HendrikeHellmannhendrike.hellmann@googlemail.comOnbehalfoftheDutchCyclingEmbassyinfo@dutchcycling.nl
DutchCyclingEmbassy Email>[email protected]>Ezelsveldlaan59,2611RVDelft Website>www.dutchcycling.nlTel>+31(0)152516561
BenchmarkandMarketStudy
OpportunitiesforDutchcyclingen-terprisesinGermany
HowcantheNetherlandsassistinpromotingcyclinginGermany?
1
Content
FOREWORD 2
1.FRAMEWORKCONDITIONS:WHATISTHESITUATIONOFCYCLINGINGERMANYINCOMPARISONTOTHENETHERLANDS? 3
1.1Somefactsandfigures 3
1.2Bicycleusein2015 3
1.3Cyclingpolicyanditsobjectives 5
1.4OrganizationalstructureandstakeholdersinvolvedincyclingpromotioninGermany 7
1.5Financing 9
1.6Cyclingculture 11
1.7Cyclinginfrastructure 12
2.HOWCANTHEDUTCHASSISTTOIMPROVECYCLINGINGERMANY? 14
2.1Givethebicyclemorespace! 14
2.2PotentialandtrendsincyclinginGermany 16
2.3DosandDon’ts:WhatisimportanttoknowwhencollaboratingwithGermanparties? 17
2.4Bestpractice:PastprojectsinGermanyoftheDutchCyclingEmbassy 18
3.APPENDIX:WHERETOGOTOANDWHOTOTALKTO? 20
3.1Savethedate:conferencesandtradefairs 20
3.2Contacts 22
3.3Furtherinformation 23
2
ForewordDearreader,thisbenchmarkandmarketstudy is intended togiveanoverviewof theopportunitiesofDutchcyclingprojects and enterprises in Germany. It is primarily addressed to the participants of theDutch CyclingEmbassywhowouldliketostartprojectsinGermanyorwishtoextendtheirexistingcollaborationwiththeirGermancounterparts.ThepaperwasdevelopedduringmyinternshipattheDutchCyclingEmbassyfromDecember2015toFebruary2016andgavemethevaluableopportunity toextendmyknowledgeaboutcyclinginGermanyandintheNetherlands.TheaimofthepaperistogiveyouafirstimpressiononthestateofaffairsofGermancyclingfromaDutchperspectiveaswellassomehands-onadviseonhowtostartyourprojectinGermany.Therefore,thepa-perwillnotgotoomuchintodetail.IfyouarefurtherinterestedtheAppendixwillprovideyouwithref-erencestomoreinformationoncyclinginGermany.Thebenchmarkandmarketstudyhasthreepartsthattrytoanswerthefollowingquestions:
1) WhatisthesituationofcyclinginGermanyincomparisontotheNetherlands?Themainpartofthispaperwillgiveyouanoverviewovertheframeworkconditionsthatdeterminethequalityofcyclinginbothcountries.
2) HowcantheDutchassisttoimprovecyclinginGermany?Thissectionexploresthepossibleac-tionfieldsofcyclingenterprisesinGermanybydeterminingthepotentialandtrendsincyclingintheneighbourcountry.Moreover,thispartwillgiveyousomeverypracticaladviseonhowtoap-proachGermanpartiesandafewbestpracticeexamplesofprojectsthathavebeendonebytheDutchCyclingEmbassyinGermanyinthepast.
3) Wheretogotoandwhototalkto?IfyouareinterestedtostartacyclingprojectinGermany,theAppendixshouldgiveyouanideaonwheretostart. It includesa listofrelevantcyclingconfer-encesandtradefairsaswellasimportantcontactsfromdifferentfieldswithinthecyclingbranch.YouwillalsofindreferencestofurtherinformationoncyclinginGermanyinthisfinalpart.
Inordertogatherinformationforthispaper,ImainlyusedtheGermanNationalCyclingPlan2020pub-lishedbytheGermanMinistryofTransportin2012.TheNCPdescribesthestrategytobeusedtoevolvethepromotionofcyclinginGermanyduringthetimeperiodfrom2013to2020andcanbecomparedtotheDutchMasterplanFiets tosomeextend(seechapter1.3 formore information).For the informationconcerningtheNetherlands,Imostlyreliedonthebrochure„CyclingintheNetherlands“aboutbicycleuseandbicyclepolicyintheNetherlands,publishedbytheMinistryofTransportandtheFietsberaadin2009.Eventhoughalothaschangedsince2009,thisbrochurestillseemsaccuratetodayandprovidesacom-prehensiveaccountoncyclingintheNetherlands.Ofcourse, Ialsoreceivedvaluable informationandinsightsoncycling inboththeNetherlandsandGer-manyfromtheteamoftheDutchCyclingEmbassy,itscyclingexpertsandpartners.Iwouldliketothankeveryonefortheiradviseandsupportatthispoint.HendrikeHellmannDelft,26thofFebruary2016
3
1.Frameworkconditions:WhatisthesituationofcyclinginGermanyincom-parisontotheNetherlands?
1.1SomefactsandfiguresTheNetherlands Germany16,8millioninhabitants18millionbicycles
81millioninhabitants72millionbicycles
Onaverage…theDutch Germans
• cycle1100kmperyear(ofwhich12%aremadebye-bikes)
• cycle380kmperyear
• cycle3kmpertrip • cycle3,4kmpertripAveragebikepriceTheNetherlands Germany844€ (one of the highest average bike prices inEurope)
528€ (has been rising since e-bikes were intro-duced)
BikepathnetworkTheNetherlands Germany35.000km(on41.526km²)(29%of thetrailsarelocatedinNorthBrabantandGelderland)
40.000km(on357.168km²)
CommuterbiketrafficTheNetherlands Germany25% 9%Relationshiptothebike:TheNetherlands Germany36%usethebikeastheirmainmeansoftranspor-tation
12%usethebikeastheirmainmeansoftranspor-tation(thebikeisbyfarthemostpopularoutdoorsports)
Source:ADFCRadwelt-Ausgabe5.20151
1.2Bicycleusein2015GermanyThepopularityofcyclingstagnatesWhat is thesituationofcycling inGermanyrightnow?Veryrecently, theFederalMinistryofTransportandtheADFC,theGermanCyclingUnion,publishedtheFahrrad-Monitor20152.Thesurveyrevealedthat
1Thedatacomesfromdifferentsourceswhosequestionsandmethodsdonotnecessarilymatch.2Availableat:http://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/VerkehrUndMobilitaet/Fahrrad/fahrradmonitor-
4
thepopularityofthebicycleasmeansoftransportactuallystagnatesamongGermans.Whilethepopulari-ty of the car remains stabile gaining an average grade of 1.8, the bike only obtained 2.4 while publictransportdroppedfrom2.9to3.3.Oneof thereasons fortheseresultscouldbethatalmosteverysecondGermanperceivesthebiketobeunsafe.While52%oftheinterviewedpersonsstatedthattheyfelt“very”or“mostlysafe”,48%feel“ra-thernot”or“notatallsafe”.Safetyisalsoawidespreadreasontoabandonthebikeasadailymeansoftransport:13%oftherespondentsclaimedthattheydidn’tcycletoworkorschoolbecauseit’stoodan-gerous.Especiallyincities,thisismostlyduetotoomuchcartraffic.Itisn’tsurprisingthereforethatroughlyhalfoftheinterviewedpersonsdemandedbettercyclepathsandmoreinvestmentinalreadyexistingbikeinfrastructure.Germansdonotfeelthatthegovernmentisreallydoing enough for cycling.Only12%classified theFederalGovernment as cycling-friendly. Even thoughlocal authorities performbetter in this category, roughly 80%of the respondents demanded that theirlocalpoliticiansshoulddomoreforcycling.Eventhoughbikeinfrastructureisperceivedtobeinsufficient,manyGermansareundeterredfromusingtheirbikes.Almost40%usethebikeseveraltimesduringtheweekoreveryday,mostlyforrunninger-randsortogoonexcursions.Still,38%oftheinterviewedpersonsusethebike“rarelytonever”.TheNetherlandsCyclingissopopularthatbikeinfrastructureisgettingoverloadedBikeinfrastructurealsoseemstobeaproblemintheNetherlands,butonanentirelydifferentlevel.EventhoughtheDutchcyclelanesystemmaywellbeexemplarytomostothercountriesincludingGermany,anewreport3revealedthatcyclinghasnowbecomesopopularthatbikepathsfilluptocapacity.ThestudyundertakenbytheSWOVInstituteforRoadSafetyResearchfoundthatespeciallyduringrushhourcyclinginfrastructureisgettingseriouslyoverloadedsothatcrashesbecomemorefrequent.CyclinghascontinuedtogrowintheNetherlandsoverthepast10yearsby+9%km,especiallyinthecitieswherethevolumeofcyclingincreasedby22%.4Ofcourse,thisgrowthmustbecountedasasuccess,butitnowbecomesevidentthatinfrastructureimprovementsintheNetherlandstooarelaggingbehind.WhilecyclistsinGermanyfeelunsafeduetointerferingcartraffic,cyclistsintheNetherlandshavetobecautiousofothercyclists.AccordingtoSWOV’sreportmanyaccidentshappenthankstopoorroadhabitsamong riders. Bad behaviour like using the phonewhile riding or overtakingwithout a look behind isespeciallydangerousonbikelanesthatarecrowdedwiththousandsofcommuters.Thereportnotesthat1000cyclistsendupinhospitaleveryyearaftercollisionswithothercyclists.Itisworthmentioninghowever,thatthenumberofseriousaccidentsinvolvingbicyclesisstilltinyintheNetherlandsgiven thenumbersusing the system.5In2015, theNetherlandsare theuncontested leaderworldwideintermsofcyclingmodalshare(27%)whichisroughlymorethandoublethecyclingmodalshareofGermany.6
2Availableat:http://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/VerkehrUndMobilitaet/Fahrrad/fahrradmonitor-deutschland-2015.pdf?__blob=publicationFile(15/2/2016).3Availableat:https://www.swov.nl/rapport/R-2015-21.pdf(15/2/2016).4https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/cycling-and-dutch-ever-growing-love-affair(15/2/2016).5http://www.citylab.com/commute/2016/01/the-dutch-love-cycling-so-much-that-their-bike-lanes-cant-cope/423492/(15/2/2016).6https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/cycling-and-dutch-ever-growing-love-affair(15/2/2016).
