Clotilde Imbert : "A unique opportunity to speed up the implementation of bicycle plans."

*version française ci-dessous*

Opinion Column. I am often asked if, to transform the streets and foster cycling as a means of transportation, it is better to act gradually or all at once. In recent months, my answer was: look at the massive impact on cycling during the public transport strikes in France. The combination of a recently expanded cycle track network with a sudden, but temporary, halting of public transport, helped thousands of Parisians realize the convenience and effectiveness of the bicycle.

 Soon, my answer may be: look at what happened in the world during the COVID-19 health crisis! An invisible virus may have accelerated the development of bicycle mobility more than years of rational, pragmatic, often passionate arguments from advocates convinced that the bicycle is a means of transportation perfectly suited to today's world.

 We are not there yet. Even if cities like Bogotá and Berlin have reacted quickly by building and/or widening secure corridors for bicycle users, it will be more specifically needed as confinement measures are eased. Some countries are working on transition plans from the strict containment to the return to a normal life. During this period, cities should set up temporary cycle paths to encourage a mode of travel that facilitates social distancing, is faster than walking, and above all, less space-consuming and polluting than driving. Currently, from the window of my living room office, I can already observe pedestrians walking on the cycle lane and cyclists circulating on the roadway. A new distribution of public space takes place in a spontaneous way while few inhabitants leave their homes. What will happen as confinement measures are eased?

Concepts of actions borrowed from tactical urbanism, normally implemented by advocates, are legitimate by authorities. In France, the Government has commissioned the Club des Villes Cyclables to set up a network of temporary cycle paths in metropolitan areas. Everyone who is convinced by the benefits of cycling mobility is delighted. For years now, the team at Copenhagenize Design Co. has been promoting the creation of transitional cycle paths protected by light segregations. In fact, a delegation to Copenhagen from the City of Montpellier discovered the benefits of quick implementation.

 Acting quickly does not mean acting impulsively. These lightly separated cycle paths are an opportunity to quickly and affordably implement plans already published in many cities. Light separation and temporary markings must allow the creation of new and efficient facilities and better secure cyclists than unprotected cycle lanes. Although they are the result of quick actions, these facilities must be part of a longer-term planning process which include an evaluation period leading to the durability of some infrastructure. They should serve the densest employment areas and main health facilities.

Even though we are talking about temporary infrastructure, let’s take a look at some of the basic principles of bicycle urbanism. First of all, to all those who fear that the bicycle will not be able to move locals efficiently, recall the figures: A 2.2 metre wide unidirectional cycle path can move between 3,200 and 5,900 riders per hour depending on the quality of the infrastructure and the density of users that we find acceptable and not too stressful... in times of social distancing these figures may fall, especially if we applies the results of a Belgian and Dutch study explaining that there must be a space of 10 to 20 metres between each cyclist.

Talking about capacity immediately brings up the width required for a cycle path. Normally, the minimum width for a unidirectional cycle path is 2.2 metres ; 2.5 metres ideally ; 3.5 metres for corridors with large flows. It is no longer only a question of allowing ‘passability’ among riders travelling at different speeds, but of giving the possibility of having a continuous flow of several lanes of users. While social distancing is necessary, these widths could even be expanded. Let’s go back to basics and consider users’ needs during this period.

Calculation of the ideal width of a bicycle lane during the covid-19 period. This width is credible when a car lane is removed.

As with the construction of permanent cycle paths, the implementation of the infrastructure is not the major technical issue. In the case of temporary cycle paths, bollards, road separators, or other light devices creating a separation easily identifiable for street users can be put in place. The crucial point remains the management of the intersection and, in this case, the management of the waiting area at the red light. By leaving 1 to 2 meters between each waiting cyclist, the area may stretch from a very long distance, or even fail to be contained properly along the block. Thus, longer green light phases for cyclists on major routes should be able to limit the effect of overcrowding. In addition, the creation of a “super bike box” using the cars' right-turning lane might also help to ease this situation.

