1 Municipal Cooperation to Promote Cycling

2 Contents  Accountability for local mobility  Jointly coordinated routes  Cycling policy through the Länder  Networking and cooperation  Municipal Cycling Conference  Municipal alliances for the Land  Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia  Mecklenburg-West Pomerania  Consortium of bicycle-friendly municipalities in Baden- Württemberg

3 Accountability for local mobility Traditionally strong local self-government Municipal level  Primary responsibilities for urban and transport planning  General mobility enhancement for pedestrians and cyclists Administrative districts – particularly in rural areas  coordinate the planning schemes of their cities and towns.  decide on funding of public transport services and of their own roads.  plan to create broader transport networks

4 Accountability for local mobility (2) Leading municipal associations  Need for cooperation to represent interests at the Länder and federal level Joint research centre German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu)  Clearing house for cycling policy  Publisher of “Cycling Expertise Files”

5 Jointly coordinated routes Regional cooperation among municipalities  Interlink communities  Allow cross-border cycling tourism with integrated routes  Uniform signposting

6 Jointly coordinated routes (2) Experience in regional municipal cooperation  Common public institutions with own funding, i. e. joint local authority ventures in the areas  Public transport  Wastewater management  Efficient structure: one municipality handles the duties of its neighbours as well Coordination of routes for cycling tourism  Connected to local tourism structures  Responsibility for overseeing intermunicipal cycling routes often by  Tourism associations  Administrative districts

7 Active promotion of cycling policy through the Länder Cycling path networks  Link-up of individual routes by cooperating municipalities Establishing of development framework  Manuals on infrastructure for cycling path network  Newsletters for municipal players  Providing state infrastructural funding Support by specialized planning offices Integrated networks despite roads and paths under different ownership, fundings from different sources, planning conflicts with road construction schemes, nature conservation and large privately owned plots

8 Active promotion through the Länder: Example NRW North Rhine-Westphalia Land-spanning cycling network in 10 years time Tourist and everyday routes Signposting infrastructure  Municipalities can add information of their own accord with additional uniform signs  Earmarked funding tools High-quality directions (bicycle parking at major railway stations, online route planner, navigation system)

9 Municipal networking and cooperation Municipal Coordination Group for Cycling (KoKo-Rad)  Municipal demand for more representation on cycling policy matters  Five municipal representatives from three leading municipal associations  Three transport officers Tasks: Aid for the leading municipal associations in  Drawing up issue-related opinions  Formulating suggestions to improve the cycling promotion in municipalities (lobby work)

10 Municipal networking and cooperation Tasks of the Koko-Rad (part 2)  preparing the annual municipal cycling conference programme  Coordination and advising of the municipal representatives of the advisory council on cycling at the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS)  Helps update the body of rules and regulation  Supervises ancillary research for BMVBS projects

11 Municipal Cycling Conference Key annual meeting for experience sharing among those responsible for cycling policy in public administrations Aims:  to network players across Germany  to involve the leading municipal associations  to activate initiatives in the given hosting region (provide incentives)  to address the leadership in administrations and politics Organized in the framework of the ‚Bicycle Academy‘ by the German Institute for Urban Affairs (Difu) Only local government administrators Participants:  2007: 125 (Göttingen)  2008: 158 (Frankfurt-Main)  2009: 186 (Potsdam)  2010: 184 (Karlsruhe)

12 Municipal alliances for the Land Municipalities form bike-friendly alliances Improvement of experience sharing Jointly promoting their interests Higher efficiency through  common campaign  joint informational flyers for cyclists and planners Initiative often lies with the Länder, but different approaches are followed

13 Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Cities, Administrative Districts and Municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia (AGFS) NRW  still dominated by traditional industries  densely and highly populated Land in Germany „Strength through dialogue“: link bike-friendly municipalities and cities  locally available resources  funding from the Land NRW available for members  conditions for joining:  explicit council resolution to ambitiously promote cycling action programme  “successfully passed entrance examination” administered by a review commission for cycling in cities.

14 Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Cities, NRW (AGFS) (2) AGFS offers  array of brochures on specialist topics  Conventions  Competitions  guideline for new members with its view on how to pursue a successful cycling policy 57 members of the AGFS on the 1st of March 2010 in red (cities) and orange (municipalities).

15 Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (MV) Network Starkly different conditions than in NRW:  low population density  little purchasing power  shrinking populations  dynamic cycling tourism (beyond the Baltic Sea coast) Interministerial Working Group on Cycling Policy (IMAG Radverkehr)  bundles responsibilities for cycling path infrastructure spread over various ministries (Transport, Agriculture, Tourism).  coordinate the use and provision of signs on existing cycling paths. MV Bike a committee that concentrates on promoting experience sharing among municipalities.

16 Working Group on Cycling Policy by MV State Ministries Municipalities Concrete Projects Clearing House Giving Advice MV-bike Advisory Council Delegates Membership Collaboration Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV) Collaboration Scheme on Cycling „Think thank“ on Cycling in MV Organisation, Funded Projects, Evaluation Collaboration

17 Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Municipalities in Baden- Württemberg (AGFK-BW)

18 Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Municipalities in Baden- Württemberg (AGFK-BW) (2) BW  affluent Land with many  high-tech industries and a  long tradition of municipal independence Aims  advise its members  offers services to support and disencumber employees in member municipality administrations in their task of information gathering. AGFK-BW is confirmed by a political resolution

19 Consortium of Bicycle-Friendly Municipalities in Baden- Württemberg (AGFK-BW) (3) Financing  Member contributions from municipalities.  The Land BW also provides the network with financial support through:  an internal AGFK-BW project office at BW‘s public transportation organization;  specific member projects;  the project-run internet portal – a central communication platform (providing news, practical examples, forthcoming dates in the cycling calendar).

20 Conclusions Positive effects of horizontal municipal networks for cycling promotion:  help implement projects such as cycling routes,  pool municipal resources for cycling promotion at Land level and  facilitate access to state funding  More effective lobby work at the federal level possible through communication between municipal networks and the leading municipal associations

21 Sources and Links Second German federal government cycling report on the state of cycling in the Federal Republic of Germany, 2007: Bundesregierung-barrierefrei.pdf (in German) Bundesregierung-barrierefrei.pdf (in German) Mecklenburg-West Pomerania North-Rhine Westphalia Route planner (in English) NRW Cycling Network (in English) Baden-W ü rttemberg Imprint Publisher: German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) gGmbH, Zimmerstraße 13–15, Berlin, Department Mobility and Infrastructure. Editors: Sara Van Boeckhout, Jörg Thiemann-Linden,