Who else believes this good news story is probably beyond M. Devine's basic comprehension or research skills..? 
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Cycling: It pays to go Dutch
http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article1088929.ece
In the town of Groningen in Holland, 60 per cent of people travel by bike. What does it take to create such a cyclist's paradise? And how could it transform life here? Isabel Conway reports
Published: 15 June 2006
A lady of 70-plus zooms past me, pedalling into the wind with admirable agility, as the spire of Groningen's answer to Pisa's leaning tower, the lopsided Walfriduskerk, appears on the horizon in this, the Netherlands' sixth largest city.
She is closely followed by a Dutch mother, one child on the handlebars, another strapped on behind, expertly balancing a huge bag of shopping as she makes a sharp right turn. Not for nothing is Groningen known as "Bicycle City", in a country renowned for its use of pedal power. Nowhere is the national obsession with cycling more evident.
For 25 years, Groningen has pursued a consistent transport policy aimed at promoting the use of the bicycle and actively discouraging car use for short distances. It has earned the city accolades, such as the leading US cycling magazine Bicycle naming it "No 1 Bicycle City" of the world. And in 2002, Groningen was hailed the most cyclist-friendly city in the Netherlands by the Dutch cyclist organisation Fietsersbond.
Today, the main form of transport in Groningen is the bicycle, and 60 per cent of inhabitants travel by bike - compared with four per cent in the UK, and a national Dutch average of 25 per cent. But Groningen used to be anything but bike-friendly. The city's love affair with cycling began in earnest 16 years ago, when politicians backed radical proposals for digging up city-centre motorways to rid the city of traffic chaos and create a virtually car-free centre of green spaces, pedestrianised streets, more bike paths and separate bus lanes.
At first, the move was far from popular with the retail sector, which feared a mass exodus of shoppers to faraway shopping centres and a fall off in trade. But, in fact, the reverse has happened and businesses are clamouring for even more "cyclisation" of streets. According to city planners, the reduced congestion in the city has steadily benefited jobs and businesses. Faster journey times for employees have meant better productivity, and a nicer environment has brought in plenty of happy shoppers.
At the core of Groningen's policy is the idea of making cycling much more convenient than motoring. Cyclists in Groningen have a network of bicycle routes stretching over nearly 200km, the distance from the country's northernmost city to Amsterdam. "All across the city, roads are being narrowed, closed to traffic, while short cuts for cyclists are created; we know convenience is vital so we have made it quicker to access the centre by bicycle than by car," explains Cor van der Klaauw, who co-ordinates municipal policy on cycling. "The number of cyclists is climbing steadily and we are aiming for a 70 per cent usage rate within the next decade. You have to enter into hot competition with cars, and that's what we successfully did here in Groningen," he says.
So, could it happen here? Are there cities in Britain that could create a similar cyclists' paradise? Lukas Harms, of the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning office, which advises the Dutch government on mobility issues, points out that "the fact that the Netherlands is small, compact, and usually people live no more than six or seven kilometres from school and work, increases the attractiveness of commuting by bike, compared with other countries where distances are far greater".
But cyclists in the UK do now have cause for hope. Already, cities such as York, Hull and Cambridge, with up to 20 per cent of journeys made by bike, have demonstrated what determination and long-term planning can do. And more cities are to follow suit. Cycling England, a government-funded body charged with promoting cycling across the country, is investing £17m into a carefully selected group of English "demonstration towns". Aylesbury, Brighton, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster will each receive £1.5m over three years to create a more cycle-friendly environment, offer safety training and generally encourage residents to take up cycling. Inspired by towns such as Groningen, Cycling England hopes that success in the showcase towns will encourage the Government and local authorities UK-wide to instigate their own pro-cycling policies.
But can a nation of car-lovers dump four wheels in favour of two? Phillip Darnton, chairman of Cycling England, thinks so. He cites as an example Copenhagen, a city where, 20 years ago, four per cent of journeys were made by bike but, after sustained investment, it rose to 35 per cent. The key, he says, is long-term commitment to cycling. "It's about consistency and determination, driven by high-level political will," he says.
That will is apparent in Darlington. Owen Wilson, director of the north-eastern town's Local Motion campaign, is determined that the experiment will work. The town has matched Cycling England's investment, as all six participants have been required to do, and is optimistic that Darlington can change.
However, they may have an uphill struggle - just one per cent of journeys in a town of 90,000 is made by bicycle and the borough is distinctly cyclist-unfriendly. Why are the residents of Darlington so reluctant to jump on a bike? "Perception is a big problem here," says Wilson. "Unsurprisingly, many people think cycling is dangerous but it has been proved that the more cyclists there are on the road, the safer it is per cyclist. Drivers get used to them."