No one yet knows how long the necessary measures will last. But there are certainly many questions on all of our minds. What will the future of mobility be like for urban inhabitants who are afraid to take public transport in big cities? What will the output of this period look like? If we haven’t learned anything from this situation, it may not be possible to predict the future, but possible to be better prepared. The day after tomorrow is something to build together. The strategy will have to go through precise monitoring of flows on temporary cycle paths. “Data is gold”, whatever the historical context.

During this global crisis, the bicycle once again humbly presents itself as a tool of resilience at the service of cities and its inhabitants. This period therefore becomes an appropriate time to speed up the implementation of bicycle plans, to test new cycling routes, but also to change the traditional approach to urban mobility planning. It involves accepting temporary and perhaps seemingly radical implementation, continued monitoring, correcting courses as necessary, and considering the sustainability of the most convincing experiments.

Clotilde Imbert

Director, Copenhagenize France

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Clotilde Imbert : “Une opportunité unique d’accélérer la mise en place des plans vélo.”

Tribune. On me demande souvent si, pour transformer les rues et faciliter la mobilité cyclable, mieux vaut agir de manière progressive ou d’un seul coup. Ces derniers mois, ma réponse fut : regardez l’impact massif des grèves des transports en commun en France sur la pratique du vélo. La concomitance de l’ouverture de kilomètres de pistes cyclables sécurisées et la fermeture du métro pendant des semaines a permis à des milliers de Parisiens de prendre conscience que le vélo était un moyen de déplacement efficace et envisageable pour leurs trajets quotidiens.

Bientôt, ma réponse sera : regardez ce qu’il s’est passé dans le monde lors de la crise sanitaire du covid-19 ! Un virus invisible aura peut-être davantage accéléré le développement de la mobilité cyclable que des années d’argumentaires rationnels, pragmatiques, souvent passionnés d’activistes convaincus que le vélo est un moyen de déplacement convenant parfaitement au monde actuel.

 Nous n’en sommes pas tout à fait là pour autant. Même si des villes, comme Bogotá et Berlin, ont réagi rapidement et créé ou élargi des corridors sécurisés pour les usagers du vélo, c’est surtout durant la période de déconfinement que les villes devraient mettre en place des pistes cyclables temporaires pour favoriser un mode de déplacement qui facilite la distanciation sociale, qui est plus rapide que la marche à pied et surtout moins consommateur d’espace et pollueur que la voiture. Actuellement, de la fenêtre de mon salon/bureau, je vois déjà les piétons marcher sur la bande cyclable et les cyclistes circuler sur la chaussée. Une nouvelle répartition de l’espace public s’effectue de manière spontanée alors que peu d’habitants sortent de chez eux. Qu’en sera-t-il durant la phase de déconfinement ?

 Des concepts d’actions empruntés à l’urbanisme tactique, normalement mis en œuvre par des associations, nous en voyons arriver en France, notamment, où le gouvernement a missionné le Club des Villes Cyclables pour mettre en place un réseau de pistes cyclables temporaires. Toutes les personnes convaincues par les bienfaits de la mobilité cyclable s’en réjouissent. L’équipe de Copenhagenize Design Co. fait d’ailleurs la promotion de la création de pistes cyclables transitoires protégées par des séparations légères depuis longtemps dans ses formations sur l’urbanisme cyclable. La ville de Montpellier en a découvert les bienfaits et la rapidité de mise en oeuvre suite à une visite dans nos bureaux de Copenhague de leurs élus et techniciens.

