneous 90 Summary 102 Uncommon Techniques 104 04 COMMON CONDITIONS 107 APPENDIX CITY SUMMARIES Exmouth House 3-11 Pine Street London EC1R 0JH +44 (0)20 3567 0710 [email protected] www.urbanmovement.co.uk TFL INTERNATIONAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BENCHMARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT 4 00 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY + KEY FINDINGS STUDY PURPOSE + PROCESS City visits were mostly of two days’ duration, with cycling itineraries typically being 40-50km per Achieving the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling in city. In addition to members of the consultancy London (March 2013) will, amongst other things, team, around 15 officers from TfL took part in the require London practitioners to apply tried-and- city visits. tested techniques from around the world to the London context, and to innovate as necessary. To OBSERVATIONS + LESSONS this end, TfL commissioned a study of selected cities, to understand better what makes for A wealth of cycling-related information for each success in relation to cycle infrastructure, safety city was obtained from the visits and related and culture. The study was tasked to focus on researches. To facilitate comparison between design approaches in cities with high levels of cities, this information has been summarised cycling and/or recent significant growth in cycling under common headings in a series of illustrated numbers. bulletins (see Appendix A). However, since the details we obtained varied from city to city, strict The study was based around visits during 2013 ‘benchmarking’ (comparison with a standard) has to 14 cities of different character, to learn from not been possible. them by interviews with local practitioners, by observation and by riding. The cities were Although the study’s focus was on cycling chosen to enable different types of lesson to be infrastructure, the matter of the applicability of learned: from what works best in cities where different measures in the contemporary London/ mass cycling is established, to how cities lower UK context also required investigation of issues down the curve have applied learning from those such as governance, policy, funding, legal and further up (as London now seeks to); and from regulatory frameworks. In addition, and bearing physical techniques to systems of governance. in mind one of the main outcomes sought by the For this reason, we visited cities as diverse as Mayor’s Cycling Vision - “streets where cyclists New York and Utrecht. The former is a mega-city feel they belong and are safe”, the study needed of 8+ million inhabitants with low overall levels of to embrace more subjective considerations like cycling (like London), but with a recent successful perceptions of safety and street use culture. policy of reallocating street space from general traffic to cycling. By contrast, Utrecht has around It would be good, of course, if the precise a third of a million inhabitants and is one of the conditions found in cities where large numbers world’s great cycling cities, where around a third of cyclists currently do feel they belong and are of all journeys are by bicycle. safe could simply be replicated on the streets of London. However, as the practitioners we met The full list of cities visited for this study is: were keen to emphasise, the many and varied differences between cities, and indeed between • Berlin • Munich individual streets in the same city, mean that the • Brighton & Hove • Nantes best design solution in any location will arise • Cambridge • New York from the context-appropriate application of • Christchurch • Seville sound principles and good standards; not from • Dublin • Stockholm the cut-and-pasting of rigid design templates. • Malmo + Lund • Utrecht Section 02 of this report presents some thoughts • Minneapolis • Washington DC on a range of contextual factors. Additionally, arising from study visits undertaken by members of the consultancy team earlier in 2013, lessons from Amsterdam and Copenhagen have also been incorporated within this report. TFL INTERNATIONAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BENCHMARKING STUDY DRAFT REPORT 5 COMMON TECHNIQUES COMMON CONDITIONS When these conditions are found, a wide range Drilling down from these high-level factors, we of cycle-friendly approaches or techniques have found a range of conditions to be common in commonly been adopted. Many of these are most cities with mature cycling cultures, recent familiar in London and the UK, though several are significant growth in cycling, or a commitment less so, and some are currently absent. Section to growing cycling. Together, these conditions 04 of this report presents information concerning comprise what could be considered an ideal around 35 such topics (plus sub-variants). basis for growing cycling. In the case of some, we can be quite confident 1. There is strong, clear political and technical and specific about how and why they provide pro-cycling leadership which is supported good cycling conditions. In the case of others, through all parts of the lead organisation. we present a range of the alternative approaches that we found, together with some commentary 2. Cycling is considered an entirely legitimate, on the differences between them and the desirable, everyday, ‘grown up’ mode of potential benefits of their application in different transport, worthy of investment, even if current circumstances. In all cases, we consider the cycling levels are comparatively low. implications for practice in London and the UK generally. The topics and techniques are 3. Increasing cycle mode share is part of an presented under the following five themes: integrated approach to decreasing car mode share. There is no intended overall abstraction • Links from walking and public transport; and improving • Junctions + Crossings cycle safety and convenience is not intended to • Network/Traffic Management diminish pedestrian safety and convenience. • Interaction with Other Users • Miscellaneous 4. Loss of traffic capacity or parking to create better cycling facilities, while often a The report also gives an indication of the ‘degree considerable challenge, is not a veto on such of difficulty’ of applying each technique in the UK action. context. Three categories are used, as follows: 5. There is dedicated, fit-for-purpose space for • Techniques on which there are no UK legal or cycling, generally free of intrusion by heavy and regulatory constraints, and which are already fast motor vehicle traffic. In cities where the used in best London/UK practice. aim is to grow cycling rapidly, simple, cheap • Techniques that are relatively rare in London/ and effective means of securing this space have UK and about which there are some concerns been used as first steps, with more permanent over the current UK legal or regulatory position solutions following in due course. and/or their operational and safety record. • Techniques that currently cannot be widely 6. There is clarity about the overall cycling adopted in London/UK due to legal, regulatory network (including planned future development), or other obstacles. with connectedness, continuity, directness and legibility all being key attributes. The report does not categorise techniques in terms of their possible traffic capacity and/or cost implications. This is because the approach of the most successful cycling cities is to meet these challenges squarely, not use them as a justification for inaction. TFL INTERNATIONAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BENCHMARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT 6 7. There is no differential cycle route branding, KEY FINDINGS simply three principal types of cycle facility that make up well-planned and designed cycle This study has yielded a great deal of valuable networks: information, but no simple formula that will transform London or other UK cities into places a. Paths/tracks/lanes on busier streets which as attractive to cycle in as, say, the capital cities provide a degree of separation from motor of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. vehicles that is appropriate to motor traffic What is needed is concerted action, on several flows/speeds and the demand for cycling. fronts, according to a clear plan, over the long term. b. Quiet streets/’bicycle streets’ with 30kph/20mph or lower speed limits and The report’s authors trust that the following key often restrictions on motor vehicle access, study findings - distilled from Sections 02, 03 and particularly for through movements. 04 - will help guide such action. c. Cycleways/‘greenways’ away from the main Liveability highway (e.g. bicycle-only streets, paths in Good conditions for cycling, and resulting high parks and along old railway lines and canals), levels of cycling, are only found where the but still well connected to the rest of the city’s political and technical leaders consider network at frequent intervals. that