Darlington is also improving its infrastructure, which, with a 1980s ring road cutting off routes into town, is hardly conducive to cycling. "We've already started spending the money," says Wilson. "We're improving links into town and making crossing points safer." New cycle lanes and fancy traffic lights are one thing, but Wilson admits that a change in attitude is required to get people using them. "We're doing a lot of work in schools, where we have already seen a big increase in cycling."
To drive home the message that two wheels work, Darlington has embarked on a doorstepping, campaign. Over the next three years, all of the town centre's 40,000 residents can expect a knock on the door from Wilson's team, providing information and resources to encourage them to ride. But both he and Phillip Darnton, while dedicated to getting people on bikes, are realistic and targets are modest. Darlington wants to triple bike journeys by 2010.
Darnton has set his sights higher: "If cycling can be increased from the current rate to 10 per cent, while making cycling safer, the impact for people and their communities will be dramatic."
Additional reporting by Simon Usborne
A two-wheel nation
* Cycling in the Netherlands (population 16.3 million) is a way of life. With 18 million bicycles - more than one for every man, woman and child - the Netherlands has more bikes per person than anywhere in the world.
* More than one million bicycles are stolen annually, so it is said that in cities such as Amsterdam people often pay more for the lock than for the bike.
* The mainly flat Dutch landscape was made for cycling, and short distances between home and work and school make it the ideal mode of transport. There are 20,000 kilometres of safe and segregated cycle paths, recognisable by a round blue sign with a white bicycle in the middle, and white and red special cycle signposts.
* Cycle bridges, tunnels, cycle ferries and red-coloured asphalt paths alongside busy city streets and national roads complete an integrated infrastructure in which the bicycle is a means of transport rather than a recreational sport.
* Cycling on the Netherlands special network of bike paths is considered so safe that there has never been pressure for cyclists to wear helmets.
* Groningen (population 180,000) is the Netherlands' leading bicycle city: 60 per cent of people travel by bike, compared with 25 per cent nationally and four per cent in the UK.
* A 10-year bicycle programme in Groningen costing £20m has seen the numbers travelling by bike soar.
* State and private companies run incentive projects - including lotteries with prizes for the most bike miles in a year. Green-conscious politicians have called for more "carrots" to encourage bicycle use in cities such as Rotterdam, where car growth is at an all-time high and traffic congestion is horrendous.
**********************
Cycling: It pays to go Dutch
http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article1088929.ece
In the town of Groningen in Holland, 60 per cent of people travel by bike. What does it take to create such a cyclist's paradise? And how could it transform life here? Isabel Conway reports
Published: 15 June 2006
A lady of 70-plus zooms past me, pedalling into the wind with admirable agility, as the spire of Groningen's answer to Pisa's leaning tower, the lopsided Walfriduskerk, appears on the horizon in this, the Netherlands' sixth largest city.
She is closely followed by a Dutch mother, one child on the handlebars, another strapped on behind, expertly balancing a huge bag of shopping as she makes a sharp right turn. Not for nothing is Groningen known as "Bicycle City", in a country renowned for its use of pedal power. Nowhere is the national obsession with cycling more evident.
For 25 years, Groningen has pursued a consistent transport policy aimed at promoting the use of the bicycle and actively discouraging car use for short distances. It has earned the city accolades, such as the leading US cycling magazine Bicycle naming it "No 1 Bicycle City" of the world. And in 2002, Groningen was hailed the most cyclist-friendly city in the Netherlands by the Dutch cyclist organisation Fietsersbond.
Today, the main form of transport in Groningen is the bicycle, and 60 per cent of inhabitants travel by bike - compared with four per cent in the UK, and a national Dutch average of 25 per cent. But Groningen used to be anything but bike-friendly. The city's love affair with cycling began in earnest 16 years ago, when politicians backed radical proposals for digging up city-centre motorways to rid the city of traffic chaos and create a virtually car-free centre of green spaces, pedestrianised streets, more bike paths and separate bus lanes.
At first, the move was far from popular with the retail sector, which feared a mass exodus of shoppers to faraway shopping centres and a fall off in trade. But, in fact, the reverse has happened and businesses are clamouring for even more "cyclisation" of streets. According to city planners, the reduced congestion in the city has steadily benefited jobs and businesses. Faster journey times for employees have meant better productivity, and a nicer environment has brought in plenty of happy shoppers.