 Agir vite ne veut pas dire agir impulsivement. Ces aménagements légers sont l’occasion de mettre en oeuvre rapidement et à moindre coût les plans vélo dont disposent déjà de nombreuses collectivités. Par de la séparation légère et du marquage temporaire, ces dispositifs correspondent à la création de pistes cyclables qui doivent permettrent de créer des aménagements neufs et efficients et de mieux sécuriser les cyclistes qu’avec des bandes cyclables existantes et souvent étroites. Bien qu’issues d’actions rapides, ces aménagements doivent s’inscrire dans un processus d’aménagement à plus long terme qui doit intégrer une période d’évaluation menant à la pérennisation de l’infrastructure.  Ils devront desservir les zones d’emplois les plus denses et les équipements de santé. 

Voici quelques rappels des grands principes de notre vision de l’urbanisme cyclable. Tout d’abord, à tous ceux qui craignent que le vélo ne puisse permettre de déplacer massivement des habitants, rappel des chiffres : la capacité d’une piste cyclable de 2,20 m. de large est de 3 200 à  5 900 cyclistes par heure selon la qualité de l’infrastructure et la densité d’usagers que l’on trouve acceptable et pas trop stressante… en période de distanciation sociale ces chiffres doivent forcément chuter, surtout si on applique les résultats d’une étude belge et néerlandaise expliquant qu’il faut un espace de 10 et 20 mètres entre chaque cycliste. 

Parler de capacité amène tout de suite à évoquer la largeur requise pour une piste cyclable. En temps normal, la largeur minimale pour une piste cyclable unidirectionnelle est de 2,2 m. ; 2,5 m. étant   l’idéale ; 3,5 m pour les axes aux flux importants. Il ne s’agit plus de favoriser le dépassement d’un cycliste par un autre plus véloce, mais de donner la possibilité d’avoir plusieurs flux continus d’usagers. La distanciation sociale étant de rigueur, ces règles de largeur pourraient même être revues à la hausse. Repartons des besoins des usagers durant cette période.

Comme lors de construction de pistes cyclables définitives, la création de la section n’est pas l’enjeu technique majeur. Dans le cas de pistes cyclables temporaires, potelets, séparateurs, voire plots de chantier ou autres dispositifs légers créant une séparation facilement identifiable pour les usagers de la rue peuvent être mis en place. Le point crucial reste la gestion de l’intersection et, dans ce cas précis, la gestion de la zone d’attente au feu rouge. En laissant 1 à 2 mètres entre chaque cycliste en attente, la zone d’attente risque de s’étirer longuement, voire ne pas réussir à être contenue correctement.  Aussi, un allongement des temps de vert pour les cyclistes des axes majeurs doit pouvoir limiter l’effet de promiscuité. Par ailleurs, la création d’un “super sas vélo” en empruntant la voie de tourne-à-droite des voitures peut pallier à cette situation.

Personne ne sait combien de temps va durer la période de déconfinement ? Quelle va être précisément la mobilité des habitants ayant peur ou non de prendre les transports en commun dans les grandes villes? Que restera-t-il de cette période après le déconfinement? S’il n’est pas possible de prédire l’avenir, il est possible de le préparer. Le jour d’après se construit. La stratégie devra passer par un monitorage précis des flux sur les pistes cyclables temporaires. Data is gold, quelle que soit la période.

 Lors de cette violente crise, le vélo se présente encore une fois humblement comme un outil de résilience au service des villes et de ses habitants. La période devient donc un moment opportun pour accélérer la mise en oeuvre de plans vélo, pour tester de nouveaux itinéraires cyclables, mais aussi pour changer l’approche traditionnelle de l'urbanisme. Il s'agit d’accepter une mise en oeuvre transitoire, de la monitorer, de la corriger si besoin et d'envisager la pérennisation des expérimentations les plus probantes. 

Clotilde Imbert

Directrice, Copenhagenize France

Cities are getting in the social distancing lane

One of Berlin’s extended bike lanes. Source: The Guardian

In the last month or so, the world has been flipped upside down as it has been filled with uncertainty, fear and an ever-exhausting news cycle. New restrictions and laws prohibit people from doing pretty much anything except for waiting in line to enter a grocery store. As people try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiration and hope is coming from cities around the world. People are adapting their lives and behaviours in every way, they are reconnecting with their neighbours at a distance, and creating objects to help one another through these tough times. Cities alike are also beginning to change and adapt to their new realities. 

