presentatie balanced system, 2011 10 20, university of oregon (long version)

1 8-5-2006

CREATING A BALANCED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

(The City of Utrecht, NL, 2011/09/27)

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“I think we need to make people

aware that our traffic concepts of

today are not sustainable and will be

of no use for the future of our society

and our planet.”

Dr. Wolfgang Schuster (Mayor of Stuttgart, Germany)

The ultimate European lesson?

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• The Netherlands and The City of Utrecht

• Why we better go cycling

• Improving bicycle facilities

• Integrating the bicycle

• Cycling and road safety

• The Utrecht Road Safety Label (UVL)

• Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

Contents

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The Netherlands (as it was)

Orange . Transport .

Architecture . Water management .

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The Netherlands (as it is)

Orange . Transport .

Architecture . Water management .

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United States Oregon Eugene The Netherlands Utrecht

Founded 1776 1859 1846 1579 50 AD

Inhabitants (city)

(region)

308.7 mln 3.6 mln 156,185

352,000

16.7 mln 313,000

640,000

Area (sq mi) 3,717,796 98,466 41 16,034 (1) 38.2

Inhabitants (/sq mi) 8.3 36.5 3852.6 1039.6 8179.9

(1) 0,16x State of Oregon

Some demographic facts

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The City of Utrecht

Modal split • Motor vehicles: 38.5 % • Public transport: 10.8 % • Bicycles: 28.0 % • Pedestrians: 21.2 % • Others: 01.5 %

Facts • Fourth largest city in the Netherlands. • Over 300,000 inhabitants. • Largest University in the Netherlands. • Busiest railway station of the country (more passengers a year then Schiphol Airport). • Still growing economy (despite global recession).

1885 .

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Facts • 36% of all trips < 7.5 km are done by bicycle. • 91,000 cyclists pass the inner city on working days. • 22,000 bicycle stands around the main railway station and in city centre. • 8 secured bicycle parking’s around the main railway station.

Cycling in the City of Utrecht

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WHY WE BETTER GO CYCLING

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61,700

122,000

58,500

Imbalance between incoming & outgoing traffic.

Numbers show incoming traffic during morning rush hours.

Reason 1: Traffic congestion

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Reason 2: Air and noise pollution

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Reason 3: Obesity

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So … let’s cycle

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So … let’s transport

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So … let’s feel young

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Improving bicycle facilities

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Making an extra investment of € 67 mln. ($90 mln.) by: A. Upgrading five busiest routes. B. Building missing links. C. Creating more & better parking. D. Introducing public bicycle program. E. Increasing promotion of the bicycle.

Bicycle Program

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A. Upgrading five busiest routes

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B. Building missing links

New tunnel in a regional bicycle route .

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C. Creating more & better parking

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D. Introducing public bicycle program (OV Fiets)

Facts • A public bicycle system for transport hubs like railway stations, light rail stops, bus terminals, Park & Ride, etc. • Over 200 rental locations. • Over 60 self-service bicycle dispensers. • More than 850,000 trips in 2010.

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E. Promotion of the bicycle

First stage of Giro d’Italia 2010 .

en

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Integrating the bicycle

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Utrecht Centraal: Busiest railway station in the country

Facts • Major transport hub in the heart of The Netherlands. • 160,000 daily train and 100,000 bus & light rail passengers on weekdays. • 9 guarded bicycle parking's (total capacity 10.000 bicycles). • Over 7.000 unguarded bicycle parking places.

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Bicycle parking at Utrecht Centraal

Street parking . Guarded parking (non-paid) .

Guarded parking (paid) . Guarded parking (paid) .

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Bicycle parking at other stops of public transport

Regional bus . City bus .

Light rail . Commuter rail (region) .

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Bicycle parking at other locations

Theatres . Shops .

Schools . Offices .

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National website OV9292 .

Other aspects of integration

The OV chip card .

Taking bicycles into trains . Temporary road signing .

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A map of integration (The Hague HS station)

0 100 m

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My personal believe: “There is a DIRECT relation between the increase in numbers of cyclists and road safety.”