5
1.3CyclingpolicyanditsobjectivesGermanyTheNationalCyclingPlan2020:TacklingclimatechangeandhealthissuesCyclingpolicyhas longbeendismissedasamarginal issue inGermany. In the lastdecadehowever, theenormousproblemsolvingpotentialofthebicyclehasfinallybeenrecognized.EspeciallytheadoptionoftheNationalCyclingPlan2002-2012(NationalerRadverkehrsplan)in2002bytheFederalGovernmentisanevidenceof thisdevelopment.Therearehowever large regionaldifferences in termsof theeffort toincreasebicycleshare,whichismostlyduetothefederaldivisionoftasks:theFederalGovernment,thefederalstatesandmunicipalitieseachhavetheirdifferentresponsibilitiesandfundingopportunities(seechapter1.4).Followingthe“NationalCyclingPlan2002-2012”(NCP),theFederalMinistryofTransportpublishedtherecent“NCP2020”whichdescribesthestrategytobeusedtoevolvethepromotionofcyclinginGermanyduringthetimeperiodfrom2013to2020.EventhoughtheNCP2020hasbeenwidelywelcomedinGer-manyandpraisedasanexcellentandcomprehensivedescriptionofthestatusquo,ithasnotgonewithoutcritique.Boththesocial-democraticpartySPDaswellasthegreenparty“DieGrünen”proposedmotionstomodifyandenhance theNCP2020.Unions in favourof cycling, like theVCD (VerkehrsclubDeutsch-land),criticisedthattheFederalMinistryofTransportfailstotrulyexploit itsownscopeofaction,eventhough itgivesgoodand important recommendations for thepromotionof cycling to the federal statesandmunicipalities.7Moreover,mandatory ambitious goals and according financial and the provision ofhumanresourcesaremissing.Allinall,criticsclaimthattheimplementationstrategystillseemsvague.ObjectivesoftheNCP2020TheoverallgoaloftheNCP2020istoreachacyclingmodalshareof15%forGermany.Butwhatisdriv-ing Germany to adopt a more cycling-friendly policy? By promoting cycling, the Federal Governmenthopestobeabletotacklevarioussocietalchallenges:8Theissueofhealthplaysaspecialrolehereby.Asinmanyotherwesterncountries, the lackofexercise isoneof thekeycausesof lifestylediseasessuchasobesity,highbloodpressureanddiabetes.AnotherkeyobjectiveoftheGermancyclingpolicyistoreduceclimatechangeemissionsaswellasotherenvironmentaldamagessuchasairpollutionandtrafficnoise.Inthelightofdemographicchange,cyclingisalsomeanttosafeguardpeople’smobilityandsocialinclu-sionespeciallyinruralareas.Lastbutnotleast,thebicycleshouldcontributetourbandevelopment,foritisasustainablemeansoftrafficthatrequireslessspaceinGermany’sever-growingurbancentres.TheNetherlandsFromtheMasterplanFietstilltodayUnlikeGermanyandmanyotherEuropeancountries9, theNetherlandsdoesnothaveacurrentnationalcyclingstrategy.Surprisingly,cyclingismostdevelopedintheNetherlandsnevertheless(asmeasuredbytheEurobarometer201410andbynationalmodalsplitfigures).The last national document, the „MasterplanFiets” establishedby theDutchMinistry ofTransport, hasbeensetout fortheperiodof1990-1997.TheMasterplan isquietremarkable inthesensethatan inte-gratedframeworkwaschosenfromtheoutset:Cyclingandbicyclepolicywereexpresslynotconceivedasobjectives in themselves but rather as means to contribute to solving traffic and transport problems
7https://www.vcd.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Redaktion/Themen/Radverkehr/Fahrradpolitik/VCD_Stellungnahme_zum_NRVP_2020_2013.pdf(15/2/2016).8BMVBS(ed.):NationalCyclingPlan2020,2012,p.71-75.9https://ecf.com/what-we-do/cycling-all-policies/national-cycling-policies(16/2/2016).10http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_422a_sum_en.pdf(16/2/2016).
6
and/orrestrictingcaruse.11Aswecanseetoday,integralbikepolicyworks.OthercountrieslikeGermanyarenow–20 years later – equally stressing theneed for an integrated approach in their national bikestrategies.Another important feature of theMasterplanFiets is its decentralised approach: Since its adoption, re-gionshavebeeninchargeofthedevelopmentandpromotionofcycling.Thenationalgovernmentnone-thelesssupportstheregions,inparticularforinvestmentsinlargeprojectssuchascyclehighwaysorbi-cycleparkinginrailwaystations(seechapter1.5).ObjectivesofDutchbicyclepolicy:EnsuringsafetyandjoyThemainreasonsto implementtheMasterplanFiets inthe1990s includethereductionofcartraffic inorder to improve safety and enablingmobility in limited space. Already back then, the potential of thebicycleasahealthyandenvironmentalfriendlymeansoftransporthadbeenacknowledgedintheNether-lands.Today,mostDutchmunicipalitieshavetheirownbikepoliciesandunderlyingobjectivesthattheywanttoaccomplishwithit.12JustlikeinGermany,maintainingsustainabilityisakeyobjectiveaswellasimprov-ingpublichealth.Themostimportantgoaltobeachievedbycyclingpolicyhoweverremainssafety.TheDutchseebicycleuseandimprovingtrafficsafetyasinherentlyrelated:Statisticsshowthatrisksforcy-clistsarelowerinregionswithhigherbicycleuse(seefig.1).13Inordertohavepeoplecycleontheotherhand,cyclingshouldbeenjoyable,relaxingandsafe.By promoting the bicycle, Dutchmunicipalities are furthermore striving to provide a cheap and spaceefficientmeansof transport thatsimultaneously improves the liveabilityof residentialareas. Increasingtheaccessibilityofcompaniesandfacilitiesforcyclistsandreducingthenumberofbicycletheftarealsopartoftheobjectivesofregionalbikestrategies.14
11MinistryofTransport,PublicWorksandWaterManagement:BicycleMasterPlan,1999,p.49.12SomeDutchmunicipalitiesimplementanindependentbicyclepolicy,whileothersintegratebicyclepolicyinthegeneraltrafficandtransportpolicy.13MinistryofTransport,PublicWorksandWaterManagement:CyclingintheNetherlands,2009,p.19.14CyclingintheNetherlands2009,p.21,26.
Figure1:Relationbetweenaccidentsandbicycleusage
7
1.4OrganizationalstructureandstakeholdersinvolvedincyclingpromotioninGermanyThe German Federal Government has identified the promotion of cycling as a “Querschnittsaufgabe”, across-sectional task that involvesmanydifferentstakeholders(see fig.2)15.The followingoffersashortoverviewaboutthedifferenttasksandresponsibilitiesoftheFederalgovernment,federalstatesandmu-nicipalitiesaswellasnon-governmentalstakeholdersinGermany.
FederalGovernmentJustliketheNetherlands,Germanyfollowsadecentralisedapproachregardingthepromotionofcycling.Within this decentralised framework the German Federal Government, which mostly acts through theFederalMinistryofTransport,hasactuallyonly littledirect influenceoncyclingpolicy. Itmay influencelocalbikepromotionschemesbysettingpriorities,providingfunding,establishinganetworkbetweenallrelevantactorsandbyimplementingpubliccampaigns.Allinall,itssupportingrolecanbecomparedtotheDutchnationallevelwherethestatesetsoutframe-works,whiledecentralisedauthoritiesworkoutthepolicyinbroadoutlineintheirownplans.Moreover,the German aswell as the Dutch state deal with legal issues surrounding traffic regulations. Unlike inGermany,theDutchstatealsomakesbuildingdecisions,forexampleregardingbicycleparkingfacilities.InGermany,thisisinthehandsofthefederalstates.ImportantmeasuresbytheGermanstatetopromotecyclingmaybetheestablishmentof
• abetter legal framework (changeof traffic regulations in 1997 and2008have already im-provedthesituationofcyclists)and
15NCP2020,p.69.
Industry and services
Mobility service providersHealth networksCycling industryHousing industry
Building and road constructionSports associationsEnergy consultants
Retail tradeAutomotive manufacturers
Insurance companies(…)
Civil society and professionals
Road usersTransport and automobile clubs
PolicymakersPress
Transport academicsInstitutions of higher education
Consumer advice centresMobility researchers
Employers’ associationsTrade unions
Chambers(…)
Public sector and public services
Public transport authorities and transport operatorsPlanning and environmental services departments
Local government associationsTraffic courts
School governorsPolice
Urban plannersPress and public relations
Child care facilities(…)
Stakeholders involved in cycling promoti-on and their responsibilities
The roles of the Federal Government, federal states and local authorities
Only through concerted action by the Federal Govern-ment, federal states and local authorities will it be possible to boost cycling in Germany as a whole. For this to happen, cycling promotion needs to be recognized as a communal responsibility of all tiers of government.