From Berlin to Bogotá, some cities are beginning to get tactical – converting space for cars and giving it back to people walking and on bicycles to keep people at a safe distance while they adopt new movement patterns. This means that more space has to be given to these modes of transportation to comply with COVID-19 rules. Overnight, municipalities have taken away what used to be a lane dedicated to vehicle traffic or for parking and put in wider, protected bike lanes and walking lanes. 

In Berlin, local authorities in the Kreuzberg district took matters into their own hands, temporarily widening cycle lanes back in March. They argued that it would help residents on bikes keep the required 1.5-meter distance. Some bike lanes were widening while others were simply created by converting a lane of vehicle traffic with wide yellow markings and bollards. On Friday, April 10 the local council declared the pilot project a success and the City of Berlin has come out with a document to help other districts to do the same.

Berlin “popup“ bike lane.

On the other side of the world, New Zealand has become the first country to create an official government policy for funding this type of modular infrastructure. Cities in New Zealand had been testing tactical urbanism sporadically before the pandemic, but now the national government is rolling it out on an emergency-funded basis. This funding has allowed cities to widen sidewalks and carve out cycleways in a matter of days instead of months or years. Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter even stated: “When we move out of the shutdown, and people start to travel a little more, we can’t expect them to go back to crowded buses and trains at the same rate we need alternatives for people to get around.”

One of New Zealand’s extended bike lanes. Photo taken by: Paul Zinken

In South America, the Colombian capital of Bogotá has created 76 kilometres of temporary bike lanes overnight taking over lanes for vehicles. Another 41 kilometres are planned to be created once further evaluation of the current ones is completed creating a whopping 117 kilometres of new bicycle infrastructure. The lanes are semi-protected with large pylons or water-filled plastic barriers and the widths are adjusted depending on usage. A statement from the Mayor’s office said: “The bicycle, being an individual means of transport, represents one of the most hygienic alternatives for the prevention of the virus, especially in this first preventive stage in which it is recommended to avoid close contact and crowds.” Adding to that statement he continued: “... Bogotá is facing a triple threat of poor air quality, seasonal respiratory illnesses and now the coronavirus the bicycle can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and improve air quality.”

Temporary bike lane in Bogotá. Photo taken by: Gabriel L. Guerrero

All of these tactical solutions for cycling and walking can have a huge impact on the future of infrastructure in our cities. In the short term, these strategies will allow people to keep a safe distance from one another, while in the long term these pop-ups act as great pilot projects helping residents and politicians visualize the need and the effectiveness of best practice bicycle design and infrastructure to the quality of life in their cities.

Master Class Virtual Reunion

As we finish an unprecedented month of March, and enter into a socially-distant April, many of us are locked-down and spending hours on end home alone fighting the urge to go stir crazy. We know how important it is to stay connected to one another and share ideas during these times of uncertainty, to keep everybody thinking about the world beyond their apartment and how life might be different after the global pandemic.

In that spirit, on Friday March 27th we hosted our first virtual reunion for the past participants of the Master Class by Copenhagenize. We were thrilled to see more than 70 participants from around the world join us from the last 6 years of sessions we’ve been hosting in Copenhagen. We had friends log in staying up late in Yokohama and Perth with a beer in hand, while others in Chile and California were tuning in with their morning coffee. Not only was this an excellent chance to reconnect, but we also learned of developments all around the world in cargo bikes, all-season cycling, cyclo-tourism, and hilly-city bicycle planning.

João Camolas presenting

The two-hour programme included:

A Mayors Guide to Cargo Bikes

James Thoem (Copenhagenize Team)

James introduced how municipalities and other levels of governments can foster greater cargo bike usage among both public and private groups. Turning to case studies across multiple sectors, he demonstrated how decisive policy measures can directly encourage cargo bike ridership. 

