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The motto is “Cycling culture moves” and the flag is European because of the EU presidency. This will be the setting for the cycling summit in Salzburg from 24 to 26 September 2018. The programme is online now! In the exhibition area CycleCompetence Austria will set up a lounge for exchanges with experts. (more…)
Since autumn, 2016 researchers from wide-ranging fields headed by CycleCompetence member Z_GIS (University of Salzburg) have been working on solutions to promote active, healthy commuter mobility. Before the project ends in autumn 2018 we offer a brief update and an expert summit was held on 5 July in Salzburg. (more…)
For many countries neighbouring Austria, Vienna has a model character for the step-by-step improvement of cycle traffic. A Serbian film team has therefore come to Vienna: The every-day routes in Belgrade are getting longer, every year there is 3% more motorized traffic in the streets compared to the previous year. Every new parking space that is built brings more cars, more traffic, more chaos. Therefore strategic traffic planning is needed. What can this look like?
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Currently the European Union is promoting three cargo bike projects running from 2018 to 2021. The three projects of the promotion programs Horizon 2020 and INTERREG cover very different topics such as rolling city furniture, mobility concepts and product development of fuel cells. Meanwhile “KlimaEntLaster” are rolling through the Lower Austrian Mostviertel.
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On 24 May the European Commission published its proposal for stricter EU regulations regarding motor vehicles (Motor Insurance Directive – MID). The aims are to “to better protect victims of motor vehicle accidents and improve the rights of insurance policyholders”. There is, however, one point that snuck itself into this proposal: A liability insurance for pedelec users. (more…)
With the cycling strategy decided on in 2017, the city of Salzburg has set ambitious targets. By 2025 the share of cycling traffic is to increase from currently 20% to at least 24%. With parallel measures in car traffic the cycling share could get up to as high as 28%. A central area for the measures set down in the cycling strategy is the creation of new cycling paths. These will ensure a safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure is available to cyclists throughout the whole city area.
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The positive effects of active mobility on society can also be measured financially: More and more studies confirm the positive health aspects of active mobility – even in cities. But especially when cycling it is important that the conditions are right. Why cycling as a means of transport is a real motor for health is the topic of an article we compiled for a special health edition of the “zoll+” magazine.
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The significance of the bicycle as a means for daily travel as well as cycle tourism are strongly increasing. A joint study by CycleCompetence member Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the MODUL University Vienna commissioned by the Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT) analyzed international bike rental systems. (more…)
In 2017, the Luxembourg traffic ministry commissioned a best-practice study in 2017 to analyse the legal situation of cyclists in six European countries. The focus was on regulation regarding traffic organisation and infrastructure. The Viennese traffic planning office komobile was also part of the study. The result is a comprehensive reform of the legal framework concerning cyclists, which was implemented surprisingly quickly. It includes passing clearance and turning right on red! (more…)
Bicycle and pedestrian traffic as the two pillars of active mobility need sufficient space. Pedestrian zones are often rendered as crucial bottlenecks leading either to a friendly coexistence or conflicts. The fact that opening pedestrian zones for cycle traffic can work was demonstrated by the German research project “Taking the bicycle to go shopping downtown – conflicts and potentials of opening a pedestrian zone for cyclists”. (more…)
Those who know the Lauteracher Ried are aware of its singularities: It is one of the last habitats in Vorarlberg to house characteristic ground-nesting bird species like the Western Curlew, the Corn Crake or the Plover. At the same time the Lauteracher Ried is an important recreation area as well as a production area for agriculture operating under strict nature protection regulations.
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Among all our loyal newsletter readers who can answer three questions on bicycle traffic the platform Cycle Competnece is giving away an urban folding bike from Cycle Competence member VELLO at the European Cycling Summit in Salzburg. Here you can read the questions, the last one will follow in the next newsletters.
