Cycling in Groningen

1. Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign Annual General
Meeting
Groningen, Netherlands
- cycling heaven
Richard Armitage
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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2. City of Groningen:
cycle city
 Key city in north Netherlands
 Residents: 180,000+ and rising
 Large student population
 Regional economic powerhouse
 Pro-cycling actions since 1970s
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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3.  3 in 5 journeys by bike within
3km radius of city centre
 2002 data: 37% of all trips
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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4. Supermarket bike park
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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5. Afternoon school run
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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6. How much road for
pedestrians and cyclists?
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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7. Bike + pedestrians can mix
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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8. Cars not allowed through
the city centre
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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9. It will
be
multi-
storey
bike
parks
next
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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10. 10,000+
bikes at the
rail and bus
interchange
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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11. Putting your bike
on level 2 is easy
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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12. Finding it later is harder
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13. Cycling traffic
management
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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14. 3,000 bikes in lock-up,
beneath the rail station
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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15. Cycle route signs
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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16. Public realm transformed -
cycle investment continues
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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17. More new bike parking
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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18. It’s part of the culture
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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19. Slide
Quick chat, then off home
Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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20. Cycle heaven: divine
intervention not required!
 In Groningen:
1969-1972
– all political hues accept new traffic policy
– city centre - no through route for cars
1976 Verkeerscirculatieplan- 42% of
budget spent on cycling facilities
1989-2000 spent c.£15m (or £210m
in Greater Manchester)
2006 budget was €5.5m (GM=£52m)
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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21. Why so little progress on
cycling in the UK…
 Poor leadership
GM’s LTP2 draft - decline in walking!
 Scraps from the funding table
But the M6 widening gets approval
 Cycling engineers & promoters
Low salaries, lowly status, no support
 Media bias
Journalists wedded to their cars
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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22. …and in Manchester?
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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23. The missing ingredients
 Ambition, imagination, vision
 Strategic plan
Large scale investment
Programme lasting 20+ years
 Marketing (at ‘car’ levels)
 Multi-agency joint action plans
 Sense of urgency
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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24. Visit: www.fietsberaad.nl,
go to Rapporten,
and download:
Continous and integral: The
cycling policies of Groningen and
other European cycling cities
Fietsberaad-publication no. 7, April 2006
Richard Armitage Transport Consultancy Ltd.
Oxford House, Smithy Fold Road, HYDE, SK14 5QY
Tel: 0161 368 6603
richard@ratransport.co.uk
www.ratransport.co.uk
Slide Presentation about cycling in Groningen, Netherlands (12 March 2007)
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