The Federal Government contributes to a sustainable transport policy with regard to cycling by shaping the re-gulatory framework and providing funds within its area of responsibility. In this context, the Federal Government has an important responsibility as the authority responsible for construction and maintenance. In this capacity, it ensu-res that safe cycling infrastructure is provided on federal highways. With the NCP, however, it has also successfully
assumed the functions of promoter, facilitator, coordinator and catalyst by funding innovative and transferable sche-mes and pilot projects plus research and by disseminating examples of good practice. It is thanks not least to the acti-vities of the Federal Government that many governmental and non-governmental stakeholders have been motivated to launch their own cycling promotion programmes, pro-jects and initiatives, with reference to the NCP. The funds committed under the NCP to date have thus provided a major impetus and triggered positive effects.
The federal states and local authorities are called on to likewise shoulder their responsibility. Many are already doing so. In this context, the federal states play an active role as authorities responsible for construction and maintenance of their own roads as part of the devolu-tion of Federal Government responsibilities as well as in their capacity as coordinators at federal state level. In addition, they are in a situation where they can provide direct financial assistance to the promotion of cycling in
Sports scientists state that cycling also has considerable economic importance, in addition to the health benefits and all the other aspects. A study conducted by the Uni-versity of Mainz found that around 426 euros is spent on sport cycling per person and year.45
The use of mountain bikes or racing cycles as sports equipment results in specific requirements that have to be met by roads and paths where these vehicles may be ridden. Thus, for instance, ensuring the environmental and social acceptability of mountain biking on forest roads posed a pressing challenge to local authorities for a long time. In the meantime, transferable problem-solving approaches have been developed in, for instance, Baden-
Württemberg, Thuringia and the Sauerland, with the involvement of societal stakeholders. It is recommended that working groups be established at regional level, that suitable infrastructure be created, that directional signage be improved and that sports routes be included in online route planners or that GPS data be provided. Depending on local circumstances, the good practice approaches should also be adopted by other federal states and regions.
Promotion of cycling under the NCP 2002-2012
Under the NCP 2002-2012, the Federal Government created an option for funding “non-capital measures” in the field of cycling that are especially innovative and transferable to other municipalities and stakeholders. For this purpose, annual appropriations totalling 2 million euros were initially provided, rising to 3 million in 2008.
A total of over one hundred projects have been funded. The spectrum ranges from competitions, pilot projects, publicity campaigns, research projects and action to raise public awareness to measures to improve road safety. It also includes feasibility studies on cycle superhighways (Hanover-Braunschweig-Göttingen metropolitan region) and the German Cycling Prize (previously called “best for bike”), which is awarded annually, and campaigns such as “Cycling to Work”, “Cycling to the Shops”, “Cycle-Friendly Employers” and “Cycling in the City”.
A new quality of cycling promotion at Federal Government level was reached with the establishment of the cycling portal (www.nrvp.de) and the German Institute of Urban Affairs’ “Cycling Academy”. Both receive significant support from the Federal Government and provide important information and training for staff from local authorities, federal state autho-rities, consulting architects and engineers and trade associations. The Cycling Academy, in particular, has made a major contribution here. Since 2007, it has staged over one hundred events at which over 6,000 persons have received training in legal issues, the technical regulations and the development and implementation of cycle-friendly strategies.
In the implementation of the NCP 2002-2012 and in the selection of the projects, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Buil-ding and Urban Development was assisted by an advisory council comprising representatives from academia, trade associ-ations, federal states and local authorities. Coordination with the federal states and local authorities is effected through the Cycling Working Party of the Federal Government and federal states, which meets twice a year.
In addition, the NCP 2002-2012 also continued and intensified the construction of cycle tracks on federal highways and transport and safety research programmes. In addition, funds were provided for upgrading towpaths on federal waterways, which can also be used for cycling purposes, and separate stand-alone programmes, such as the competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development entitled “Innovative public cycle hire schemes – new mobility in towns and cities”.
45 Research project: „Wirtschaftliche Bedeutung des Sportkonsums in Deutschland“ commissioned by the Federal Institute of Sports Science and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 2009-2011.
Players involved in the promotion of cycling
Source: own graph
General framework 6968 General framework
Figure2:PlayersinvolvedinthepromotionofcyclinginGermany
8
• settingupnetworks that facilitate the cooperationbetweendifferent stakeholders, like theNCP-bikeportal,workinggroupsbetween thegovernmentand federalstatesaswellasbe-tweendifferentministries).
FederalstatesThe16Germanfederalstatestakeaverydirectinfluenceonthepromotionofcyclingfortheyareclosertothemunicipalities.Theirtasksincludeforexamplethedistributionoffunding,theestablishmentofnewfundingschemes, cooperatingdirectlywithmunicipalitiesor thepromotionof inter-municipal coopera-tion.Therefore,theirroleequalsthatoftheDutch12provincesand7cityareas,whichensurepolicyco-hesion,allocatetheannualsubsidyfundingandmaintaintheregionalandinter-localbicyclenetwork.Between different federal states the significance attributed to cycling policy varies a lot: Some federalstateslikeNorthRhine-Westphaliahavelongbeencommittedtothepromotionofcyclingandhavethere-foremanagedtoincreasetheuseofcycling.Alsocity-stateswithahightrafficcongestionlikeBerlin,Bre-men and Hamburg and federal states like Baden-Wuerttemberg and Brandenburg have been focusingmoreonthebicycleinrecentyears.16Inordertopromotecycling,Germanfederalstateshaveavarietyofdifferentmeasuresattheirhands:
• increasingfunding;• appointingofcyclingcoordinators;• creatingstrategiestopromotecycling;• educationpolicy–addingsustainablemobilitytothecurriculum;• buildinglaw–determiningthenumberofstoragefacilitiesforbikes;• preventionandinvestigationofbiketheft;• encouragingpublictransportsupplierstoimprovetheconditionsfortakingbicyclesalong.
MunicipalitiesIntheNetherlandsaswellasinGermany,bicyclepolicyisprimarilytheresponsibilityofmunicipalities.Theirmaintaskisthedesignofthelocalbikeinfrastructure.Again, there are considerable differences among over 11000 Germanmunicipalities when it comes tocycling.Somecommittedmunicipalitiespossessamodalshareofcyclingof20%oreven40%.Theleadinggroupunitesverydifferentcitiesintermsofsize:Berlin(12%bicycleshare/3.4millioninhabitants),Co-logne (16%/997,000), Bremen (22%/550,000),Münster (37%/270,000), Freiburg (26%/220,00) Pots-dam(20%/150,000),Cottbus(22%/103,000)orTroisdorf(21%/77,000).Ontheotherhand,therearealso–mostlysmaller–municipalitiesthathaveuntilnowputonlylittleeffortinto cyclingpolicy.Onepossible reason for this is that they arenot forced to address theproblem likeregionswithahighpopulationdensity.Inordertobetteraddressthedifferentstartingpositionsofthemunicipalities,theNationalCyclingPlan2020 introduces three stages of development: “starters”, “climbers” and “champions” (see fig. 3)17. Thebasesforclassificationare,first,cycling’sshareofthetotaltrafficvolumeand,second,theexistinglevelof(institutional)cyclingpromotion.
16https://www.vcd.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Redaktion/Publikationsdatenbank/Radverkehr/VCD_Hintergrund_Fahrradpolitik_in_Dtl_2009.pdf(16/2/2016).17NCP2020,p.15.
9
Measurestopromotecyclingonamunicipallevelare:
• appointingofcyclingofficers;• consideringcyclinginurbandevelopmentplanningaswellas instructuralchangesandad-
justments;• abicycle-friendlyinfrastructure;• anequalorprioritizedevacuationandcleaningofthebicyclenetwork.
OtherstakeholdersLikeintheNetherlands,therearemanyothersocialinstitutionsinGermanythat(may)influencecyclingpolicy, like for example companies, health insurance providers, schools and kindergartens, transportcompanies,retailersaswellasthemedia.
1.5FinancingGermanyAlongwaytogoAspartoftheNationalCyclingPlan,theGermanFederalGovernmentallocatesadditionalbudgetaryfundsforthepromotionofcycling.UnderthefirstNCPin2002,fundsfortheexpansionofbicyclepathsalongfederalhighwaysweredoubledto90millioneuros.Since2004,anadditional4millioneuroswerepro-videdfortheexpansionoftouristcyclingroutesalongwaterwayswhile3millioneuros(since2008)weremadeavailableannuallyfornon-intensivemeasures,e.g.publiccampaigns.18Inadditiontothereservedfederalfunds,theFederalGovernmentmakesgeneralfundsfortheimprove-ment of traffic conditions in the municipalities available that can partly be increased by federal statefunds.AFundingGuideon theNCP2020 cyclingportalprovidesmunicipalities andother stakeholderswith informationaboutexisting fundingoptionsat all levels.19Moreover, theFederalGovernment com-
18https://www.vcd.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Redaktion/Publikationsdatenbank/Radverkehr/VCD_Hintergrund_Fahrradpolitik_in_Dtl_2009.pdf(18/2/2016).19Availableat:http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/foerderfibel/(18/2/2016).