Not only do transport bicycles remain a trend topic, their importance is also continuously growing. Their increased use as a climate-friendly alternative to a motorised car is given new impetus by two projects with CycleCompetence background: “CityChangerCargoBike” and “KlimaEntLaster” (a word play on the German word for easing a burden “entlasten” and for truck “Laster”). In September the Horizon 2020 “CityChangerCargoBike” project will start and run until August 2020. (more…)
Healthy, good for the environment and stress free! With a company bicycle model (“Job-Rad”) employers can support their employees to increasingly switch to a healthy and environmentally-friendly mode of transport both for commutes as well as private travel. The CycleCompetence members klimaaktiv mobil (BMNT) und Herry Consult are publishing helpful tips on the subject and an expert opinion on the question of private use (“Sachbezug”).
Instead of parking it in a traffic jam inhabitants of a residential estate in the Heindlstraße in Linz could in future just leave their cars in the garage. They are now being offered a mobility alternative in the form of easily accessible rental bicycles and safe bicycle boxes. (more…)
Not least the entry of large Asian rental bike providers into the Austrian market triggered very controversial discussions of bike-sharing over the last months, particularly in Vienna. As part of the PlanBiSS project, researchers at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology developed a tool taking into account demand, re-distribution and maintenance of rental bikes. This can help with the main challenges faced by bike-sharing systems. (more…)
Currently everybody is talking about exercise as good health provision. “Sitting is the new smoking” is a slogan frequently repeated. The GISMO project subsidised by the FFG and headed by Cycle Competence member Z_GIS (Department of Geoinformatics, University of Salzburg) has picked up these topics of active mobility and health provision: It is positioning the daily commute to work as a chance for exercise and health provision at the same time. (more…)
Children need a lot of exercise. At least 60 minutes of exercise per day is the recommendation for children and young people by the Word Health Organisation (WHO). Overall, only 17.4% of Austrian pupils between the age of 11 and 17 get this much exercise. This was shown by the largest European health study among children and young people, the “Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study”. An active commute to school would counteract this trend. New data is now available. (more…)
The research project “flexiTrike” can present is innovative final result: an e-tricycle with tilt mechanism to promote active mobility of people with an increased safety demand when cycling. This e-tricycle is designed for people who have not cycled for some time or for those who cannot use a conventional bicycle because of their physical constitution, age, special needs or other limitations. (more…)
A comprehensive international best practice study about traffic and infrastructure related laws and regulations promoting cycling and walking was was drawn up by komobile on behalf of the Ministry of Transport in Luxembourg. The countries analysed were Austria, Denmark and Spain. A cooperation was established with the offices MOE/Tetraplan (Denmark) and Citec Ingénieurs Conseils SA (Switzerland) and lead by komobile. (more…)
The “Austria cycles to work” motivation campaign will set a new record in avoiding CO2 in 2017. More than four million kilometres already saved 700 tons in CO2 emissions compared to car journeys. This proves the success of the campaign and high motivation among the participants. The event is organised by the Radlobby, supported by the initiative klimaaktiv mobil of the Austrian federal ministry for the environment (BMLFUW) (more…)
WOOM, VELLO and KTM already presented exciting new developments for the 2018 season. The best stage for this was of course the annual Eurobike in Friedrichshafen as it is the largest commercial cycle fair in Europe. Not only do the products and prototypes presented there offer a lot of IQ in development but also a lot of E in their application. Electronic support is an omnipresent topic in the cycling industry. In all of this the first self-charging e-folding bike VELLO+ stands out. (more…)
Cycle Competence member Rosinak & Partner has just finished a comprehensive study on cycling alongside parking vehicles and the risks associated with it. The study was commissioned by the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV). All over Austria ten locations were researched via video analysis. Further, cyclists and car drivers were interviewed. The results show the risk potential for cyclists: (more…)
The number of companies, institutions and organisations making up and enriching the network of Cycle Competence Austria has grown by two to reach 26. We are welcoming the leading producer of outdoor charging stations for e-bikes, bike energy from Salzburg, as well as the mobility agency of the city of Vienna as new members of the platform.
