December 27, 2019
In February 2017, the Speaker of the House of Representatives offered the offer letter regarding the Tour de Force agenda on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. Tour de Force is an initiative of decentralized governments and central government to keep the Netherlands number one in cycling. Due to the great social importance, various parties have joined the ambition to achieve a 20% growth in the number of bicycle kilometers between 2017 and 2027:
- Municipalities and provinces;
- Interest groups: NS, ANWB, BOVAG, Fietsersbond, Stichting Natuur & Milieu and VVN;
- Companies involved in cycling policy in the Netherlands.
The Tour de Force cycling agenda consists of eight themes
1. Netherlands leading cycling country
Accessibility is under pressure from growing urbanization and increasing traffic. Cyclists are faster in cities, cycling is healthy, bicycles do not emit waste products and are relatively inexpensive. Cyclists contribute to the functioning of society and the economy. The goal is therefore to put the Dutch bicycle on the map worldwide. For the Dutch business community, there are plenty of opportunities and starting points for this within Tour de Force.
2. More space for bicycles in cities
Many Dutch cities have successfully focused on encouraging bicycle use over the past decade. As a result, there is a need for a better bicycle network and more bicycle parking. A shortage of about one hundred thousand bicycle parking spaces is expected until 2030. Projects in the form of pilots are popping up all over the country to creatively solve these problems.
3. Quality boost for regional bicycle routes.
For commuters and schoolchildren who cycle to work and school every day, safe and comfortable bicycle connections must be provided. In addition to improving the main bicycle network in cities, new express bicycle routes are being constructed between cities to optimize regional connectivity for cycling. Currently, about 25 express bicycle routes have been completed or are under construction in the Netherlands.
4. Optimize bike-to-bike and car-to-bike transfers.
Use of bicycles to travel to the train station increased from 36% to 43% between 2005 and 2016. Nearly 75% of frequent train travelers choose to use a bicycle. To get from the train station to the final destination, bicycle use increased from 10% to 13%. A larger number of people then choose bus, streetcar or metro. Tour de Force's goal is to further increase the bicycle-ov-bicycle and car-bicycle transfer. Projects such as the availability of open data on the chain and chain facilities, the introduction of open standards for share bike systems and E lockers are among them.
5. Specific bicycle target groups
In the 35 major cities, children and migrants receive bicycle lessons to teach them how to cycle safely and get them to stay on their bikes permanently. For migrant women in particular, this creates a greater living environment, cycling promotes health, and cycling offers them a more independent life with a greater chance of employment.
Fifty percent of employees who live within 7.5 kilometers of their jobs go to work by car. The government encourages employers to provide good bicycle facilities and to give a mileage allowance for cyclists. The e-bike even extends the 7.5-kilometer radius to 15 kilometers, further increasing the number of employees who could bike to work.
6. Fewer bicycle casualties
The number of seriously injured bicycle casualties has been increasing in recent years and mostly involves the elderly. This is because the Netherlands is aging and the number of elderly people on bicycles is increasing. It appears that elderly cyclists are remarkably often involved in accidents where no other road user is involved. There will be measures for busy bicycle lanes and training for the elderly. In addition, projects have begun in which "forgiving bike lanes" are constructed that take into account that a cyclist can make mistakes. For example, these bike lanes do not have bollards, but do have sloped curbs, wide curve radii and white edge bars.
7. Less bicycle theft
Bicycle theft is one of the most common forms of crime and has a negative effect on the image of bicycles. By expanding unique identification such as frame numbers and the bicycle theft registry, common bicycles can be better tracked. In addition, secure bicycle parking is necessary and ICT applications such as GPS anti-theft tracking can reduce the number of stolen bicycles.
8. Knowledge infrastructure and data
Within the Tour de Force, fourteen ambitious cycling cities work closely together: Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Den Bosch, The Hague, Eindhoven, Enschede, Goes, Groningen, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Utrecht and Zwolle. Their objective is to achieve common benefits by exchanging knowledge, setting up pilots and acquiring more government financial support for large-scale urban cycling investment programs.
Knowledge of the cycling world and data systems to implement more effective policies are necessary. A knowledge site bicycle data platform will be developed with an accessible data structure.