Poor
Moderate
Good
Cycling conditions
10% 20% 30% Modal split (share of cycling)
Climbers
Champions
Starters
Starters, climbers and champions
Subdividing the stages of development into the “starter”, “climber” and “champion” categories is based on a model deve-loped by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF). The bases for classification are, first, cycling’s share of the total traffic volume and, second, the existing level of (institutional) cycling promotion. However, it should be borne in mind that the share of cycling depends not least on local conditions, such as the topography, the type of settlements and the settle-ment pattern. The differences between the individual stages of development are as follows:
1. Starter:
The “climbers” have already developed a certain dynamism in the promotion of cycling. The ways in which this mani-fests itself include (ambitious) targets, promotion strategies and extensive measures taken by the municipalities. Here, the modal share of cycling is already between 10 % and 25 %. These towns and cities have at least a basic infrastructure, but there are mostly still gaps in the overall network. In many cases, permanent organizational structures (cycling wor-king group, cycling officers, etc.) have already been created.
2. Climber:
Bei den „Aufsteigern“ ist bereits eine gewisse Dynamik in der Radverkehrsförderung vorhanden. Dies äußert sich u. a. in teilweise ambitionierten Zielwerten, Förderstrategien und umfangreichen Maßnahmen der Kommunen. Der Radver-kehrsanteil liegt hier bereits zwischen rund 10 % und rund 25 %. In den entsprechenden Städten und Gemeinden ist mindestens eine Basisinfrastruktur vorhanden, die meist aber noch Lücken im Gesamtnetz aufweist. Auch sind vielfach bereits feste organisatorische Strukturen (Arbeitsgruppe Radverkehr, Radverkehrsbeauftragte etc.) geschaffen worden.
3. Champion:
The “champions” are those municipalities that have a high modal share of cycling (> approx. 25 %) and in which cycling pro-motion enjoys widespread social and political support and is regarded as a matter of course. In addition to the public sector, other stakeholders are also involved (e.g. businesses, churches). The main challenges for municipalities in this category are to further increase cycling by providing dedicated infrastructure and to provide additional convenience, communications and service. In addition, the “champions” also always set an example of best practice, so their experience and the lessons they have learned should also be harnessed for use in other municipalities.
Source: PRESTO project, 2010
Introduction 1514 Introduction
Figure3:Starters,ClimbersandChampions
10
missionedabriefstudyin2012toestimatethefundingneedsoflocalauthorities.20Thefiguresareaimedto serve as a guideline for responsible stakeholders on the local level (see fig. 4 fordetails)21andhavebeenbrokendownbycategory(“starters”,“climbers”and“champions”).Itwasestimatedaccordinglythattownsandcities,irrespectiveoftheirsize,arelikelytohavethefollow-ingfundingneedsperinhabitantandyear:
• around6to15eurosfortheconstruction,maintenanceandoperationoftheinfrastructure,with1to3eurosofthisforroutinemaintenancealone;
• around1to2.50eurosforparkingfacilitiesinthepublicrealm;and• around0.50to2eurosfor“soft”measures(communications,service,etc.).
Thefundingneedsofthedistrictsare,onthewhole,lower.Here,theestimateisatotalofbetween1and6eurosperinhabitantandyear.
In2016,thepromotionofcyclinghasbeenincreasedtomorethan100millioneuros,ofwhich98millioneurosaremadeavailablefortheconstructionandmaintenanceofcyclingpathsonfederalhighways.22Afundamentalproblemremainshowever,thatnotallofthesefundsareactuallyretrievedbythemunicipal-ities.InBerlinforexample,nearlyathirdofthefundsexpiredinrecentyears.23Thismightbeduetothelackofpersonnelnecessaryforfilingapplicationsforfunding.Theallocationofadditionalfederalfundsforcyclingissuesisanimportantstepforward,sinceonly1,22eurospercapitawerespentoncyclingtraffic inthepast(in2009,relativetothepopulation)–a figurethatclashesstronglywiththeestimatedfundingneedsmentionedabove. Incomparison, the federalex-pensesforroadconstructionamountedto70eurospercapitainthesameyear.24
20NCP2020,p.63.21NCP2020,p.62.22http://www.n-tv.de/ratgeber/Jeder-zweite-Radfahrer-fuehlt-sich-unsicher-article16976396.html(18/2/2016).23http://www.n-tv.de/ratgeber/Jeder-zweite-Radfahrer-fuehlt-sich-unsicher-article16976396.html(18/2/2016).24https://www.vcd.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Redaktion/Publikationsdatenbank/Radverkehr/VCD_Hintergrund_Fahrradpolitik_in_Dtl_2009.pdf(18/2/2016).
Provision of funding
Adequate human and financial resources are major foun-dations for the promotion of cycling. Funds for investment in infrastructure cover the construction of new cycling facilities and the upgrading, refurbishment, routine maintenance and renewal of existing facilities. Funds are also required for communications, service and other non-capital measures. One advantage is that measures in the cycling sector are mostly very cost-effective. Moreover, the expenditure on cycling is offset by savings elsewhere, for instance in the health sector, in environmental costs and in other infrastructure expenditure.
Funding and support framework
The Federal Government shoulders its responsibility for promoting cycling. It will thus focus its funds for investment in cycling infrastructure – provided that it is responsible for funding and that funds are available – on the needs for the construction of new cycling facilities and the renewal of existing facilities along federal transport infrastructure. To calculate the appropriations required, the Federal Government, in consultation and cooperation with the federal states and local authorities, will conduct a study to determine the funding needed for investment in the cycling infrastructure at the various levels in the next ten years.
To build on its function as a catalyst of cycling promotion, the Federal Government will focus the funding of inno-
vative projects in a more targeted manner and intensify it. In this connection, the support provided so far as part of the implementation of the NCP will be realigned and consolidated to address thematic focus areas. This will in-volve giving greater consideration to the different starting situations (“starters”, “climbers”, “champions”). Depending on the availability of funds, this promotion is to be com-plemented by integrated pilot projects based on the model of “cycling as a system” and/or by “lighthouse” projects, which can be launched in all fields of cycling promotion (e.g. cycle superhighways or cycle parking facilities). This is designed to promote recent developments in cycling against the background of the Federal Government’s climate change, environmental protection and road safety policies, and it is designed to set an example of good practice.
By continuing to provide the Funding Guide on the cycling portal over the entire lifetime of the NCP 2020, the stakeholders involved in promoting cycling will be infor-med of the existing funding options at all levels.
The federal states are recommended to develop com-parable funding instruments. This applies especially to non-capital measures in the fields of communications and service. Likewise, it is important that, for capital projects in municipalities, the conditions for support as part of finan-cial assistance programmes and/or the relevant guidelines be created and/or widened and that the appropriate funds be provided. In this context, de minimis limits should be abolished or (significantly) reduced to promote low-cost measures in the cycling sector. The award of funding must always be combined with an evaluation.
2 53 6 71 4
Infrastructure(routine maintenance)
Non-capital measures(incl. commu-nications)
Sub-total(columns 1 + 2)
Other measures -(cycle hire schemes, cycle parking stations)
Total(columns 3 – 6)rounded
Infrastructure(refurbishment/ construction and structural maintenance)
Parking facilities
5 - 12
0,20 - 4,60
1,10 - 2,50
0,50 - 1
6,10 - 13,10
0,30 - 4,70
0,50 - 2 8 - 18
1 - 6
1,10
0,10
0,50Starters
Starters
8 - 12
0,30 - 4,10
1,20 - 1,50
0,50 - 1,50
9,70 - 13,70
0,40 - 4,50
1 - 2 13 - 18
1 - 6
1,70
0,10 - 0,40
0,50Climbers
Climbers
12
2,40 - 3,00
0,10 - 0,80
1 - 1,50
15
2,90 - 3,70
2 18 - 19
4 - 5
3
0,50 - 0,70
1Champions
Champions
Tow
ns
and
citie
sD
istr
icts
39 PGV Hannover: Finanzierung des Radverkehrs, short study, Hanover, 2012.
Local authorities’ funding needs
Local authorities are responsible for the bulk of the tasks relating to the promotion of cycling, in terms of both infra-structure and “soft” measures. Against this background, the activities to evolve the NCP also included commissioning a brief study which, in an initial estimate, has identified, inter alia, the funding needs of towns, cities and districts in relati-on to their population.39
The estimate is based on extensive research into existing appropriations and funding needs in Germany and other countries. The figures have been broken down by category (“starters”, “climbers” and “champions”). They can provide guidance to the local authority stakeholders (see table for details).
Accordingly, towns and cities, irrespective of their size, are likely to have the following funding needs per inhabitant and year:
around 6 to 15 euros for the construction, maintenance and operation of the infrastructure, with 1 to 3 euros of this for routine maintenance alone;around 1 to 2.50 euros for parking facilities in the public realm; andaround 0.50 to 2 euros for “soft” measures (communications, service, etc.).
Together with other measures (e.g. cycle hire stations), this results in funding needs totalling 8 to19 euros per inhabitant and year for the individual towns and cities if they are to achieve their objective of providing a good overall standard. The actual total varies depending on the starting situation and future prospects.
