Ride Your Bike!
When it comes to the transformation of urban mobility, the bicycle is key to a climate-friendly solution. The city of Düsseldorf and companies based here are also called upon to establish the bike as a genuine alternative to the car.
Düsseldorf is actually the ideal city for cycling: manageable, green and with few inclines. In times of climate change and energy crisis, cycling is becoming more and more popular, not only here, but in Germany and around the world. For the city of Düsseldorf, the promotion of cycling and the expansion of the corresponding infrastructure has accordingly become an essential component of mobility planning.These are also central issues for the ADFC, which was founded in Bremen in 1979 and is a constantly growing lobby association for cyclists in Germany. We are now the largest lobby group worldwide,” says Lerke Tyra, chairwoman of the ADFC Düsseldorf e.V. In addition to its advisory activities, one of the ADFC's fundamental tasks is to intervene in local transport policy - and this is what it does: for example, in the Small Commission for Cycling, which was set up in accordance with a city council resolution of 10 December 2020 and is “involved in local transport planning”. December 2020 and “in which all parties in the city council, but also the ADFC and the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) are represented with voting rights,” explains Matthias Arkenstette, member of the Small Commission for Cycling and advisory member of the transport committee for the ADFC.
“It is about the announced, fairer distribution of public space: cars, public transport, pedestrians, cyclists ...”
The most important issue for all participants is the expansion and improvement of the cycling infrastructure in the sense of a main cycling network, i.e. cycle paths and cycle guidance routes that run like axes across the city and are intended to make cycling not only safer, but above all more attractive. The city is currently working on two cycle routes, one from north to south, another from west to east, which will run from Meerbusch through the city centre to Gerresheim.
Jochen Kral, head of the mobility department of the city of Düsseldorf, is certain that this will create a very cohesive, high-quality cycle path combination in the future. But he also knows that its implementation will be very challenging in a city like Düsseldorf, where there is little space. The ADFC shares this view. “It is about the announced, fairer distribution of public space: cars, public transport, pedestrians, cyclists ... Car traffic definitely has to give up lanes and parking spaces, there is no other way,” Matthias Arkenstette knows. Therefore, the ADFC demands that the space for each traffic participant be clearly separated, as has long been the custom in Denmark or the Netherlands. In addition, more and more Düsseldorfers must be persuaded to switch to cycling.
An important sub-project of the mobility plan of the city of Düsseldorf is to improve the parking conditions for bikes. Therefore, among other things, the construction of rentable bicycle storage facilities is planned. The trend of cargo bikes is also important for the city of Düsseldorf. The corresponding funding programmes for 2023 are currently being amended. Matthias Arkenstette is certain that e-bikes and pedelecs must also be included in the mobility turnaround, as they offer great potential, especially for commuters.
It is important to create a cycling culture in the city of Düsseldorf that everyone can benefit from, including businesses, says Lerke Tyra. “Some retailers are afraid that customers will stay away if you ban cars from shopping streets. However, according to scientific research on the behaviour of cycling customers, they ride into town more often, can stop spontaneously at any time and therefore spend more in retail and restaurants.”
Bicycle-friendly means that cyclists can ride for as long as possible with-out having to get off their bikes or constantly wait at red lights, as is the case, for example, on the cycle paths along the Rhine in the old town.
Matthias Arkenstette would like Düsseldorf companies to take more responsibility when it comes to the transport transformation: “It is important that employees come to work by bike if possible. A company can contribute a lot to this: bicycle parking spaces protected from rain and rooms where sweaty cyclists can change or shower ... Companies need to be more creative in this area.” For the ADFC, it's about a change in mentality. That is why it has been awarding the EU-wide “Bike-friendly Employers” certificate since 2017. “This certificate also has benefits for the companies: Bicycle parking is cheaper on balance, it has been proven that cyclists have fewer sick days, and there are even studies that show that exercise increases employee motivation and company loyalty. We at the ADFC are happy to advise companies,” promises Lerke Tyra.
“Traffic has to be decelerated! ”
The state capital Düsseldorf also calls on companies to actively participate in the mobility transformation in a new brochure entitled “Mobility Partnership Düsseldorf – Business and City”. The Henkel Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf-Reisholz, has already been involved since 2019. In principle, mobility is an important factor for the company alongside production in order to make its sites more sustainable, explains Ursula Kammelter-Reihs, Head of Logistics & General Services, Infrastructure Services Henkel. In addition to expanding the infrastructure for emission-free mobility at Henkel sites, the company wants to support employees in using alternative and environmentally friendly means of transport instead of their own cars. “We have a well-developed cycling infrastructure that includes marked cycle paths, covered parking spaces, tyre pumping facilities and adapted entrances and exits at the gates. In addition, there are company bikes that employees can use to get around our approximately 1.4 km² site,” says Ulrike Kammelter-Reihs. Henkel has already been offering its employees a bicycle leasing concept at attractive conditions since 2019: They can rent up to two bicycles, pedelecs, e-bikes or cargo bikes, which can be used both for commuting to work and for private purposes. The offer has been very well received.
The state capital Düsseldorf wants to become more and more bike-friendly and thus more liveable in the coming years: one in four journeys in the state capital should be made by bike. The goal is to make Düsseldorf one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Germany. However, there is still a long way to go until then, says Matthias Arkenstette. “Traffic has to be decelerated! Denmark and the Netherlands show how to make cities bike-friendly. After all, we all have something to gain from it!” •
An important project of the mobility plan of the city of Düsseldorf: to offer residents more parking facilities for bikes, e.g. lockable bike stands.
Words Katja Vaders
Pictures PR