Planning for Four Seasons: Cycling in Helsinki

Oskari Kaupinmäki (Class of 2017)

Oskari works as a project manager for the City of Helsinki and collaborates with the Handshake project where three EU pioneering cycling cities share their cycling solutions with ten aspiring EU cities. Oskari shared his knowledge on how Helsinki has made winter cycling a realistic transportation mode, giving examples of how other cities can take advantage of their bicycle infrastructure in all seasons.

Bicycle Tourism in Northern Italy

Giuliana Ganzini (Class of 2019)

Working as the manager of a boutique hotel in Udine, Giuliana has been pushing to leverage growing bicycle tourism infrastructure to better connect to cities in the regional community. Giuliana shared her experiences lobbying for change among a group of like-minded professionals pushing for more bicycle-friendly cities in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.

Empowering Commuters for All Season Cycling

Andrey Zhukov (Class of 2018)

As a technologist and Founder at BikeTo.se, Andrey and his team have developed an app that allows municipalities to crowdsource information on urban cycling patterns. Andrey shared his experience working in the Swedish city of Gävleborg, where their app has helped the City better understand and facilitate winter cycling habits.

The City of Seven Hills: Promoting Urban Cycling in Lisbon

João Camolas (Class of 2016)

Despite Lisbon being such a hilly city, and cycling seemingly impossible to some people, João presented the ambitious cycling policy of the Portuguese capital. As an advisor of the City of Lisbon for the past 10 years, João has been working in communication and urban cycling to create better conditions for active transportation. He is focused on building a safer cycling network and improving the public bike share system in order to help increase the cycling modal share in the city. To recognize the recent efforts to transform Lisbon’s streets and to encourage continued innovation, the City of Seven Hills will host the Velo-City conference in 2021. 

A group photo of a past Master Class in Copenhagen

The Copenhagenize Master Class alumni family is full of passionate practitioners from all around the world committed to making our cities better places to live and using the bicycle to leverage positive change. Stay tuned as we share ideas and stories from our network in these times of isolation and upheaval, showing what cities around the world are doing in lockdown and how the bicycle might help us return to some semblance of normalcy.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us last week. It was truly heartwarming to have the chance to reconnect with you all. We wish you good health and hope to be pedaling and planning more bicycle-friendly cities with you all very soon!

Urban Resilience on two wheels in times of Crisis

A man on his bicycle during the lockdown in Milan, Italy. Source: nypost

In past times of crisis, the bicycle has come to our aid. In Mexico City, bicycles were the lifelines for many citizens after the City’s Earthquake in 2017. The wireless phone network collapsed, traffic lights stopped working and streets turned into one huge traffic jam. With the power out and few means of motorized travel, the bicycle quickly emerged the fastest and most effective option. Cargo bike brigades were seen carrying essential supplies to aid people affected by the earthquake. The bicycle truly became an important asset for citizens in Mexico City.

Residents of Mexico City using bicycles to help with aid after the Earthquake in 2017. Source: cyclingtips

Equally, in France just a few months ago the country's national rail and public transport operators went on strike – affecting millions of commuters in Paris. Parisians didn’t let this stop them, they quickly hopped on their bikes and took over the streets. The strike showed Parisians that the bicycle is a dependable and credible means of transport! This had a huge impact on the city, even after the metros and trains began to run again – the number of bicycle users continues to be exceptional, with an increase of 131% compared to January 2019.

By now, most of the world is feeling the impact of the coronavirus, which is spreading at an unprecedented speed, shutting down borders and locking down countries. The pandemic is leaving many citizens without public transportation services or afraid to use public transportation in cities that still offer the service. 