The funding needs of the districts are, on the whole, lower. Here, the estimate is 0.30 to 4.70 euros for the infrastructure, depending on the starting situation, and between 0.50 and 1.50 euros for other, non-capital measures – a total of bet-ween 1 and 6 euros per inhabitant and year,
Funding needs of towns, cities and districts for various areas of responsibility(in euros per inhabitant and year; ranges reflect different starting situations and prospects)
62 Instruments Instruments 63
Figure4:Fundingneedsoftowns,citiesanddistrictsinGermany
11
TheNetherlandsThemostgenerousinEuropeTheNetherlandsisthemostgenerouscountryinEuropewhenitcomestothedevelopmentofcycling.25In2010,Dutchauthorities(national,regionalandlocal)spentmorethan24eurosperpersonincyclingpro-jectsandinfrastructure.26Like inGermany,Dutch localauthoritiesareresponsible to implementmeasures topromotecycling.Tofundthebicyclepolicy,mostmunicipalitieshavespecificbudgetallocations,butalsouseexternalfundingsources.Bicycleprojects canoften ride on thebackof larger infrastructural projects, constructionpro-jects, traffic safetyprojectsorspatialdevelopments.Municipalitiescanalsocallonsubsidies,whichareadministeredbyprovincesandcityareas.Forinfrastructureinbusinessparks,thereareoftenindividualarrangements, and EU funding is increasingly being used for bicycle projects.27In somemunicipalities,bicycleparkingisfinancedfromparkingincomes(car),whiletheymayalsobefinancedbyprivatecom-paniesorthroughpublic-privateventures.Inthemunicipalitieswiththemostintensivebicyclepolicy,theissueisoftenoneofsubstantialsumsallocatedonanannualbasisto(infrastructural)bicyclepolicy.
1.6CyclingcultureGermanyAcar-dominatedculturefinallychanging?ThecarisdeeplyingrainedintheGermanculture.ItisnotonlyoneofthemostpopularGermanproductsworldwidemakingthecarindustryoneofthemainpillarsofGermany’seconomy.Thecarisalso(still)averyimportantstatussymbolformanyGermans.TounderstandGermany’scarculture,weneedtogobackintime:Whilethebicyclehadbeenthepredom-inantprivatemeansof transportation in the first half of the20th century, the car soon tookover.AfterWorldWarII,theprivatelyownedmotorcarbecamemoreaffordableforawiderpopulationandwassoonever-present all over Europe. This developmentwas especially strong inGermany,where lots of spacewasallocatedtocarsinthereconstructedcities.Averitableeuphoriadevelopedinthe1960scallingfor“AutogerechteStädte”,car-friendlycities,inwhichthewholelivingenvironmentwassupposedtobesub-ordinatedtocarmobility.28Evenwhentheinsighttookholdthatmotorizedtrafficwascausingenvironmentalandhealthproblemsaswellasproblemsofcongestion,thestatusofthecarremainedstronginGermany.ThismightbeduetothefactthatGermany’seconomyisverydependentonitscarindustry,whichmakespoliticiansreluctanttointroducepoliciesthatrestrictcartraffic.However,thereisanewtrendemerging:Theroleofthecarasastatussymbolisdeclining,whileanew“cultureofcycling”develops.Changesarebecomingapparent,forinstancethedecliningrateofcaraccessanduseamongyoungadults.29
25https://ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/Overview%20table%20of%20the%20national%20cycling%20strategies%20in%20Europe.pdf(18/2/2016).26https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/taking-lead-national-strategies-cycling(18/2/2016).27CyclingintheNetherlands2009,p.27.28https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogerechte_Stadt(26/2/2016).29BMVBS(ed.):DeutschesMobilitätspanel,Bericht2011,Karlsruhe,2011,p.53.
12
TheNetherlandsThebicycle:AneverydayloveaffairTheNetherlandsalsosawthedeclineofcyclinginthe1950sduetotheriseofthecar.Whatwentdiffer-entlythaninotherEuropeancountries?Thetrendawayfromthebicycleandtowardsmotorisedtransportonlybegantobeslowedinthe1970swhenDutchpeopletooktothestreetstoprotestagainstthehighnumberofchilddeathsontheroads:insomecasesover500childrenwerekilledincaraccidentsintheNetherlandsinasingleyear.30Thispro-testmovement came tobeknownas the “StopdeKindermoord”,movement.The success of thismove-ment–alongwithotherfactors,suchastheoilshortagesof1973-74–turnedDutchgovernmentpolicyaround and the country began to restrictmotor vehicles in its towns and cities and direct its focus ongrowthtowardsotherformsoftransport.Hereby,thebicyclewasseenasbeingcriticalinmakingDutchstreetssaferandtownsandcitiesmorepeople-friendlyandliveable.Nowadays, it isevidentthatDutchcyclingpolicyworks:CyclingissoembeddedintheNetherlandsthatvirtuallyeverychildgetsthefirstbicyclearoundtheforthbirthdayandlearnshowtouseit.BecausetheDutch do not know a life without a bicycle, they consider cycling as something entirely ordinary. Butwhat’smoreimportant:TheDutchfeelthat,comparedtootherevery-daymeansoftransport,thebicycleisthemostenjoyable(fig.5)31.
1.7CyclinginfrastructureGermanyMarkedcyclepathsareincreasinglypopularInrecentyears,manyfederalstateshavesucceededinprovidingsubstantialcyclingfacilitiesoutsideur-ban areas, comprising predominantly separated paths that can be shared by pedestrians and cyclists.Therearenowaround19,000kilometresofcycletracksrunningalongfederalhighwaysalone.32Howev-er,thelevelofprovisiondiffersgreatlyfromonefederalstatetothenextandisonlyhighinafewexcep-tionalcases,suchasSchleswig-HolsteinandLowerSaxony.
30http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01lw88k(18/2/2016).31CyclingintheNetherlands2009,p.21.32NCP2020,p.22.
traffic efficient, enhances urban traffic circulation and provides more livability to residential areas.
From this perspective, the harsh anti-cycle policy of some foreign towns (see section 1.2) even
more regrettable. Despite all this evidence, none of these are the reason for the Dutch to cycle.
They just enjoy it, find it relaxing. (Figure 11)
Obviously, to make all the advantages of cycling for society work, it is essential to have people
cycle. And to have people cycle, therefore, it should be enjoyable, relaxing and safe. This can be
achieved by what is usually called good ‘bicycle policy’. Policy works, bicycle policy works in
the Netherlands – that much is abundantly clear. Something has already been said about this in
section 1.2: the relationship between bicycle use and improving traffic safety is inherently related
to policy.
The results of the benchmarking ‘Fietsbalans’ project conducted by the Fietsersbond (cycling
association) reveal a clear link for example between bicycle use in a municipality and the quality
of the cycling infrastructure. The quality of the infrastructure has been recorded objectively with
measuring equipment and is expressed in the so called bicycle Balance Score.
In Dutch municipalities with a high bicycle Balance Score, bicycle use is on average 14% higher
than in municipalities with a low bicycle Balance Score.
In 2005 a study was completed, giving a very well-founded answer to the question of how
to explain municipal differences in bicycle use, and what role (elements of) cycling policy and
(wider) traffic policy play in this respect. Research involved 44 factors in its analysis. Very diverse
by nature, these factors were selected on the basis of existing knowledge about possible factors
influencing bicycle use. The resulting explanation model contains eleven factors – a composition of
traffic, spatial-economic, demographic, cultural and geographical factors. About one-third of the
explanatory power of this model lays in the four factors denoting something like ‘integral traffic
policy’. Almost 73% of the variance in bicycle use among municipalities is explained by these
factors. This is considerable, and we can therefore say that this model has great explanatory power.
Cycling in the Netherlands
Figure 11: Emotions linked with varoius modes of transport. Source: Knowledge Institute Mobility, 2007
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
joy fear anger0
Car Bicycle Public transport
sadness aversion
2120
Figure5:EmotionslinkedwithvariousmodesoftransportintheNetherlands.