At the core of Groningen's policy is the idea of making cycling much more convenient than motoring. Cyclists in Groningen have a network of bicycle routes stretching over nearly 200km, the distance from the country's northernmost city to Amsterdam. "All across the city, roads are being narrowed, closed to traffic, while short cuts for cyclists are created; we know convenience is vital so we have made it quicker to access the centre by bicycle than by car," explains Cor van der Klaauw, who co-ordinates municipal policy on cycling. "The number of cyclists is climbing steadily and we are aiming for a 70 per cent usage rate within the next decade. You have to enter into hot competition with cars, and that's what we successfully did here in Groningen," he says.
So, could it happen here? Are there cities in Britain that could create a similar cyclists' paradise? Lukas Harms, of the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning office, which advises the Dutch government on mobility issues, points out that "the fact that the Netherlands is small, compact, and usually people live no more than six or seven kilometres from school and work, increases the attractiveness of commuting by bike, compared with other countries where distances are far greater".
But cyclists in the UK do now have cause for hope. Already, cities such as York, Hull and Cambridge, with up to 20 per cent of journeys made by bike, have demonstrated what determination and long-term planning can do. And more cities are to follow suit. Cycling England, a government-funded body charged with promoting cycling across the country, is investing £17m into a carefully selected group of English "demonstration towns". Aylesbury, Brighton, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster will each receive £1.5m over three years to create a more cycle-friendly environment, offer safety training and generally encourage residents to take up cycling. Inspired by towns such as Groningen, Cycling England hopes that success in the showcase towns will encourage the Government and local authorities UK-wide to instigate their own pro-cycling policies.
But can a nation of car-lovers dump four wheels in favour of two? Phillip Darnton, chairman of Cycling England, thinks so. He cites as an example Copenhagen, a city where, 20 years ago, four per cent of journeys were made by bike but, after sustained investment, it rose to 35 per cent. The key, he says, is long-term commitment to cycling. "It's about consistency and determination, driven by high-level political will," he says.
That will is apparent in Darlington. Owen Wilson, director of the north-eastern town's Local Motion campaign, is determined that the experiment will work. The town has matched Cycling England's investment, as all six participants have been required to do, and is optimistic that Darlington can change.
However, they may have an uphill struggle - just one per cent of journeys in a town of 90,000 is made by bicycle and the borough is distinctly cyclist-unfriendly. Why are the residents of Darlington so reluctant to jump on a bike? "Perception is a big problem here," says Wilson. "Unsurprisingly, many people think cycling is dangerous but it has been proved that the more cyclists there are on the road, the safer it is per cyclist. Drivers get used to them."
Darlington is also improving its infrastructure, which, with a 1980s ring road cutting off routes into town, is hardly conducive to cycling. "We've already started spending the money," says Wilson. "We're improving links into town and making crossing points safer." New cycle lanes and fancy traffic lights are one thing, but Wilson admits that a change in attitude is required to get people using them. "We're doing a lot of work in schools, where we have already seen a big increase in cycling."
To drive home the message that two wheels work, Darlington has embarked on a doorstepping, campaign. Over the next three years, all of the town centre's 40,000 residents can expect a knock on the door from Wilson's team, providing information and resources to encourage them to ride. But both he and Phillip Darnton, while dedicated to getting people on bikes, are realistic and targets are modest. Darlington wants to triple bike journeys by 2010.
Darnton has set his sights higher: "If cycling can be increased from the current rate to 10 per cent, while making cycling safer, the impact for people and their communities will be dramatic."
Additional reporting by Simon Usborne
A two-wheel nation
* Cycling in the Netherlands (population 16.3 million) is a way of life. With 18 million bicycles - more than one for every man, woman and child - the Netherlands has more bikes per person than anywhere in the world.
* More than one million bicycles are stolen annually, so it is said that in cities such as Amsterdam people often pay more for the lock than for the bike.
* The mainly flat Dutch landscape was made for cycling, and short distances between home and work and school make it the ideal mode of transport. There are 20,000 kilometres of safe and segregated cycle paths, recognisable by a round blue sign with a white bicycle in the middle, and white and red special cycle signposts.
* Cycle bridges, tunnels, cycle ferries and red-coloured asphalt paths alongside busy city streets and national roads complete an integrated infrastructure in which the bicycle is a means of transport rather than a recreational sport.
* Cycling on the Netherlands special network of bike paths is considered so safe that there has never been pressure for cyclists to wear helmets.
* Groningen (population 180,000) is the Netherlands' leading bicycle city: 60 per cent of people travel by bike, compared with 25 per cent nationally and four per cent in the UK.
* A 10-year bicycle programme in Groningen costing £20m has seen the numbers travelling by bike soar.
* State and private companies run incentive projects - including lotteries with prizes for the most bike miles in a year. Green-conscious politicians have called for more "carrots" to encourage bicycle use in cities such as Rotterdam, where car growth is at an all-time high and traffic congestion is horrendous.
