Bicycle Policy Erfurt

This document is an excerpt based on Thuringia Cycling Programme 2008

Contents:

1. Introduction3

2. Aim and structure 4

  • The aim concerning transport policy4
  • Structure of the Cycling Programme

3. Cycling support5

a. Federal measure

b. Measures of the Thuringia State5

  • Preliminary remarks5
  • Planning and infrastructure5
  • Combination of the means of transport5
  • Knowledge transfer and coordination6
  • Improvement of the safety of cyclists6
  • Support opportunities for cycling7
  • Regulatory framework and jurisdiction7
  • Public relations and health care7
  • Data management and quality assurance7

c. Municipal measures8

  1. Introduction:

The most important document concerning cycling in Thuringia is the Thuringia Cycling Programme, established by the Thuringia cabinet on 17thJune 2008.It is supposed to be a guiding principle for the local administration and should give municipalities advice how to support and strengthen cycling in Thuringia.

Together with the Programme there has been processed the Regulation for Cycling in Thuringia
(Richtlinie zur Radverkehrswegweisung für den Freistaat Thüringen - ThürRadWW-RL). ThisRegulation will be published shortly.

Thuringia is the second state of Germany having its own cycling strategy. Thuringia Cycling Programme is expected to control the development of the cycling network in Thuringia during the next 10 – 15 years. The main foreseen objective of the programme is the achievement of 3.200 km of cycling routs.

The objectives of the Programme are also:

  • Development of the cycling network in Thuringia
  • Establishment of quality standards concerning cycling routes
  • Implementation of the regulation concerning sign-posting in Thuringia
  • Creation of the list of needs for cycling paths on national and local roads
  • Stronger consideration of cycling while creating the local transport plan
  • Elimination of the accident black spots
  • Strengthening of the Bike & Ride possibilities
  • Stronger use of railway lines while creating cycling routs
  • Creation of adatabasefor cyclingand increaseduseof theInternetinpublic relations
  1. Aim and structure

Aim concerning transport policy

One of the important political aims of the ThuringiaState is to strengthenevery day and leisure cycling in the State and to assure that cycling has the equal status comparing to other means of transport. It is due to the multiple benefits associated with cycling:

  • cost-effective and health promoting mobility for individuals
  • recovery function in leisure travel and tourism
  • environment friendly, space efficient and only small cost-causing transportation
    in the municipalities
  • economic factor in tourism
  • contribution to climate protection by avoiding the contamination effect of motorized traffic.

ThuringiaState seeks to the future better and safer cycling and also to popularization of these means of transport in everyday life and tourism.

This cycling programme is designed to implement the aforementioned objectives particular in the following areas:

  • making the natural beauty and cultural potential of Thuringia easier to experience for the visitors and citizens, as well as strengthening the tourism industry in Thuringiathroughexpansion and qualitative upgrading of the local cycling network
  • a system based on a professional priorities program should make cycling on federal and state roads safer and more comfortable
  • environment friendly and more attractive cycling through better connection with public transport
  • municipalities will be supported by the State of Thuringia while strengthening cycling and developing the potential of this mean of transport. The assistance shall include, inter alia, the transfer of knowledge, regulatory framework and financial support
  • standardized sign-posting according to federal norms should facilitate future guidance while leisure and ever-day cycling
  • the cooperation of municipalities, the State of Thuringia and the third parties for building a common database will lead to the development of cycling
  • more frequent use of modern media as internet in public relations and communication

Structure of the Cycling Programme

The ThuringiaState pursues since 1991 in cooperation with municipalities a program for leisure cycling and since 1999 a program for cycling at national and local routs.

Thuringia Cycling Program 2008 has been agreed by Landesregierung (Federal State Government), it updates and expands the two aforementioned programs, merges them and implements the requirements of Landesentwicklungsplan (Local Development Plan). Moreover through its Cycling Program 2008 the State of Thuringiamakes a contribution to

implementation of the objectives of Landesverkehrsprogramm für den Freistaat Thüringen (the state transport program of Thuringia).

  1. Cycling support

Cycling in Germany is being supported by measure on three different stages: federal, implemented by the states and municipal.

  1. Federal Measures

One of the main federal measures to support cycling in Germany is the National Cycling Plan (Nationale Radverkehrsplan) presented by the federal government in 2002. This plan broaches the issue of the possible federal, national and municipal measures concerning everyday and leisure cycling and makes the contribution to the cycling friendly climate. The Federal Government avow itself to be a facilitator for the plan and perceives the plan as a possibility for the broad social dialogue about the strategy of implementation and the new approach to the National Cycling Plan. The general objectives of the Federal Government are:

  • The increase in cycle traffic in Germany till 2012
  • The support of cycling an integral part of the strongly integrated transport policy
  • The support of the modern, social and environmentally friendly local traffic following the concept “The city of short ways”
  • The improvement of road safety

Monitoring and evaluation is being carried out by the Federal-local-research group for Cycling with representation of the federal, of states, of organisations and experts. All of the news and contact persons are available on the website

The Federal government together with the States seek an cycling friendly amendment of the road traffic act (Straßenverkehrsordnung) and some administrative regulations associated with it.

  1. Measures of the ThuringiaState

Preliminary remarks

The following measures of the ThuringiaState should contribute to implementation of the objectives listed while discussing transport policy and also the objectives of the Gender Mainstreaming Account. These measures complement and broaden the already existing ones. A part of the measures of the ThuringiaStateconcerns the activities of Thuringia, the rest of the measures concerns the actions of other players, especially municipalities.

Planning and infrastructure

The proper design of the infrastructure will give the possibility to reach the background for the safe and easy cycling. This idea concerns both the measures specially designed for cycling and the general measures concerning traffic, urban development and building.

