Walking and cycling are the cleanest and most efficient forms of transport, particularly suited for short to moderate distances. Both provide numerous benefits. They improve health, do not produce air or noise pollution and help to reduce congestion.
Introducing cycling infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes, bike parking and hire schemes) are ways in which cities can promote cycling, while creating pedestrian-friendly spaces can promote commuting, shopping and recreation.
This handbook offers an introduction to electric bicycles, outlining their potential for society and for individual owners. It makes reference to the state of the electric bicycle market, the technical features, what to look for in purchasing a new bicycle, how to promote electric bicycles so they gain wider public recognition and acceptance, the potential benefits to health and the environment, and legislative and standardisation aspects.
Experience shows that investing in cycling significantly improves public health, resulting in lower health care costs and reduced emissions. Making cycling a priority is a forward-looking, win-win solution.
The cornerstone of the Nordic Cycle Cities project was to develop new approaches through innovative knowledge-sharing, collaboration and concept development. A brochure has been developed which features a collection of the experiences of the project partners and cities involved, which can be used to successfully deal with the challenges of promoting cycling locally.
Although electric bicycles are an increasingly common sight in European cities, the differences and added benefits compared to standard bicycles are not as well recognised. Bicycles assisted by electric motors offer a wider range of people the opportunity to cycle, particularly those who do not have a high level of fitness. It is also a good alternative method of transport for people who have to commute for short distances throughout the day.
The Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology has published a handbook of measures that can be employed to increase bicycle use. Individual measures are assessed in terms of cost, effort, impact and public acceptance. The document is only available in German.
See below to download the document.
Photo by ahans / CC BY-NC-SA
PRESTO or Promoting Cycling for Everyone as a Daily Transport Mode is all about competence building in cycling policies. Its training materials for training workshops on implementing cycling policies provides a set of tools to help decision-makers and city planners make cities more cycle-friendly: the starter, climber and champion cities.
Cycling is an activity which many people can incorporate into their daily routines, such as by cycling to work. This has a number of advantages, including improved health for the cyclist, and reduced congestion and environmental impact.
A manual produced by the VIANOVA project describes some of the important things to be aware of when designing campaigns intended to encourage people to cycle to work. It uses examples from the project's lifetime and makes recommendations from these.
See below to download the manual in English and German.
Understanding how to develop an effective cycling network as well as knowing how to properly market cycling are two very important issues which complement one another. Poor promotion of good cycling infrastructure or vice versa will not be enough to encourage current and, crucially, new riders to use new routes.
The Trendy Travel project has developed resource packs for designing cycling networks and for promoting cycling in a variety of languages, informed by the experiences of cities who took part in the project.
Walking audits are a good way to raise awareness of the importance of walking and to identify and solve specific problems in the pedestrian environment. On a walking audit, key stakeholders and personnel are led around a route on which issues confronting pedestrians and cyclists are highlighted by the group leader and participants. It also includes an opportunity to discuss the problems and potential solutions. After the route is completed, a debrief session is held to allow space for further and more in-depth discussion.
Living Streets, a campaigning organisation that promotes walking, has produced a report reviewing the evidence for the benefits of investing in walkable public spaces. It presents successful case studies and arguments for convincing stakeholders to support walking, and draws on inspiring case studies of schemes which have resulted in safer and more attractive public places in neighbourhoods and city centres in the UK and elsewhere.
The PRESTO project has produced four guides on general cycling policy, infrastructure, promotion and electric cycling. Transport decision-makers and practitioners can use these to get a detailed view of cycling policies.
See below to download the guides in all available languages.