With this new global crisis, we are seeing an increase in ridership and an awareness of the bicycle as a tool to help aid citizens navigate these tricky times. In New York City, Citi Bike – the bike-sharing system – has seen a boom in March 2020 of 67% from last year. The New York City Department of Transportation is also reporting an increase of bicycle traffic of 50 percent on the bridges to and from Manhattan.  

Across the Atlantic, both Italy and Spain, the countries with the strictest lockdowns have banned all but essential bicycling on pedal and e-bikes. (Statistics of ridership is yet to be calculated, but be reassured we will bring you the numbers once we have them).

In Denmark the government is urging people to take the bike instead of public transport, asking communities to change their behaviour in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The streets are finally quite empty except for the occasional person from the health sector. The City of Copenhagen is using medical cargo bikes to distribute blood and tissue samples in order to ease the strain on the medical system. Allowing goods to move quickly within the cities creating vital access to staff, strengthening the system as the system is only as strong as its weakest link. 

Medical cargo bike that distributes blood and tissue samples in Copenhagen.

After announcing a lockdown of 2 weeks in France, the government published the list of the shops offering necessary goods and services allowed to remain open. Bike shops continue to serve a purpose to help increase mobility during these vulnerable times. Most major sports stores are equally closed – leaving local bike shops the task to help their local community. To see what the life of a bike shop is during a national lockdown, we called our friends running a bike shop in Nantes, France. Céline, the manager of the Atelier du Poupoupidou explained to us:

“We decided to keep our bike repair section open. We asked our clients to postpone the repairs that are not urgent and not to come to shop without real matters. We prioritize the repairs of people who really needed their bikes during this tough time. These past days, our clients have mostly been people working in the health and delivery sectors.” 

Redesigning North America: Seattle, USA

Source: Seattle Bike Blog - 2nd Avenue

Copenhagenize often focuses on best practice design and infrastructure from Europe (it’s kind of in our name), but lately, we have been noticing some great projects and designs popping up on the other side of the Atlantic. We wanted to showcase them to illustrate that good design and infrastructure can be implemented anywhere. In the upcoming weeks, we will spotlight one city at a time – this week we are looking at Seattle, USA.

Seattle, in Washington state, is a city known for its coffee and rainy weather. Seattle has been pushing to become a bicycle-friendly city – investing millions of dollars into infrastructure and campaigns to encourage bicycle usage while informing drivers to look out for bicycles. The City has created a bicycle program that encourages citizens of All Ages and Abilities to get out and ride a bicycle by building infrastructure that meets this high-quality AAA standard. Let’s take a look at some of that infrastructure.

2nd Avenue is a major bicycle artery for the city, that runs north-west to south-east through the city centre. The City recognized that the bike lanes on the corridor needed an upgrade if they wanted the street’s facilities to adhere to their new AAA approach. As a result, in September 2019 the City upgraded the 2nd Avenue bike lanes from a simple painted bike lane into a fully protected lane. The outcome from the 2nd Avenue updates is a 38% increase in ridership!

Source: Dailymail - 2nd Avenue, priority bike light

7th Avenue previously was a one way 3 lane road with zero bicycle infrastructure. In 2018 the street was transformed into a 2 lane road, with some space for on-street parking and protected bike lanes with about 4 foot (1.2 meters) concrete planted buffers. The street now has a protected bike lane on the right side following traffic with a contraflow protected bike lane on the left. Today 7th Avenue functions as the main bicycle commuting corridor for citizens coming from the north into the city centre.

Source: Google Maps - 7th Avenue, here we can see the way finding, priority traffic light and the great bicycle lanes!

High-quality AAA infrastructure like this can improve the city’s bicycle connectivity for all users, making the streets safer for everyone and further encouraging new bicycle users. We think that in order to take advantage of this good infrastructure, Seattle should continue creating bicycle infrastructure that is intuitive and safe while keeping in mind the connection, and the existing routes in order to create a grid that connects the city by bicycle. Seattle even included a few bells and whistles on top of the high-quality infrastructure many of which copy best practice Danish bicycle infrastructure design. All intersections for both streets now have bicycle lights allowing bicycle riders an earlier start reducing conflict with vehicles turning right or left. Other design features include wayfinding signs helping users find other bicycle infrastructure and destinations in the city, leaning rails allowing bicycle users to rest at a red light while giving them an object to push off of when starting again. These examples can show other US cities what is possible and strive for a better offering to their citizens.

