Height Examples

Context 1000m/100 km is the ACEA proposed limit for accumulated height Following examples are from moderately high areas of Europe (Alps, Pyrenees, etc. not evaluated). All trips are covering at least a medium sized city, many are in quite densely populated areas Google maps bike routes have been used, only available in selected EU states (Germany, France, Belgium, UK…) Trips are of course not RDE compliant, but serve as indication (~1/3 urban, ~100 km in length).

As RDE trips have to start with an urban part, the starting location is always in the city. Most of trips we made randomly, without any prior knowledge of the area (not picking the worst uphill parts). Google cycling paths are always "choosing" the least demanding trip for the bike driver (logical), not the shortest one. Inside the city, only streets for bicycles can be used – for instance in Brussels, this means all steep underpasses and tunnels are avoided. Resolution is probably low, with more exact measurements the height would have been bigger.

EU cities and routes 1256 m/100 km Sheffield – Huddersfield. not in the most hilly parts of the country (NOT Wales or Scotland). Significantly over the limit.

Manchester -> NO2 exceedance 993 m/100 km Manchester -> NO2 exceedance Manchester – Sheffield UK, not in the most hilly parts of the country (NOT Wales or Scotland). Very close to the limit.

Newcastle -> NO2 exceedance 906 m/100 km Newcastle -> NO2 exceedance Newcastle – Carlisle. Under the limit, but on the optimal route between these cities.

Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance 1108 m/100 km Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance Variations after the SAME Luxembourg city trip – this one is towards Germany.

Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance 957 m/100 km Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance Variations after the SAME Luxembourg city trip – this one is towards Germany, but further to the north.

Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance 969 m/100 km Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance Variations after the SAME Luxembourg city trip – this one is towards France.

Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance 953 m/100 km Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance Variations after the SAME Luxembourg city trip – this one is towards Belgium.

Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance 1146 m/100 km Luxembourg -> NO2 exceedance Variations after the SAME Luxembourg city trip – this one is inside Luxembourg, over the limit!!! All Luxembourg trips show how difficult is to make a valid trip with a border value at 1000m.

1286 m/100 km Liege – Bastogne, Belgium. This shows that significant exceedances of the limit can be found even in Belgium.

1205 m/100 km Liege – SW, Belgium. This shows that significant exceedances of the limit can be found even in Belgium.

Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz -> all with NO2 exceedance 1094 m/100 km Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz -> all with NO2 exceedance Mainz Wiesbaden Koblenz. Very populated part of Germany, over the limit!

Kassel -> NO2 exceedance 1075 m/100 km Kassel -> NO2 exceedance Kassel to the West. Over the limit! A lot added in the city (river valley)

Freiburg -> NO2 exceedance 1333 m/100 km Freiburg -> NO2 exceedance Freiburg to east. Demonstrates that only valid trips from Freiburg can be made along the Rhine, nearly every one to the east is over the limit.

Lyon and St. Etienne -> NO2 exceedance 1068 m/100 km Lyon – St. Etienne. Higher than the limit! Similar routes possible all over the South-Central France.

824 m/100 km Saarbrucken - Luxembourg. Only the optimal path, following the river is under the limit, because a lot of height is already added in the city.

1426 m/100 km SAME city trip in Saarbrucken, this time a different route to the countryside – significantly higher than the limit. 8 German states show problems with the boundary at 1000m/100 km (NOT including the Alpine parts!).

1029 m/100 km Jena - Zwickau. Another over the limit, this time in Thuringia.

Brussels city routes Brussels -> NO2 exceedance 250 m GAINED Following examples show significant differences between multiple routes in a city. Brussels is definitively Not a mountainous city, but a lot of accumulated height can be gained.

184 m GAINED

156 m GAINED

56 m GAINED North – South, along the Canal – small addition to the accumulated height.

185 m GAINED East - West, perpendicular to the Canal – addition to the accumulated height is more than three times bigger!

Mediterranean cities and routes 1093 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Marseille + surroundings, No1

Marseille -> NO2 exceedance 1189 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Marseille + surroundings, No 2

Marseille -> NO2 exceedance 1041 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Marseille - Toulon

Marseille -> NO2 exceedance 1187 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Marseille – Toulon, route 2

Marseille -> NO2 exceedance 800 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Under the limit only because of a long flat stretch!!!

Marseille -> NO2 exceedance 1057 m/100 km Marseille -> NO2 exceedance Over the limit, even with a long coastal part!!!

1860 m/100 km Seriously higher than the limit!!! Even though it is a coastal route (Menton -> Cannes). This is representative for a big part of Mediterranean. See Liguria, just over border (for example Genoa)

1340 m/100 km Ajaccio, Corsica, higher than the limit! This a relatively gentle Corsican route – not going significantly to the interior.

1464 m/100 km Bastia,Corsica, significantly higher than the limit! Only part of the route going to the interior. Quite representative for Sardinia, Sicily, Cyprus, Baleares, Canaries, Crete…

GPS visualizer – different software, questionable resolution, for indication of other MS Genoa city trip + trip to La Spezia. Profile on the right is just an indication (values are very high)

GPS visualizer – different software, questionable resolution, for indication of other MS Bilbao city trip + trip to San Sebastian. Profile on the right is just an indication (values are very high)

Some ideas/conclusions: The parameter itself seems relatively reasonable, but the limit is too low. There are numerous examples from these countries which are very close to the proposed limit or are substantially over it. A bit more hilly city can add 200-300 m of altitude gain BEFORE going to the countryside. See multiple Brussels examples. Serious issues with coastal cities, especially at the Mediterranean. Such cities go quite steep, and a normal trip inside the city (couple of times going from the harbour to the inner-city ) adds a lot of height

Best examples are from Southern France and Corsica. Even quite coastal trips add a lot of height. Practically any trip going from such a city to interior would be invalid. It can be assumed that it is similar in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece… These countries cannot be shown in Google Maps cycle paths. Similarly, cities with a river making a deeper valley are also problematic (a lot of height added in the urban part).