13
Withinurbanareas, thesituation is lessclear-cut.While theDutch try toseparatecycle traffic fromcartraffic in theseareasasmuchaspossible,Germans tendtousesolutions involvingroadmarkingsmoreandmore.Marked(advisoryormandatory)cyclelanesareconsideredtobeasafeand–mostofall–cost-efficientwaytoimproveconditionsforcyclists.33LikeintheNetherlands,localauthoritiesalsousesolu-tionsinvolvingmixedtrafficonthecarriageway(e.g.in30km/hzones)andconstructedcycletracks.Par-ticularly in smaller Germanmunicipalities however, there are stillmany shared footways/cycle tracks,whichdonotmeetthedifferentrequirementsofridersandpedestrians.Inaddition,thereisstillagreatshortfallintheprovisionofparkingfacilitiesthatcausesproblemsespeciallyindenselybuiltneighbour-hoods.Manyfederalstatesandregionshavesignificantlyexpandedthedirectionalsignageforcyclistsinrecentyears.Whiletherearemanysignsfortouristicbikepathshowever,thereisoftena lackinurbanareas.TheNetherlandsCyclingaccordingtotheprinciplesof“DuurzaamVeilig”AsalreadymentionedthemaindifferenceintermsofcyclinginfrastructurebetweenthetwocountriesisthattheNetherlandstriestosegregatebiketrafficasmuchaspossiblefromothertraffic.Atrueinnova-tion linkedto thisefforthasbeentheclassificationofroads inaccordancewiththeprinciplesof “Duur-zaamVeilig”orsustainablysafe.Accordingtothisprinciple,roadswithaspeedlimitof50km/h–whicharemostlycentral“trafficarteries”–musthavespecificbikefacilities.Otherroadswithamaximumspeedof30km/hthatoftenbelongtoresidentialareasdonotrequireseparatedcyclelanes.Awell-established concept in theNetherlands is the fietsstraat (bike street), a roadwherebicycles areconsideredtobetheprimaryandpreferredformoftransportandwherecarsandothermotorisedvehi-clesareonlyallowed“asguests”.Another importantdifferencebetweenGermanandDutchcycling infrastructure is, thattheNetherlandshas produced a universally valid DesignManual for bicycle facilities. Itwas first published in 1993 byCROWanddescribesallstepsfromthedecisiontopromotecyclingthroughtoactualphysicalimplemen-tation.Themanualwasentirelyrevised in2006andalso translated toEnglish.34TheDesignManual in-troducesthefivemainrequirementsforbicyclefriendlyinfrastructure:
• Safety• Directness–shortandrapidroutesfromorigintodestination• Cohesion–logicalandcohesiveroutes• Comfort – good surface, generous space and little hindrance from other traffic partici-
pants• Attractiveness–anattractiveandsocially safeenvironment,without smellornoise in-
convenienceThesemainrequirementsapply to theentirenetworkofbicycleroutes,butalso to the facilitiesatroadstretchesandintersections.InGermanyon the other hand, a number of different technical reference frameworks for the planning,construction and operation of cycling infrastructure exist (“Guidelines for IntegratedNetwork Design”,“GuidelinesfortheDesignandConstructionofRoads”,sectionsentitled“Alignment”,“Cross-Sections”and“Junctions”,“GuidelinesfortheDesignandConstructionofUrbanRoads”,"RecommendationsforCyclingFacilities"andtheAdvisoryLeafletonDirectionalSignageforCyclists),noneofwhichissolelyorcompre-hensivelydedicatedtocyclinginfrastructure.Inaddition,theseframeworksmayonlyserveasareferenceas long as they are not inconsistentwith German traffic regulations.35This complicated administrative
33NCP2020,p.22.34Availableat:http://www.crow.nl/publicaties/design-manual-for-bicycle-traffic(18/2/2016).35NCP2020,p.24.GermantrafficregulationsthatarerelevanttocyclinginfrastrurearetheStVOandtheVwV-StVOaswellas–forthefederaltrunkroadsphere–theGuidelinesfortheLegalTreatmentofRoadspassingthroughBuilt-
14
situationmaybeoneofthereasonswhyGermancyclinginfrastructureisnotasdevelopedandconsistentasintheNetherlands.
2.HowcantheDutchassisttoimprovecyclinginGermany?
2.1Givethebicyclemorespace!Theaimofthispaperis,ofcourse,toexaminehowtobringDutchcyclingexpertisetoGermany.However,itmustbenotedthatbothcountriescanactuallylearnfromeachotherwhenitcomestocycling.Germanyisforinstancequietstronginthefieldoftechnicalinnovations:mayitbethedevelopmentofmultifunc-tionalcyclinghighwaysalongrailways,likethe“Nordbahntrasse”inWuppertal,36ornewinnovativebicy-cles,likethehydrogenpedelecdesignedbyLinde.37Thetouristiccyclingnetwork“RadnetzDeutschland”withitsover200signedroutes38canalsobetakenasanexamplebytheDutch.Needless to say that cycling is veryadvanced inGermanyas compared tootherEuropean countries. IncomparisontotheNetherlandshowever,wheremodalsharesaswellasthepopularityofcyclingareex-tremelyhigh,Germanystilllacksbehind(seefig.639and740).
Figure6:AcomparisonofmodalsharesofcyclinginEurope
UpAreasandthePrinciplesfortheConstructionandFundingofCycleTracksalongFederalHighwayswheretheFederalGovernmentisresponsibleforconstructionandmaintenance.36http://www.nordbahntrasse-aktiv.de/(23/2/2016).37http://blog.zeit.de/fahrrad/2015/12/25/linde-baut-wasserstoff-pedelec/#more-7486(23/2/2016).38NCP2020,p.41.39NCP2020,p.7.40https://ecf.com/resources/cycling-facts-and-figures(25/2/2016).
A IntroductionCycling accounts for a sizeable and increasing share of the traffic volume in Germany. In addition, it can help to tackle many current and future transport and social challenges, because it has a positive impact on the envi-ronment, the climate, the quality of life in towns and cities and people’s health. Against this background, the Federal Government attaches great importance to promoting cycling as part of a modern transport system in urban and rural areas.
The Federal Government’s task is to create the regulatory framework for the evolution of cycling. It thus promotes cycling in its capacity as the lawmaker and by constructing cycle tracks on federal highways. It upgrades tow paths along federal waterways so that they can be used for cycling purposes. In conjunction with its responsibility for sus-tainable transport and urban development policies, it has adopted the National Cycling Plan (NCP), which it uses to act as a promoter, catalyst, facilitator and coordinator.
However, the NCP is addressed not only to the Federal Government but also, more importantly, to the federal states and local authorities. This is because, as part of Germany’s federal system, it is they who have prime responsibility for individual measures to promote cycling in local communities. In addition, the successful promo-tion of cycling requires support from trade associations, businesses and, not least, the general public.
The present NCP (NCP 2020) covers the period from 2013 to 2020 and follows on seamlessly from the first NCP (NCP 2002-2012). In terms of content, it is not simply a continu-ation, but rather an evolution, because the promotion of
cycling is now focused on the new transport and societal challenges. As part of an integrated transport and mobility policy, its aims go beyond the promotion of cycling and also encompass the strengthening of “ecomobility”, which comprises local public transport, walking and cycling.
The promotion of cycling benefits everyone, including those people who mainly use their car or walk. Because cycling is an environmentally friendly means of trans-port that does not produce noise or harmful emissions. It requires little space. In combination with local public transport and walking, it makes it possible to reduce the levels of motor vehicle traffic, especially in city centres, thereby tackling congestion and lowering pollutant and noise emissions. This is one of the main reasons why towns, cities and regions with a high modal share of cycling are usually rated as especially vibrant and liveable. In addition, cycling is an economic factor that is becoming increasingly important.
For those people who use their bicycle as part of their daily routine and in their leisure time, cycling offers further ad-vantages. It guarantees affordable mobility. Over distances of up to six kilometres it may even be the quickest way of travelling. And it also has many health benefits.
In many places, the enhanced importance of cycling is manifested in growing modal shares of cycling and greater public attention. Germany is already in the top third of European countries in terms of cycle use. The NCP 2020 is designed to unlock the further potential inherent in cycling. The NCP 2020 describes the strategy to be used to evolve the promotion of cycling in Germany. To this
NL HU DK SE BE DE FI SK PL AT LV CZ SI RO LT EE IT IE EL FR UK BG LU PT ES
100%
A comparison of modal shares of cycling in Europe(Netherlands = 100 %)
Source: European Commission, 2011, own graph
Introduction 7
15
Figure7:theevolutionofthepercentageofpeoplewhoanswered“cycling”tothequestionoftheEurobarometer:“Onatypicalday,whichmodeoftransportdoyoumostoften?"
GermanycanthereforelearnfromtheNetherlands,whenitcomestothequestionofhowtogetpeopleonbicycles.Inordertoanswerthisquestion,theNetherlandscameupwithseveralsolutions,themostim-portantbeing:Givebicyclesmorespace!Givebicyclesmorespace!InGermany, there is still a clearhierarchy favouring cars overbicycles. In order tomake cyclingmoreattractiveandsafe,GermanycouldusesomeofthemeasuresthattheNetherlandsdevelopedtopromotecycling,walkingandtrafficcalming,suchas:
• Reducingcaraccesstocity-centresandcreatecar-freeareas;• Makingparkingincity-centresmoreexpensive;• Constructingcyclepathsandreducingroadspaceforcars;• Reducingmaximumspeedonthemajorityofurbanroadsto30km/horless;
Ashasbeennotedinchapter1.6however,policiesthatlimittheuseofthecarareveryunpopularinmanyparts of Germany. In order to show the positive effects of the above-mentionedmeasures, itwould benecessarytoestablishpilotprojects likecar-freecitycentresinselectedplaces.Todate,noGermancityhasbannedcarsfromtheinnercity,41becauseimplementingpilotprojectsis–again–unpopularinGer-manpolicymaking.Onecanexpect thatGermanpolicymakerswill thereforeneeda lotofgoodreasonsandbestpracticeexamples(e.g.fromtheNetherlands!)inordertotakeafirststepintotherightdirection.Itwillbeagreatchallenge tomake themunderstandhowmuchthere is togain fromtheDutchwayofbeingmoreflexibleinplanning.41http://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/autofreie-innenstaedte-die-welt-unter-dem-schleier-1.1924301-2(23/2/2016).
16
Inordertogivebicyclesmorespace,Germanyshouldnotonlylimitcartraffic,butalsoimproveitscyclinginfrastructureregulations.Cyclepathsforinstance,aregenerallymuchnarrowerinGermanythanintheNetherlands42anddo not allow cyclists to overtake each other.Wider bike lanes are needed especiallywhenpedelecande-bikeuseincreases.
