Organising the planning process

The Cycle Highway as a mobility product has been and still is debatable and not welcomed immediately by every stakeholder involved. In the introductory chapter the numerous motives for developing cycle highways are illustrated. It shows that the question ‘why do we plan a cycle highway’ is answered differently in every region and means something different to every stakeholder. Planning a cycle highway implies that stakeholders with contrasting opinions should be brought to the table and align their expectations and aims. Planning a cycle highway is a challenging process where at multiple momentums, choices are to be made. You need to weigh the choices’ effects and balance them out. In this paragraph an answer to the question ‘how do we organise the planning process’ emphasises the relevance and need for a proper planning process to successfully realise the route.

In this section we present governance and finance practices from the NWE region. CHIPS has developed a systematic overview of important aspects related to the governance and finance of cycle highways by means of interviews with professionals working in the field and an inventory of current practices in the regions involved. In this respect, we distinguish three core dimensions of governance that relate to the specific features of the construction and planning of cycle highways: multi-level, multi-sector and multi-actor governance. The first dimension mainly concerns the coordination and cooperation between different governments (and levels of governance), the second relates to the links between cycling and cycle highways in particular and other sectors and policy domains and finally the latter refers to the arrangements between different types of stakeholders.

First, we will briefly describe the practices with regard to planning and construction of bicycle highways in the regions involved. The multi-level, multi-sector and multi-actor dimensions of bicycle highway governance will be subsequently outlined. Finally, a separate paragraph on funding of cycling highways will inform you on the financial structures established for planning and constructing a cycle highway.

Learn more about CHIPS project

Cycle Highways Innovation for smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning

CHIPS will develop and promote cycle highways as an effective and cost efficient low carbon solution for commuting towards and from urban employment poles.

Project partners from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK will develop solutions that will help regions and mobility stakeholders to:

Position cycle highways as a new mobility product
Overcome physical and behavioural barriers that keep commuters from using cycle highways
Maximize synergies between cycle highways and trains, buses and cars
Upgrade cycle highways to key structuring elements in future spatial planning
Monitor performance and assess impact

First step | Plan

Plan Phase

A cycle highway facilitates citizens to move by bicycle from one place to another. It connects residential areas with business districts, city centers or transportation hubs. To determine the right location and make the right connection a calculation of the expected use is needed, taking into account the future developments to plan a future proof cycle highway.

Main objective: development of a virtual planning tool for potential cycle highways

Next step | Design

Design Phase

The challenge is to design the best suitable cycle highway for that specific location. Therefor different criteria such as attractiveness, wayfinding, size and directness have to be taken into account.

Main objectives: a cycle highway assessment tool to evaluate the design and readability concepts in the (Virtual) Living Lab.

Next step | Sell

Sell Phase

Communication and campaigns will help to stimulate (new) cyclists to use the cycle highway. Commuters are the main target group. The engagement of employers is key to reach the commuters and create a modal shift from car to (e)-bike.

Main objectives: designing campaigns, development of service point and mobile HUBs.

Next step | Evaluate

Evaluate Phase

Final step is to monitor and evaluate the effects of the development. Are people using the new cycle infrastructure? By using GPS-data, information from counters and traffic lights relevant information about the use can be filtered.

Main objectives: monitoring and evaluation dashboard and a CO2 reduction calculator.