Source: Seattle Department of Transportation - 7th Avenue, leaning rail

Register for our Master Class To Go in Paris

For several years, Copenhagenize Design Co. has been organizing Master Classes in Copenhagen, bringing together participants from all backgrounds and nationalities for the discovery of best practices in terms of urban planning cycling. 

Since 2019, the Master Class has started travelling around the world and has become the Master Class To Go. The first session was held in Bordeaux in 2019 and new sessions are coming to the United States and France in 2020. Registration is now open for the Master Class held in Paris on 06 & 07 October 2020.

Over two days, participants will attend an intense program, alternating presentations, discovering local cycling infrastructure, workshops, exchange time with other participants and local stakeholders. Clotilde and Arthur, part of the Copenhagenize France team will cover a multitude of topics related to bicycle urbanism, presenting key points that allow the creation of optimal conditions to facilitate cycling mobility as well as understanding user behaviour. The training is based on internationally recognized case studies. In addition, the program always links best practices to the local context in which the event takes place. Attendees will be able to bring a specific case study from their city  that will be discussed with the trainers and the rest of participants.,

The Master Class held in Paris in May will also be the opportunity to meet French mobility experts currently intensively working on bicycle plans. Representatives of the City of Paris, the Greater Paris Region and the Paris Urban Planning Institute will share their experiences during this event. A bike tour will be organised at night in the City of Lights to discover the new cycling infrastructure built in the past years which is intensively used by Parisians. 

You can find here a brochure describing the training and here the registration form to attend the Master Class held in Paris on 06 & 07 October 2020. The training will be held in French. 

Redesigning North America: Ottawa, Canada

The cycling ramp toward the tunnel from the uOttawa campus. Source: CBC

Copenhagenize often focuses on best practice design and infrastructure from Europe (it’s kind of in our name), but lately, we have been noticing some great projects and designs popping up on the other side of the Atlantic. We wanted to showcase them to illustrate that good design and infrastructure can be implemented anywhere. In the upcoming weeks, we will spotlight one city at a time – this week we are looking at Ottawa, Canada.

On September 14, 2019, Canada’s capital city Ottawa opened the much anticipated second light rail transit (LRT) line, named the Confederation line. The line runs from east to west through the centre of the city connecting to the adjacent suburbs. Having collaborated on the European Commission project BiTiBi (Bike-Train-Bike) that aimed at improving the efficiency of transport by combining bicycle and train journeys, we at Copenhagenize were curious how the City and the transit authority would integrate the transit corridor with bicycle facilities at the stations. 

A look inside the new tunnel. Source: Twitter

At one point of the network in particular – three bicycle paths intersect below the University of Ottawa station. There is a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel that runs under the station, linking paths to the university and the Rideau Canal as well as bike paths towards the west and east. The tunnel has separated space for both bicycles and pedestrians along with an integrated entrance to the station to access the trains. There is a curved ramp that brings bicycle users from the ground level on the University of Ottawa side into the tunnel. At ground level, there are three bicycle parking areas which are a few meters from ground level entrances. 

The current bicycle parking around the uOttawa station. Source: CBC

This pedestrian and bicycle tunnel acts as a great infrastructure to entice train users to bike to the station instead of driving and parking their cars. To further improve the efficiency of the LRT system, the transit authority is allowing users to bring their bicycles on board with them.  

This tunnel has high potential to become a major node for the city as it offers numerous safe connections including to a bridge over the Rideau Canal and access to the LRT. We think in order to take advantage of this good infrastructure, additional bicycle parking would only serve to increase bicycle use. Good infrastructure like this can improve the city’s connectivity and encourage the usage of the LRT giving residents proper facilities that are intuitive and safe.