2.2PotentialandtrendsincyclinginGermanyPotentialto2020InaccordanceoftheNationalCyclingPlan2020,Germany’sFederalGovernmentdeterminedthepotentialofcyclinginthewholeGermanytoreach15%shareoftrafficby2020.43Hereby,theNetherlandswithitshighcyclingsharenaturallyservedasanexample.Toreachthe15%target,acontinuouseffortneedstobemade:Differentstartingpositions inthefederalstates,regionsandmunicipalities(“starters”,“climb-ers” and “champions”, see chapter 1.4) aswell as a different topography, settlementpattern and socialstructurerequireasophisticatedapproachtoexploitthepotential.Germanauthoritieshopethattheim-petusoftheNCPmaycontributetothegoal,thatGermanycancallitselfacycle-friendlynationby2050.CurrenttrendsE-bikesandpedelecsOntheGermancyclingmarket,electricmobilityiscurrentlydevelopingatanespeciallydynamicpace.Inrecentyears, sales figuresof “pedelecs” (electricallyassistedcycles)haverisenby30 to50%. In2007,only70,000suchvehiclesweresold,butby2011this figurehadrisento310,000.Recent forecastsandsurveysindicatethatthistrendwillcontinueundiminished.44Pedelecsenablenewregionstobeopenedupforcyclingandaddressnewtargetgroups,becausetheelec-tricalassistancemeansthatcyclistscanreachhigheraveragespeeds,coverlongerdistancesandrideuphillsmoreeasily.Recently,adiscussionhasevolvedaroundthequestiononhowtobestofferincentivestobuyorusepede-lecs.Onewayistoestablishpedelecsas“Dienstfahrräder”,companybicycles.45Forcompanycars,itistherulethatemployersbearmostofthecosts.Thisapproachshouldalsoapplytocompanybicycles.Arecentstep in thisdirectionhasbeento includebicycles incompanycarregulations,anotherhasbeenthe im-plementationoftheproject“EBikePendeln”,e-bikecommuting,oftheCityofBerlin.46Aspartofthepro-ject,whichfocusesoncommutersgoingtowork,pedelecusewillbetested,studiedandpromotedineve-rydayurbantraffic.CyclehighwaysSince2010 increasingeffortsaremade inGermanytobuild“Radschnellwege”, fastcyclinghighways,orsimilarlydesigned,high-qualitycyclingroutes.Amongthemostimportantprojectsisthe“RadschnellwegRuhr“(RS1)inNorthRhine-Westphalia(100km),whichisintededtooffercommutersanattractivelinkbewteen the cities like Duisburg,Mülheim an der Ruhr, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Dortmund, andHamm.47Besides the RS1,more cycling highways are planned in North Rhine-Westphalia. For this, the
42https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radverkehrsanlage#Deutschland(25/2/2016).43NCP2020,p.77.44ZIV:MitgliederundKennzahlen2012,BadSodena.Ts.,2012.45http://blog.zeit.de/fahrrad/2015/12/30/ruckblick-aufs-radjahr-2015/#more-7494(19/2/2016).46http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/pedelec/schaufensterprojekt/(19/2/2016).47http://www.metropoleruhr.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilungen-detail/archive/2013/july/article/radschnellweg-ruhr-plaene-sorgen-bundesweit-fuer-interesse-rvr-organisiert-laenderuebergreifend-a.html(19/2/2016).
17
federalstategovernmentproclaimedaplanningcompetitionin2013andawardedfiveprojects.48AnotherpositivestepaheadisNorthRhine-Westphalia’sdecisiontotreatcyclinghighwaysandfederalroadsforcarsequally.49RealisedandplannedcyclehighwayinotherfederalstatesincludeGermany’sfirste-bikehighwayinGöt-tingen,the“eRadschnellwegGöttingen”,6cyclinghighwaysinthemetropolitanareaofMunich50andthethefirstlargelycoveredbikepathinBerlin,called“Radbahn”.51Bicycle-sharingsystemsAs in many other European countries, public bicycle-sharing systems are also spreading in Germany.ThereisnouniformbikerentalschemeliketheDutchOVFiets–whichisactuallyauniqueconceptEu-rope-wide–,butinsteadseveralvendorsspecializedinthisservicethatoperateindifferentcities.Thetwomarked leaders are Call-a-Bike52, operated by the Deutsche-Bahn subsidiary “DB Rent”, and Nextbike,servingbynowmorethan30Germancitiesand14countriesworldwide.53CyclingappsLikeanywhereelse,appsarealsotrending inGermany.Regardingcyclingtheymaybeused fornaviga-tion, tracking, itineraryplanning, findingabikerepairshoporarentalbike.Somepopularcycling appsinclude “Komoot”54, a navigation app, “Strava”55, aGPS-tracking app, the “BikeRepair”56and the “Call aBike”app57.MobilitycardsMobility cards like theDutchOV-ChipCardmake travellingwithdifferentmeansof transport easyandcomfortable.InalargecountrysuchasGermanyhowever,itisverydifficulttointroducesuchauniversal-lyvalidcard.TheDeutscheBahn isnevertheless in theprocessofexpandingthe“Bahncard”, theirdiscountsubscrip-tionprogramme,toafullyfledged“mobilitycard”,offeringdiscountsonothertransportrelatedservices,suchashotelreservations,carrental,carsharing,publictransport,bicyclehire,andotherservices.58Oth-ertransportprovidershavestartedsimilarprojectsmostlyonaregionalbasis.
2.3DosandDon’ts:What is important toknowwhencollaboratingwithGer-manparties?Intheory,GermansliketheDutchwayoffindingsolutions:TheyadmiretheDutchforbeingmoreflexibleandfortheirability“tothinkoutsideofthebox”.Inpracticehowever,theywillprobablybereluctanttodiffer from the German “Gründlichkeit”when executing projects. Another German particularity is theirhighesteemofthetechnicalaspect:WhileitisveryimportanttotheDutchto“polderen”,tofindacom-
48https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radschnellweg#Nordrhein-Westfalen:_weitere_Radschnellwegprojekte(19/2/2016).49http://blog.zeit.de/fahrrad/2015/12/30/ruckblick-aufs-radjahr-2015/#more-7494(19/2/2016).50http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/radschnellwege-auf-dem-pruefstand-autobahnen-fuer-radfahrer-1.2574415(19/2/2016).51http://www.radbahn.berlin/#intro(19/2/2016).52https://www.callabike-interaktiv.de/index.php?id=89&(19/2/2016).53http://www.nextbike.de/en/(19/2/2016).54https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.komoot.android(19/2/2016).55https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strava&hl=de(19/2/2016).56https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atomicsoftwares.bikerepair(19/2/2016).57https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.bahn.callabike(19/2/2016).58https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BahnCard#Mobility_Card(19/2/2016).
18
promise thatsuitseverybody,Germans tend tobase theirdecisionsmuchmoreon technicalargumentsandonfactsandfigures.Engineershavethereforeoftenalotofinfluence.Below,youwillfindalistofDo’sandDont’stobekeptinmindwhencollaboratingwithGermans.Howev-er, your German partnerswill know that you are not entirely familiarwith German practices andwillthereforebelikelytogiveyouawiderrangeoftolerance.Do's Dont's• Be prepared: Ensure strong substantive
presentationsthataregroomedtoperfection• Hierarchy:Findouthowitworksinanorgani-
sation• Beontime• Mindtheuseof“Du”and“Sie”• Work on relationships: Making contact via
personalcontactsisveryimportant• Bepresentandshowyourface• Bepolite
• Youwon’thaveagoodturnwithpoorprepara-tion
• First-namebasisisfundamentallywrong• Don’tgostraighttobusiness:Giveitsometime• Don’tkeepitsuperficial:Builduptrust• Present solutions to existing problems in a
diplomaticway• Do not discuss private matters: Stay more
formalthanyouusuallywould
2.4Bestpractice:PastprojectsinGermanyoftheDutchCyclingEmbassyOrganisationoftheStandduringtheexpositionandorganisationoftheProgramduringVELOBer-lin2015
In2015, theDutchCyclingEmbassywas invited as exclu-sive partner for the fifth edition of VELOBerlin. For thisimportant exposition, the Embassy organized the HollandStand,which showed beautiful Dutch Design bicycles andbicycle storage facilities from Beixo, BoughBikes, Roetz-Bikes, Urban Arrow, Calllock, Jan Kuipers Nunspeet andFietsdiensten.nl.
In addition NHTV presented together with DAT Mobility‘Bike Print’, an innovative tool to analyse bicycle move-ments. The city of Amsterdam and the engineers of Gou-dappel Coffeng and Team Red exchanged knowledge andexperienceswiththecolleaguesofthemunicipalityofBer-lin. Heijmans inspired the visitors with a presentationaboutCyclingHighways.AndtheFietsplatformofferedthevisitors information in order to go cycling especially inNetherlands.
TheNetherlandspresenteditselfasthebicyclecountryparexcellence. Around 14,500 visitors came to VELOBerlin,whichattractedalotofpublicityfromthemedialikeRTL2,Deutschlandradio, Tagesspiegel, RBB Abendschau, N24,BerlinerZeitung,andDeutscheWelle.
Image1:TheHollandStand
19
EmbassyLab"Berlin,Fahrradstadt!?"
PriortotheVELOBerlin,theDutchEmbassyVELOBerlinEmbassyorganizedalabsession.Duringthelab,DutchcyclingexpertsexchangedknowledgewithexpertsfromBerlinandtriedtojointlyanswertheques-tionwhether Berlin is a “Fahrradstadt”, a bicycle city. The “Embassy lab” beganwith presentations onmobilityissuesandsolutionsbyInnoZ.
Followingthesession,MrPieterLitjens(Depu-ty Mayor of Amsterdam), together with bikeexperts from Amsterdam, the Dutch CyclingEmbassy and several other traffic experts, ex-plored Berlin by bicycle (see image 2)59. Theywereaccompaniedandguidedthroughthecityby Mr Gaebler (Staatsekretär für Verkehr,Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung undUmwelt in Berlin) and Mr Horn (top trafficofficialfortheentirecityofBerlin).
