Dirk Lauwers S4C Colloquium Aveiro 2016

Professor Dirk Lauwers

Centre for Mobility and Spatial PlanningDepartment of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering and ArchitectureGhent University, Belgium

Cycle Highways a game changer for mobility

in Flanders (Belgium) ?

SCIENTISTS FOR CYCLING COLLOQUIUM 17 NOVEMBER 2016, UNIVERSITY OF AVEIRO

Plenary session 2

S4C COLLOQUIUMUniversity of Aveiro

Portugal, November 17, 2016IntroducingProf. Dirk Lauwers

- Visiting professor UGent since 2000

- Visiting professor KULeuven since 2012

- Visiting professor Antwerp Univ. since 2013

- Consultant mobility and urban & regional devel. since 1980

- Former manager Mobility at Arcadis Belgium, beforemanaging director iris consulting, manager Mens en Ruimte

- Some references:- Member of Programming Board of Flemish Cycling Council (since 2015)

- Member of the Chamber for Sustainable Mobility Flanders (since 2014)

- Member of expert commission Spatial Policy Plan Flanders (2013-2016)

- Leading expert WBCSD: indicators sustainable urban mobility (2013-2014)

- Leading expert 1st strategic EIA for EC:European HST network (1992-1993)

- Consultancy mobility planning several Eastern European cities (Riga, Sofia, Odessa, … ) and regions (Kurzeme, Klaïpeda, Calarasi,…) (1990-2016)


Portugal, November 17, 2016

Flanders at a glance

Densely populated delta region

North of Brussels – over 6 mio inhabitants

Source images: Wiki, City of Ghent



Flanders’ mobility at a glance

Flanders’ mobility paradox‘the most mobile country in the world’

Source images: public, World Development Indicators (WDI), February 2015




Flanders’ mobility paradox‘the most congested country in the world’




Car country

Source: OVG – 2000, 2013




Car country – also for short trips

Travel mode by distance

car driver

car passenger

train

bus, tram, metro

cycling

walking

other



Evolution of biking in Flanders

From most popular travel mode to last alternative for UPT for who may or cannot

drive a car……………………………….

Modal share of biking during X century in city of AntwerpSource: Min. Verkeer en Waterstaat, (1999), Fietsverkeer in praktijk en beleid in XX eeuw




Coming a long way: car euphoria expelling biking from roads and streets

Interview on a 1986 research,

titled: The lonely biker in Flanders

“some school directors forbid

children coming to school by bike”




Slight trend shift in the 80’s: pro bike policy

Min. Johan Sauwens

First long distance biking routes

Source: Public domain




Slight trend shift in the 90’s: pro bike policy

Some cities re-invest in cycling infra

Source: City of Ghent



Evolution of biking in FlandersSecond trend shift around 2000:

Structured cycling policy

Supra local functional cycling route network

For purposeful travel to residential areas, schools, work, shopping areas,

railway stations, sporting clubs, swimming pools etc.

Distances above 5 km






conform standard (40%)

not conform standard

not yet built

at the current pace

it will take 29

more years

to complete the network

conform standards*

*for the Antwerp Province




Turning point since +/- 2010: fast growing # # especially in cities and on cycling highways

biking highways & routes

Source: Thuis in de stad, City of Ghent, Antwerp Province



Game changer?

E-bike & fast bikes + cycle highways

Source: Public domain – Fietsberaad (2015)



Game changer?

cycle highways: a new design standard (2015)

Source:: MOW, 2016



Game changer?

cycle highways: a logo – recognizable strand

identity (2016)

Source: peoc Vlaams Brabant 2016



Game changer?

cycle highways: a consistent network (2016)

2400 km / 17,75 km per 100 square km

Source: MOW 2016



Game changer?


(patience: devel. rate = 58%)

de

Source: MOW 2016



Game changer?


(patience: devel. rate = 58%)

but more priority for investments

Source: fietsberaad, Belga



Game changer?

cycle highways: making a difference?

-longer distances: e-bike = av. trip length 1,5x mean normal bike (Dutch research)

cycle highway = av. trip length almost 2,5x mean normal route (3 cases Flanders)

Source: Fietsberaad Vlaanderen, Ugent (Countings 2015 – referring to only 3 cycle highways!)



Game changer?


- growth rate Up to 20% in 2 years

Source: priv Antwerpen



Game changer?


-longer distances: e-bike = av. trip length 1,5x mean normal bike (Dutch research)

cycle highway = av. trip length almost 2,5 x mean normal route ( 3 cases Flanders)

CH Antwerp-Mech

CH Leuven-Brussel

CH Leuven - Mech

Outside CH’s

Source: Fietsberaad Vlaanderen, UGent



Game changer?


-longer distances: Trip distance longer than 10 km on cycle highway av. 9% of trips on highway

Mean trip length along highway = 2,8 km




Game changer?


-longer distances: Catchment area of a biking highway up to +10km

But 80% < 2,2 km

Source: Fietsberaad Vlaanderen, Ugent, Goossens Y.



Game changer?


new research (limited) gender !!!

e- bike

Urban

Hybrid

Racing

Work commute

(blue)

Source: Goosens Y (2014)



Game changer?


- clear patterns outside city areas




Game changer?


several research questions still open!- Users ‘profile (different from other routes, type of HC?)

- Speed patterns (different?)

- Daily or weekly patterns characteristics?

- Modal shift from car or…?

- Spatial bandwidth of CH’s? How to come to B.O.D.?

- How to deal with discontinuities in route quality?

- What are decisive qualities from users’ experience?

- …



Thank you for the attention

(save your applause for the bikers)

Let’s talk

[email protected] twitter: @Dirk_Lauwers

Dirk Lauwers S4C Colloquium Aveiro 2016

Education

Transcript of Dirk Lauwers S4C Colloquium Aveiro 2016