At the world’s biggest cycling summit „Velo-city 2017“which took place mid-June in Arnhem-Nijmegen in the Dutch province of Gelderland, Cycle Competence Austria had the great opportunity to present cycling knowledge “Made in Austria” to a broad audience. The conference itself and the cycling nation number one convinced the attending 1.500 experts. (more…)
The city of Salzburg already is one of the leading cycling cities of Austria with a 20% share of cycle traffic. Now it has presented its new cycling traffic strategy “Radstrategie Salzburg 2025+”. Cycling traffic in Salzburg is to be given a strong impulse and is set to be increased to at least 24% by 2025. With additional reducing measures for car traffic a cycle traffic share of up to 28% would be possible. Cycle Competence members Rosinak & Partner and Z_GIS have contributed significantly to drawing up the cycle strategy. (more…)
Cycle Competence members Bike Citizens and komobile support citizen participation in Brussels and in Vienna’s eighths district Josefstadt – in quite different ways: Bike Citizens has co-developed the campaign “PING if you care!”. It allows cyclists in Brussels to report problem sites digitally. In Vienna’s Josefstadt komobile heads the participation process Lokale Agenda 21. Its cycling group has developed a cycling map for the district and can celebrate first political successes. (more…)
Bicycle rental systems as city transport are currently experiencing tailwind. The advantages of these systems are versatile: bicycle mobility as healthy, sustainable mode of transport is particularly promoted in traffic-afflicted cities. Catchment areas of public transport stops can be significantly widened. Further, the trend from ownership to “sharing economy” has long since reached the mobility sector.
Based on a joint initiative from France, Austria and the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) “THE PEP Partnership on Cycling” was set up in 2014 within the framework of the Transport, Health, Environment Pan-European Programme by UNECE/WHO. Cycle Competence members BMLFUW and Verracon are actively contributing to the transnational process as representatives for Austria and as partnership managers respectively. (more…)
The use of bicycles for goods transport has made it onto the traffic agenda in many European cities. This also showed at the CycleLogistics conference in Vienna in March and the cargo bike subsidy introduced by the city. Projects like CycleLogistics and EMILIA demonstrate the scope of the potential for transport by bicycle. They also point out how transport processes can be optimized the smart way. The former niche topic has become mainstream. The potential for shifting from car to cargo bike is enormous. The “Cargo Bike Boom” has certainly taken off!
Training, networking and exchange of experience take a central role in promoting cycling. The Cycling Academy (“Fahrradakademie”) of the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) has been pursuing these strategies since 2007 and once a year it is visiting a region that plays a leading role in promoting cycling traffic. In 2016 it was Copenhagen – now it is Vienna’s turn. The study trip is organized by Cycle Competence Austria. The platform also offers bespoke best practice trips for administrations, companies and institutions interested in the Austrian approach to increasing cycle traffic. (more…)
Traffic accidents involving cyclists analysed following Radlobby-inquiry to BMVIT and KfV. In April 2017, a list of questions compiled by Cycle Competence member Radlobby Austria sent to the Austrian traffic ministry BMVIT revealed new facts on cycle traffic and hazardous situations: The safety hazard for cyclists definitely is the car, as shown by the statistics supplied by Statistics Austria and analysed by the KfV (Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit, a non-profit research organization): In three out of four traffic accidents with injured cyclists involving another vehicle or person car drivers caused the accident. (more…)
Four new members are strengthening the platform “Cycle Competence Austria” since the start of 2017: The Energy and Environment Agency of Lower Austria (eNu), the province of Vorarlberg, the traffic planning company Verracon GmbH and the bicycle developer and cargo bike specialist MCS Maderna. This means the platform has grown to 24 members in its third year. (more…)
The positive health effects of physical activity are commonly well known. However, the potential of active commuting for health prevention is rarely used. A recently launched research project, “GISMO – Geographical Information Support for Healthy Mobility”, seeks to provide evidence for a comprehensive corporate mobility management, which promotes the daily commute as an opportunity for increasing the amount of physical exercise through active mobility. (more…)
A welcome court decision increases cycling safety: A cyclist’s health can be a matter of the correct distance to parking cars in case of abruptly opening car doors. Nevertheless keeping a safe distance is seen by car drivers and in some cases even the police as being against the rules. Now CycleCompetence member, lawyer Dr. Johannes Pepelnik, has clarified the allowed anti-dooring-distance to parking cars. The Vienna administrative court, the “Verwaltungsgericht” (VWG), has ruled 1.2m to 1.8m distance to parking cars are appropriate.