The exchange of ideas, plans and solutions forcertain traffic situationsbenefited significantlyfrom thepresence of various experts from therest of the city (Bezirke), interest groups such as the ADFC and knowledge institutions such as theFahrradakademie.Among the topics discussed: parkingpolicy, governance, safetymeasures and equip-mentofpublicspaceaccordingtothe“sharedspace”principle.
The session finishedwith recommendations byMrAluvihare (Public Space expert of Amsterdam) con-cerningpolicycohesionandgovernancestructure.MrGaeblerandMrHorngratefullyacceptedtheinvita-tionforareturnvisittoAmsterdamtoseethewaythebicyclefitsintotheeverydayAmsterdamtraffic.
VisitofBadenWuerttemberg’sMinistryoftheInterior,forBuildingandTransportinMay201460
In May 2014, a delegation from Baden-Wuerttemberg led by Minister Joachim Hermanncame to visit the Öresund region, Amster-dam,Rotterdam, the province of North BrabantandLondonduringthreedaystocollectbestprac-tice examples in the field of sustainablemobility.The Dutch Cycling Embassy helped to organizetheirstayintheNetherlands.
59http://deutschland.nlbotschaft.org/nachrichten/2015/03/veloberlin-2015---eine-feier-des-taglichen-radfahrens.html(26/2/2016).60http://winnehermann.de/site/zweiter-tag-der-informationstour-durch-mehrere-europaeische-staedte/(26/2/2016).
Image2:EmbassyLab"BerlinFahrradstadt!?"
Image3:MinisterWinfriedHermanninfrontofAms-terdam'sbikeparkingfacilities
20
On the second day, the delegation arrived inAmsterdam and participated in an infor-mationeventabout thepromotionof electricmobility in the Netherlands. Likewise, thepromotion of cycling and cycling infrastruc-turewasanimportanttopicwithDutchtrafficexperts. Also in Amsterdam the participantswere given a guided cycling tour and couldthus experience cycling in the Dutch capitalfirst-hand.On the third day, Minister Hermann visitedtheportofRotterdam,thethirdlargestportinthe world and the largest deep-sea port inEurope.Afteraboattour,theMinistermettheport directorMr Allard Castelein in order todiscuss about inland vessels as a means oftransportationforgoodsandpeople.DuringavisittotheTeslaplantinTilburg,thedelegationexchangedknowledgewiththefactorystaffonnewdrivesystemsandtheirfuture.InthewordsofMinisterHermann,thedelegationreceiveddiverseandvaluableinputsduringtheirvisitfor the furtherdevelopment of newmobility concepts inBaden-Wuerttemberg: "It is impressive to seehowfarcities like forexample,Amsterdam,CopenhagenandMalmöhavedevelopedcycling inorder torelievetheinnercitiesfrommotorizedtraffic,noiseandairpollution.”61
3.Appendix:Wheretogotoandwhototalkto?
3.1Savethedate:conferencesandtradefairsNetworking,training,informationFahrradakademieTheFahrradakademieoftheGermanInstituteofUrbanStudies(difu)offersacomprehensivetrainingforplayerson the local level in theareaofpromotingcycling inGermany.Within its frameworksingleandmulti-dayseminarsareofferedatvarious locationsaswellas fieldtrips.High-levelspeakerswithmanyyearsofpracticalexperienceprovidesolutionsforthemostimportantpracticalproblemsandthushelptoincreasethepromotionofcyclingtoanewlevel.Visitwww.fahrradakademie.deformoreinformation.FahrradkommunalkonferenzEveryyearsince2007,theFahrradakademieincollaborationwithmunicipalumbrellaorganizationsor-ganizesalargeFahrradkommunalkonferenz,amunicipalcyclingconference.Theresultsaredocumentedonlineandmadeavailable.Visitwww.fahrradakademie.de/fahrradkonferenz/formoreinformation.
61https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilung/pid/bilanz-der-delegationsreise-von-minister-hermann-1/(25/2/2016).
Image4:MinisterHerrmann(left)withMirjamBors-boom(middle),currentdirectoroftheDutchCyclingEmbassy
21
NationalerRadverkehrskongressDuringtheNationalerRadverkehrskongress,theNationalCyclingCongress,seniorpoliticiansandexpertsfrom government, industry, research and associations from Germany and neighboring countries cometogether todealwith the subject cyclingduringpresentations anddiscussions. It is an eventunder theNationalCyclingPlan.Visithttps://www.nationaler-radverkehrskongress.de/formoreinformation.ConferenceandtradefairscheduleDate Title Location25.02.2016
AGFS-Kongress2016:Radschnellwege• www.agfs-nrw.de
Essen
25.-28.02.2016 FahrradEssen• www.fahrrad-essen.de
05.-06.03.2016 rad16-DieFahrradmesse• www.rad16.de
Fürth
06.03.2016 4.OsnabrückerFahrradmesse Osnabrück06.03.2016 18.ADFC-RadReisemesse Bonn12.-13.03.2016 RAD+OUTDOOR
• www.rad-outdoor.deBremen
20.-22.03.2016 BerlinerFahrradschau• www.berlinerfahrradschau.de
Berlin
12.-13.04.2016 3rd European Conference on Sustainable Urban MobilityPlans
• Subject:PlanningtheEfficientCity• www.eltis.org
Bremen
15.-17.04.2016 E-BikeFestivalDortmund2016• www.ebike-festival.org
Dortmund
16.-17.04.2016 VELOBerlin• www.bonn.radreisemesse.de
Berlin
18.-19.04.2016 4.vivaveloKongressderFahrradwirtschaftinBerlin• www.vivavelo.org
Berlin
18.-20.05.2016 InternationalTransportForum• Subject:GreenandInclusiveTransport• www.internationaltransportforum.org
Leipzig
18.-19.06.2016 VELOFrankfurt2016• www.velofrankfurt.com
Frankfurta.M.
31.08. -04.09.2016
EUROBIKE2016• www.eurobike-show.de
Friedrichshafen
28.07.2017 TourdeFranceOpening• www.letour-duesseldorf.de
Düsseldorf
22
3.2ContactsCyclingassociations(Verbände)TheZweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV) isanationaladvocacyandserviceproviderof theGermanandinternationalcyclinginduytry.http://ziv-zweirad.de/TheVSFe.V.isanon-profittradeassociationinthebicycleindustry.Itsmembersincludebicycleretailers,manufacturers,wholesalers,serviceprovidersandnon-profitorganizations.https://www.vsf.de/TheAGFS (theAssociation for Pedestrian andBicycle-friendly Cities, Townships andDistricts inNorthRhineWestphalia) isamunicipalnetwork thatpromotes "Nahmobilität” (localmobility).Themunicipalnetworkincludestoday71cities,townshipsanddistrictsmembers.http://www.agfs-nrw.de/KnowledgeinstitutesTheDeutscheInstitutfürUrbanistik(Difu)isthelargesturbanresearchinstituteinGermanyprovidingresearchresults,trainingandinformationtocities,municipalities,localgovernmentandplanningassocia-tions.http://www.difu.de/CyclingadvocacyTheAllgemeinerDeutscherFahrrad-ClubADFC(GermanCyclist’sAssociation)istheadvocateforcy-clinginGermany.Itworkswithcities,stateandfederalgovernmentstoimprovetheconditionsforevery-daycyclingaswellascyclingfortourists.http://www.adfc.de/TheVerkehrsclubDeutschlande.V. (VCD)isatrafficassociationthatfightsformoresocial-andenvi-ronmentally-friendlymobilityforallroadusers.https://www.vcd.org/CyclingtourismTourismassociationsonanationallevel:http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/links/#category147CyclingtourisminGermany’sfederalstates:http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/links/#category166DutchEmbassyandconsulatesinGermanyAmbassadevanhetKoninkrijkderNederlandeninBerlijn
• General:[email protected]• DutchCyclingEmbassy’scontact:
SanneWestra(AdviseurMilieuenMobiliteit)Email:[email protected]
Consulaat-generaalteDüsseldorf
• General:[email protected]ünchen
• General:[email protected]
23
• DutchCyclingEmbassy’scontact:Ulrike-ClaudiaPulzer(MedewerkerCultuurenCommunicatie)Phone:+49892060267-16
NetherlandsBusinessSupportOfficesinDuitsland:http://duitsland.nlambassade.org/organization/netherlands-business-support-officesNederlandseconsulateninDuitsland:http://duitsland.nlambassade.org/organization/consulatenMediaSince2003,thepressedienst-fahrradwantstodrawmorepublicattentiontothebicycleanditsuse.Itissupportedbycyclinginstitutions,organizations,companiesandassociations.http://www.pd-f.de/velobiz.de isaneditorialportalof thebicyclesector inGerman-speakingcountries, focusingmainlyonpeoplefromthebicycletradeandindustry.http://www.velobiz.de/Portal/Default.aspxRadMarktisaddressedtoallwhodealprofessionallywiththebicycle,primarilytobicycleretailers.http://www.radmarkt.de/
3.3FurtherinformationTheGermanbicycleportalinEnglish:http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/en/GermanBicycleExpertiseinEnglishlanguage:http://www.nationaler-radverkehrsplan.de/en/transferstelle/NationalFundingprogramme“KlimaschutzimRadverkehr“:http://www.klimaschutz.de/radverkehrCountrypageGermanyoftheRVO:http://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/internationaal-ondernemen/landenoverzicht/duitslandDo’sandDont’sinGermany:http://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/internationaal-ondernemen/landenoverzicht/duitsland/dos-and-dontsEconomicNetworkGermanyoftheDutchEmbassyinBerlin:http://duitsland.nlambassade.org/zaken-doen
