How to achieve people to start cycling.

1. HOW TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING
Why do the Dutch keep on cycling?
(EUROCITIES, WG Road Safety, 13th of September 2012)
8-5-2006

2. INDEX
• A little story about tools.
• The City of Utrecht.
• Why we all should go cycling
(6 random reasons).
• How to achieve people to
start cycling.
• Also …
• The Utrecht Road Safety Label.
• Traffic education for children
of all ages.
• So youngsters keep on cycling.
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3. A little story about tools
How the Dutch look at a bike 3

4. The City of Utrecht
Some facts:
• Fourth largest city in the country.
• Over 310,000 inhabitants.
• In region  650,000 inhabitants.
• Largest university of the country.
• Busiest railway station of the
country.
• Intersection of major motorways.
• Still growing economy despite the
global recession.
Modal split (in general):
• Motor vehicles 38.5%
• Public transport 10.8%
• Cyclists 28.0% *
• Pedestrians 21.2%
• Others 01.5%
* 36% of all trips < 7.5 km are made by bicycle
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5. Why we all should go cycling (6 random reasons)
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6. Reason #1: Reducing traffic congestion
Highway A27 east of Utrecht 6

7. Reason #2: Reducing air and noise pollution
Highway A16 near Dordrecht 7

8. Reason #3: Saving natural energy sources
Saudi Arabia and the Canadian tar sands 8

9. Reason #4: Saving human lives
Source: Geetam Tiwari (Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India) 9

10. Reason #5: Stops increase of obesity
10

11. Reason #6: Creating livable cities
Source: Donald Appleyard (Livable streets, 1981) 11

12. So … let’s promote cycling 
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13. How to achieve people to start cycling
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14. Built a network of good bicycle infrastructure
Bi-directional cycle path in Utrecht 14

15. Create good bicycle parking
Guarded bicycle parking at Groningen main station 15

16. But do not only invest in infrastructure
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17. Also …
• Invest in good traffic education for
the younger children.
• Make parents walk and cycle with
their children together.
• Show children the right behaviour
when participating in traffic.
Children ‘copy’ the behaviour of
adults, so it is important to show
them the right attitude.
Children are the car drivers of the
next generation.
Have them walk and cycle at an
early age. It will enlarge the
chance that these future car
drivers will remain cyclists!
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18. Mental model
Some facts:
• A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about
how something works in the real world.
• Mental models can help shape behaviour and set an approach to solve
problems and do tasks.
• People have more attention for things that fit their own schedule.
• A change of the schedule is seen as an exception, therefore it takes time
for people to adjust.
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19. From ‘own control’ to ‘other control’
Source: Carlosfelipe Pardo (Cities for Mobility, 2012) 19

20. Myth: “Watch out and pay attention”
Some facts:
• The human eye has it limits.
• We only see a maximum of 3 points per second.
• Among those 3 points are trucks, busses and blinking or bright traffic signals.
• Only as 4th or 5th point we notice little children crossing the street.
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21. Young children and traffic
Some facts:
• They can not locate the sound of an approaching car like adults can.
• The front of a car looks like a smiling face.
• Because of their height we can not see them (play) between
parked cars.
• When they are 8-10 years old we protect them by putting them
in the back seats of our ‘safe’ cars. This is strange because around
this age they are finally able to experience traffic like we do!
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22. The Utrecht Road Safety Label (UVL)
What is the Utrecht Road Safety Label?
• It is a quality mark for elementary schools 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 infrastructural improvements
in the direct surrounding of the school.
• Political target in 2007: at least 80% of the elementary
schools trying to receive the label in 2012.
It is a combination of three actions:
1) Creating safe and recognizable school zones and routes.
2) Influencing parental traffic behaviour.
3) Traffic education for children of all ages *
* Not only by the schools, but also by the own parents
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23. Five pilot sites with eight schools involved (2009)
1 school in school zone
2 schools in school zone
3 schools in school zone
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24. Location of all participating schools (2012)
1 school in school zone
2 schools in school zone
3 schools in school zone
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25. Creating safe and recognizable school zones
School zone in a northern suburb 25

26. Influencing the parental behaviour (I)
Elementary school in a southern suburb 26

27. Influencing the parental behaviour (II)
Simple measures can improve a lot 27

28. Traffic education for children of all ages
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29. First a non-Dutch approach
Just one example, from the City of Stuttgart (Germany) 29

30. And now for the Dutch approach
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31. Traffic lessons given by the own parents (1-2 years)
Learning to keep your balance 31

32. Traffic lessons given by the own parents (2-3 years)
Keeping your balance and building muscle power 32

33. Adults can show the right behaviour (3-4 years)
Going to a nursery by bike 33

34. Parents and children cycle together (4-5 years)
On their way to kindergarten 34

35. Traffic lessons at the schoolyard (5-6 years)
Elementary school Villa Nova 35

36. Practicing by cycling in the ‘real world’ (6-7 years)
Cycling on a busy bicycle route with the parents 36

37. Traffic lessons in the classroom (8-9 years)
Elementary school De Spits 37

38. Going to school by bicycle on their own (8-9 years)
Children practice in their own neighborhood 38

39. Children do not only cycle to school … (I) (8-9 years)
… but also in the afternoon to swimming lessons 39

40. Children do not only cycle to school … (II) (8-9 years)
… but also on a Saturday to the city centre 40

41. Streetwise = Special lessons by the ANWB* (all ages)
* The Dutch ANWB is the allied company of the English AA and the German ADAC 41

42. Theory lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
Classroom at the Utrecht traffic garden 42

43. Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
Over 90% of all children of elementary schools in Utrecht visit the traffic garden 43

44. Practical lessons in the Utrecht traffic garden (9-10 years)
Children of elementary school De Spits during practice 44

45. Children enjoy cycling (10-11 years)
Cycling enlarges their ‘world’ a lot 45

46. Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)
Briefing of volunteers by a local police officer Checking bicycles before the exam 46

47. Practical traffic exam for all children (11-12 years)
The exam is a preparation for the ‘new life’ at secondary school 47

48. So youngsters keep on cycling (I)
Teenagers on bikes in the Dutch City of Delft 48

49. Special programs by youngsters
‘What do you want to lose by winning a few seconds?’ 49

50. So youngsters keep on cycling (II)
Crossing the city on their way to secondary school 50

51. Cycling enlarges ‘the world’ of youngsters
 Average cycling distance (in kilometers)
Allowed to drive a moped
Allowed to drive a car
 Age (in years)
elementary school
secondary school
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52. ‘The world’ of an average youngsters
home of Heather
her secondary school
home of friends & sports
direct bus route
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53. So students keep on cycling
Students on their way to college 53

54. Adults keep on cycling
Dutch adults do everything on their bike (except for sleeping) 54

55. And in the end … all generations keep on cycling 
A grandmother with her grand children cycling in Delft 55

56. Thank you for your attention!
Ronald Tamse, The City of Utrecht (NL), September 2012 56