Deloitte Talks Bikes

You know that bicycles are on the rise when one of the largest financial advisory consulting firms publishes a report about them, their users and the benefits to society. Deloitte recently released its annual technology, media, and telecommunications predictions and they claim there will be a one percentage point rise in the worldwide proportion of people who bike to work from 2019 to 2022. In terms of hard numbers, Deloitte estimates there will be tens of billions of additional bicycle rides per year around the world. 

In the report, it states that cities have been designed for cars and that bicycles have been an afterthought, but the good news is that there is plenty of space to reallocate! At last, the corporate zeitgeist is pointing to the fact that cities need to be redesigned in order for us to take back the street from the automobile. The report additionally highlights how investment in bicycle infrastructure has massive financial and health benefits for society. This investment can boost the local economy around bicycle facilities because bicycle users spend more money than drivers. Health benefits from increased bicycle infrastructure can encourage more bicycling, which not only keeps citizens healthy but also can save the healthcare systems millions of dollars. As an example, Deloitte highlights the City of London, which has invested heavily in bicycle infrastructure and has seen an increase in bicycle usage by five percent – which translates to around four million kilometres travelled by bicycle each day!  

The company’s report largely focuses on the commuting potential of e-bikes and how it can help close the commuting gap between the “too far to bike and too close to take public transportation”. E-bikes can offer a cheap alternative to the automobile and alleviate strain on public transportation systems. The average e-bikes are a lot cheaper than a car and offer an entry point to people who might be uneasy with the traditional bicycle. Now that large multinationals like Deloitte are talking about bicycles and e-bikes as an asset to society and business, will we start seeing them investing in bicycle infrastructure or bicycle technology? Investing in their own e-bike corporate fleets, or even incentivizing e-bikes for their employees by offering a subsidy, as the City of Paris has done since 2017 – offering €400 off the purchase of an e-bike. As an enormous property manager of commercial assets, will they take their own report to heart and start replacing automobile parking for bicycle parking and ensure that their employees and tenants have a safe and comfortable All Ages and Abilities bicycle network? Let’s hope that this report is a sign of the times and can be the push that companies need in order to lobby national and local governments to do better for their citizens.

Dispatches from the Canadian Prairies (3 of 3)

Winter is in full swing in the city of Saskatoon, temperatures are hovering around -20ºC with snow and ice everywhere. Although the #BYXE campaign that the Copenhagenize team developed for the City has come to an end, the messages and brand of the campaign live on in the Canadian winter, promoting bicycles by broadening the narrative of who is a bicycle user and where they go. The campaign in its winter phase had messages shown on Tim’s TV, a network developed for in-store TV displays in Tim Horton’s Canada’s go-to coffee shop. It encouraged winter biking to a new audience of potential users with messages like “biking warms you up faster than your car” and “river rides aren’t only for the summer”. Now in 2020, the City of Saskatoon has continued to develop and push the original #BYXE campaign brand on social media.

This Thursday the 13th of February, the City is hosting its annual winter bike to work day – a day where residents meet up at various locations around the city and bike to work together. Equipped with gloves, toques and scarves, nothing will stop the residents of Saskatoon from getting on their bikes and cycling on beautiful paths like the Saskatchewan river. Winter can be fun if you make it fun! The #BYXE brand has served as a means of tagging winter commutes and rides online, showing Saskatonians that there are many that do enjoy the winter on two wheels.

Screen shot of one of the videos played on Tim’s TV.

The #BYXE campaign is a great example of how good bicycle communications can entice residents to get out on their bikes not only on a nice summer day but even on your typical Canadian winter day. 

To see local residents pedaling through the Canadian winter, check out the #BYXE on social media for yourself. 

Source: Twitter using the #BYXE