CYCLING AND ROAD SAFETY

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Cycling is safe … isn’t it?

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Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham (USA)

When visiting Amsterdam ... • He saw the Dutch cycling on busy roads and was amazed they didn’t fled towards the public footpaths. • In the USA cyclists ride on the public footpaths, when there is a lot of car traffic. • Suddenly he noticed a mother becoming very angry at her own child, because the child was cycling really close to the cars. • Jeff was happy he wasn’t that ‘crazy’! • Then he realised that he heard the mother shouting: “Honey ... that could be more close!”

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Personal presumption and expectations

”I see, I see what you also see! ... I hope!” .

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How to increase the number of cyclists

Some suggestions (of mine) • Start investing in the younger children. • Focus for the future. • Learn children to behave in the right way, when participating in traffic. • Make children walk and cycle, because ... • They will be the car drivers of the next generation!

My believe: “Then your future car drivers might become cyclists too!”

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Young children and traffic

Facts • They can’t locate the sound of an approaching car like we do. • The front of a car looks like a smiling face. • Because of their height, we can’t see them (play) between parked cars. • When becoming 8-10 years old, we protect them by putting them in the back seats of our ‘safe’ cars. This is weird, because around this age they finally become able to experience traffic like we do!

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Primary schools in the City of Utrecht

Facts • Primary schools in NL children’s age is from 4 until 11 years.

• Most of the children walk or go by bike to school. • Most of the children travel to school by themselves from the age of 9. • 24,000 pupils on over 80 primary schools (103 locations) in the City of Utrecht ... • ... means 103 different solutions to realise more (road) safety for children

This school asks children who live nearby the school to leave

their bike at home !!!

In the old city most parents and children walk or go by bike

to their school.

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The Utrecht Road Safety Label (UVL)

What is the Utrecht Road Safety Label? • It is a quality mark for primary schools (4-11 years old) that structurally put effort into the road safety around the school and into traffic education. • In exchange the school gets money and support for traffic lessons and small infrastructure improvements in the direct surrounding of the school. • Target: 80% of the primary schools working to receive the label in 2011.

A combination of three actions 1) Create safe and recognizable school zones and routes. 2) Influence on traffic behavior of the parents. 3) Traffic education for the pupils.

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1. Finding a payable solution for a school zone

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Possible solutions from across Europe

Gijon (E).

Guines (F).

St. John (GB).

IJsselstein (NL

Brussels (B).

Copenhagen (DK).

Vielsalm (B).

Amersfoort (NL).

Coquelles (F).

Almada (P).

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Create safe and recognizable school zones

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Also create safe routes to and from the schools

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Some of those new school zones

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2. Parents often show the wrong behaviour

?

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What to do • Taking anti-parking measures near the schools. • Only create parking space for cars further away from the school. • Inform parents by news letters and special information sessions. • Submit questionnaires to parents and children.

Influencing the behaviour of parents

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3. Traffic education for the children

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Traffic garden for educational purpose

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Even a school zone in the traffic garden

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Dutch road types

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Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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On a typical RAINY day in The Netherlands

So I waited for two days and start over again ...

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Rural road between Houten and Utrecht

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Bicycle path between Houten and Utrecht

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Across a bicycle bridge entering the city

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Entering a housing area through a park zone

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Residential street on backside of houses

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Crossing a through road

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Bicycle path as a short cut between two roads

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Entering a residential street

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Another short cut (passing a school zone)

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Approaching a ‘woon erf’

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Third short cut within half a mile

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Bicycle route using a dead end parking lot

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Using a standard residential street

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Level free crossing under a through road

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Direct bicycle link into the downtown area

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Bicycle street with mixed traffic

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Bicycle path instead of planned trunk road

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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One way street is bi-directional for bicycles

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Trunk road with bicycle facilities

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Approaching the down town area

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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One way residential shopping street

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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The down town area = destination achieved

Cycling an average bicycle route in Utrecht

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Thank you for your attention!

Ronald Tamse, The City of Utrecht (NL), 2011/09/27