Combination of the means of transport

Combination of the different means of transport should be first of all seen as the combination of cycling and public transport, i.e. the possibility of using the bicycle while going to the railway station, to the bus stop, to the tram station or while coming back. There should be also the possibility of taking the bicycle into the public transport means as well as borrowing or leaving the bicycle at the station (bike and ride). Every of the aforementioned aims require special infrastructure and organizational conditions.

Knowledge transfer and coordination

Experience shows that the same conditions concerning land and the length of the possible cycling routs can give different conditions for cycling. This is the reason why expert knowledge is so important, as it gives the possibility of using the potential in the best way. The States of Thuringia supports knowledge transfer between the bodies responsible for cycling by:

  • Better consideration while establishing the plan for traffic development
  • Planning of the traffic network in the State
  • Planning of the traffic network by municipalities
  • Common digital database
  • Quality standards
  • Performance reviews
  • Assessment of cycling routs
  • Consistent standard of cycling routs
  • D-Netz – German cycling network

Improvement of the safety of cyclists

Initial position

Over the year 2006 there have been 1385 cyclist who had an accident in Thuringia. The number of the casualties has been stable since 1999, however it was relatively smaller in the previous years. It is also worth noticing that despite the increase of cycling a decline
of accidents is possible, as the example of other States shows.

Measures

Measures to improve traffic safety have to target at infrastructure, automotive engineering, as well as behaviour and risk knowledge of car drivers and cyclist. The State of Thuringia together with other partners endeavours to the considerable decrease in rout accidents. The number ofcasualties concerning cycling should decrease in the same manner as decreased the number of injured in Thuringia road traffic in general. The main objective of the whole strategy is that no longer a man is killed or seriously injured in road accidents (“vision zero”).

  • Professional planning
  • Traffic calming
  • Traffic control areas
  • Special analysis of road accidents
  • Elimination of infrastructure-related accident risks
  • Advanced training
  • Study group
  • Strengthening of knowledge and acceptance of traffic rulesby drivers
  • Increase the awareness of drivers of the vehicles in their driving lessons
  • Control of regulatory compliance by the police
  • Strengthening of knowledge and acceptance of traffic rules by cyclists
  • Improvement of the risk knowledge level while cycling
  • Mobility training
  • Police
  • Codification
  • Improved vehicle technology for cars
  • Improved vehicle technology for bicycles

Support opportunities for cycling

The main objective of the State of Thuringia is to assure the satisfactory funding of measures supporting cycling, also those measures taken by the municipalities and or other paries involved. All the information about the support instruments is available on the webpage

Regulatory framework and jurisdiction

Cycling roads run trough streets and roads of different property developers. This is the reason why while developing the cycling plan many different legal principles and acts have to taken into account. In Thuringia these are:

  • das Bundesfernstraßengesetz und die „Grundsätze für Bau und Finanzierung von Radwegen an Bundesstraßen in der Baulast des Bundes (ARS vom 02.05.1980)“ sowie die Ortsdurchfahrtenrichtlinien für die Bundesstraßen,
  • das Thüringer Straßengesetz für die Landes-, Kreis- und Gemeindestraßen sowie die sonstigen öffentlichen Straßen,
  • die Bestimmungen des Thüringer Waldgesetzes für das Radfahren im Wald (auf festen Wegen und Straßen erlaubt) sowie die Kennzeichnung von Radwegen,
  • die Bestimmungen des Thüringer Naturschutzgesetzes für das Radfahren in der freien Landschaft (auf Straßen und Wegen zulässig) sowie die Kennzeichnung von Radwegen.

Public relations and health care

The aim of public relations is to popularize the benefits of cycling and to provide information about development of cycling. Meanwhile, the decision makers should be integrated within the information network in order to improve the knowledge about the professional development and to enable discussions about the next steps.

Because of the fact that cycling helps maintain good health, it is also of great importance for health policy to support cycling development. The State of Thuringiaimplements many different campaigns and actions to support safe and healthy cycling, eg.:

  • Mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit (cycling to work)
  • Beleuchtungsaktion (a campaign to war about the dangers of cycling without the lights)
  • Bett & Bike (Thecertification of bike-friendly guestfarms)

Data management and quality assurance

The best possible data management and quality service is of great importance while reaching the cycling network. These two factors are crucial creating the network but also after the new cycling roads are ready.

  1. Municipal measures

Cities, municipalities and counties have a very significant influence on cycling in Germany, as they are responsible for construction of major roads as well as bicycle paths and they plan and control transport development framework.

Municipal measures concern especially:

  • Network planning
  • Bicycle parking
  • Sign-posting
  • Communications and public relations

The network planning of municipalities, cities and counties should include especially the internal connections that are used in everyday cycling, but also as tourist routs. The task of municipalities is also to connect the local roads with regional and national streets.

While realizing all of their goals municipalities have to follow the requirements given by the law, but also have to put effort to avoid unnecessary bans for cycling. The following examples show possible solutions for proper sign-posting facilitating cycling in cities and on local roads.

Signpost Bike-friendly alternative

Signpost Bike-friendly alternative

Signpost Bike-friendly alternative

(source: Radverkehrskonzept für den Freistaat Thüringen)

Municipalities as bodies responsible for roads construction have to put effort to assure safety of the cycling routs but also have a duty of environmental protection. As a result they have to make it possible for cyclist to use bike paths without destructing the natural beauty of Thuringian landscape.

Thuringia Cycling Programme underlines also the importance of measures undertaken by other bodies, like transport companies, tourism organisations, employers, associations, citizens, media.

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