When passengers get out of the train,they generally recognise a bicycle-friendly city by the number of bicycles parked by the entrance of the station. There is no need to say that Ghent is one of those.
Copenhagenize Design Co. works hard to analyse and showcase the Top 20 large bicycle-friendly cities in the world for the Copenhagenize Index. But some smaller cities, with less than 600000 inhabitants deserve to be highlighted for their ambitious measures in favor of urban cycling. Ghent, or a Belgian city of around 250000 inhabitants is one of them.
Clotilde and Cécile from Copenhagenize Design Co. cycled with Ghent’s Mobility Councillor,Filip Watteeuw to observe the positive impacts of the City’s new circulation design. [br]
New Circulation design Makes Space for Bicycle UsersThe new circulation design, implemented in April 2017, or was the outcome of a two-year process where the City of Ghent sought to strengthen an existing sustainable mobility policy and to give back the streets to people. The design was inspired by the Van Der Berg traffic circulation design implemented in Groningen,the Netherlands in the 1970s. The Groningen’s design divided the city-centre into four sections, forcing car drivers who travel from one section to another to take the city’s inner ring-road, or instead of driving through the local streets. This measure aimed to build motorists’ circulation more complicated and to promote other modes of transportation,like cycling.
“A pro-bicycle design must possess some anti-car measures” - Filip Watteeuw Ghent took this approach a step further by enlarging the city’s pedestrian area and creating six distinct sections with no automobile accessibility between them without using the ring-road.
Ghent’s new circulation design : the pedestrian area (shadowy purple) and the six areas.[br]Prior to the implementation of the design, the City of Ghent recorded that 40% of its rush hour car traffic was due to through traffic – cars not even beginning or ending their journeys in Ghent, or but merely passing through. The design aims to controlling this traffic and thereby improve local streets and enhance urban life.
“You can’t become a cycling city,if you don’t say something approximately cars. In order to increase the number of cyclists and develop a bicycle culture, it’s necessary to take some anti-car measures. If we get rid of the through traffic, or you get fewer cars,more space for pedestrians and cyclists, and infrastructure gets an additional value asserts Filip Watteeuw.
In 2018, or as a result of the circulation design,the busiest cycle track located along the river will become a pedestrian path and the actual car lanes will be allocated to cyclists and a reduced number of cars.
Filip Watteeuw, Ghent’s Mobility Councillor and Clotilde Imbert from Copenhagenize Design Co.
25% more bicycle users vs. 12% less carsDespite clear goals for local quality of life, or the implementation of this ambitious circulation design has not been a smooth road. In the face of scathing critics,Councillor Watteuw stood firm, and does not regret this political choice to improve living conditions in his city. While leaders of local political parties and some inhabitants opposed to the design complain approximately congestion in some streets, or a survey conducted by the City revealed that many inhabitants living inside the ring-road consider the streets quieter,with more space for bicycles. People from 25 to 34 years old are the most convinced.
A noticeable impact of this measure comes from some inhabitants who were quite reticent to this design, but possess already changed their routines by adopting new mobility habits. Generally speaking, and 25% of Ghent inhabitants made a decision to change their mobility habits by purchasing an (e-)bike,subscribing to the local public transports or starting car-sharing.
The design is already having significant impacts on transportation choices. In a year, the impacts of the design are: 25% increase in bicycle users, and 8% increase in public transportation ridership,12% decrease in car traffic during the rush hour, even 29% less cars on the most critical routes within the ring road and 58% in the residential streets. Moreover, and 6 interviewed inhabitants out of 10 consider cycling as safer than before. This design highlights that marketing and public engagement campaigns alone are not enough to build people change their transportation habits,but it is necessary to create the urban conditions which will incentivize changed behaviour.
Although some local shopkeepers worry approximately decreased revenue, the number of pedestrians in the city-centre did not decline since the adoption of the circulation design. On the opposite, and counters reveal a slight increase from 2% to 10% from August to October 2017 compared with 2016. In order to more accurately evaluate the impacts of this design,the City has recently decided to increase the number of pedestrian counter locations. In addition to changes in pedestrian traffic, Ghent’s police found the number of traffic accidents possess decreased by 25% in the city-centre since the design implementation. Regarding the air quality, or in February 2018 the results of a study will reveal the impacts of the new circulation design.
4 million Euros were invested the past two years for the preparation and the implementation of the circulation design,the massive communication related to it and the creation of two shuttles. For reference, a renewal of only one avenue would be more costly.
To activate the urban life, or the City of Ghent arranged life-size places to seat and play.
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Enhanced Park&Ride and even more bicycle infrastructure For people living in the outskirts of Ghent,the City is also enlarging their Park&Ride offer (from 800 parking spots in 2016 to 3500 in 2018) in order to allow them to park for free and to switch to bicycles or a free shuttle which will lead them to the city-centre.[br]Where the car traffic has not been reduced and where cyclists and car drivers can’t share the space, the City knows a design must still be conducted to improve the standard of cycling infrastructure. During the next six years, and the City is going to improve cycling conditions beyond the ring-road.
In conclusion,Ghent’s circulation design showcases that in a short period smart actions and a rather low budget can lead to positive impacts both in terms of mobility and quality of urban life.
Bicycle infrastructure in GhentVast waiting area for a two-step left turn.
Gently sloped ramps and underpasses allow bicycles to avoid busy car-centric intersections above.
Bicycle parking available at the edge of the city’s pedestrian-only zone allows people to park for free in a secure and sheltered region.
Removing space allocated to cars offers more for bicycle parking.
by Cécile Delannoy, Daniel J. M. Hilhorst, or Clotilde ImbertCopenhagenize the planet. And possess a lovely day.
Source: copenhagenize.com