Smarter Travel in Six European Cities A Precedent Study Kay Cullinane BEng MIEI Research Masters Student of Civil Engineering at the University of Limerick Tom Cosgrove FIEI FIStructE Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Limerick Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Information contained in this report may be freely used provided the source is fully acknowledged Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Table of contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 2.0 MALMÖ ........................................................................................................................ 3 3.0 COPENHAGEN ............................................................................................................... 11 4.0 ODENSE ....................................................................................................................... 17 5.0 GRONINGEN ................................................................................................................. 24 6.0 DELFT ......................................................................................................................... 31 7.0 FREIBURG ..................................................................................................................... 35 8.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 39 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 1.0 INTRODUCTION This study details six European cities that portray best practice in terms of continuous and integral transport policy, modal split for all journeys, especially bicycle mode share, land use planning, and car free initiatives. The six cities namely Malmö in Sweden, Copenhagen and Odense in Denmark, Groningen and Delft in The Netherlands and Freiburg in Germany are shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 2 and 3 outline population and modal split comparisons between Limerick and the chosen six European cities. Figure 1: Six Precedent Study Cities at a Glance (Source: Google Earth) Page | 1 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Population Comparisons Freiburg City 217,547 Delft City 96168 Groningen City 187,623 Odense Town 187,929 Copenhagen (including Greater Copenhagen Area) 1,875,179 Malmö City 293,883 Limerick City & Suburbs 95,733 Figure 2: Precedent Study Populations (Source: Limerick – www.limerickcity.ie; Malmö - www.malmo.se; Copenhagen - www.kk.dk; Odense - www.odense.dk; Groningen and Delft - www.cbs.nl: and Freiburg - www.freiburg.de) Precedent Study Modal Split Comparisons 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Limerick Malmö Copenhagen Odense Groningen Delft Freiburg Proportion of journeys by foot Proportion of journeys by bicycle Proportion of journeys by car Proportion of journeys by public transport Other Figure 3: Precedent Study Cities Modal Split (Source: Limerick 2006 Census; Malmö, Odense and Freiburg Urban Audit 2004; Copenhagen 2008 Bicycle Account; Groningen and Delft 2006 Dutch Bicycling Council) Page | 2 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 2.0 MALMÖ “”Transportation and buildings account for the largest share of climate-changing impact. This means that we must mitigate climate change largely at the local level that we must work for the sustainable city. Municipalities must function as role-models on the climate issue” Ilmar Reepalu, Mayor of Malmö 2008 Figure 4: Malmö, Sweden (Source: Google Earth) Introduction Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city with a population of 293,909 as of the 1st of January 2010. Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County in southern Sweden. During the eighties and nineties Malmö underwent a period of economic recession and high unemployment. However, during the last decade Malmö has consciously reinvented itself as a sustainable multi-cultural European city of the future with major developments such as the opening of Malmö University. Malmö City actively works to facilitate the city's traffic, with a strong focus on public transport and non-motorized transport, especially bicycle. There are 143,000 jobs in Malmö city and 55,000 people commute daily into the city to work. The following outlines Malmo’s modal split for those commuting to work every day. Page | 3 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Malmö - Mode of Travel to Work Proportion of Proportion of journeys to work journeys to work by foot by public transport 6% 18% Proportion of journeys to work by bicycle 24% Proportion of journeys to work by car 52% Figure 5: Malmö Commuting Modal Split (Source: Urban Audit 2004) Malmö city incorporates approximately 420 kilometres of bicycle paths, containing more bicycle pathways than any other Swedish city, thus being known as “Sweden’s Cycle City.” Malmö has five kilometres more than its sister-city Copenhagen, a city world famous for its bicycle culture. The City of Malmö (Malmö’s city council) carries out a large-scale travel habits survey every five years, with the most recent survey having been carried out in 2008. In addition, the traffic is counted yearly at 140 traffic measure points across the city. From this the movement of the traffic to and from different areas in Malmö is obtained. The city’s monitoring of the changes in the travel habits of its people has so far conveyed that cars are being used for shorter journeys less often. In addition, the number of journeys per person for 2008 and 2003 is on average the same. However, the number of car journeys fell from 52% of all journeys in 2003 to 41% in 2008. Conversely, the number of shorter journeys on foot and by bicycle increased, and for longer distances the number of train journeys also increased. This is in line with the increases in rail and bicycle traffic recorded in the entire region. Overall, the percentage of bicycle journeys rose from 20% to 23%, with the number of journeys on foot increasing from 14% to 20%. Train journeys also increased from 3% to 5%. The modal split for all journeys is outlined in Figure 6. Cycling In 2008 Cycling in Malmö increased by 11%; with approximately 30% of all transport journeys occurring on a bicycle. As much as 40% of all work-related activities are undertaken by bicycle. Malmö’s high cycling rates can be attributed to its continuous investment in providing well connected and integrated cycle routes. Page | 4 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Malmö - Mode of Travel for all Journeys Proportion of all journeys by bus Proportion of all 11% journeys by train 5% Proportion of all Proportion of journeys by car all journeys by 41% walk 20% Proportion of all journeys by bicycle 23% Figure 6: Malmö Modal Split for all Journeys (Source: City of Malmö 2008) An extensive cycling route runs through Malmö city from the southern part of the inner city to Universitetsholmen in the north. Universitetsholmen is a small artificial island in Malmö harbour, surrounded by bays and channels, to the west of the train station. This route varies significantly in character. In the north, it runs past the old part of town before following the fashionable street of Fersens Väg, then along Pildammsvägen before branching off eastwards to the suburbs. Figure 7 below highlights the density of the existing (in red) and proposed (in blue) cycle network of Malmö. The red circles in Figure 7 signify cycle bridges and cycle tunnels. Malmö city continuously invests in improving its cycle routes and its already impressive percentage of bicycle mode share. At present a variety of solutions are being tested along this stretch of cycle network already mentioned which runs through Malmö from the southern part of the inner city to Universitetsholmen in the north. Malmö city’s aim is to make cycling faster, safer and more enjoyable. The innovations introduced along this route include rails at traffic lights which cyclists can rest against so that they do not need to put their feet down. Large mirrors have also been erected at crossings to allow cyclists to see around corners where visibility would otherwise be poor. Different types of lighting are also being trialled along the route to improve visibility in the dark. Air pumps have been installed at six locations around the city for cyclists who need to top up their air. (Similar pumps can be found in Odense in Denmark). The pumps can also be used for prams and wheelchairs. Tools have been added to the three air pumps along the cycle route, turning them into mini-service stations where cyclists can carry out basic repairs. Page | 5 Smarter Travel European Precedent Study April 2010 Figure 7: Malmö Cycle Network (Source: Malmö Stad - Official website of City of Malmö. www.Malmö.se) “Cycling barometers” at different locations in the city automatically count and display passing cyclists which provide a visual indication of cycling levels in Malmö; showing how many people cycle in Malmö, encouraging and reminding cyclists that they are appreciated. Radar sensors have been fitted at 28 intersections in Malmö to detect approaching cyclists and automatically give them a green light at intersections, which are not already crowded by car traffic. At the junctions the lights turn green quickly in favour of the oncoming cyclists allowing cyclists to flow more smoothly in traffic. A free map is also available which portrays all of Malmö’s cycle paths. The map is updated every year to show new cycle paths. The latest version is always available from