The pilot application of the AllRad research project is launched to test the designed measures to improve bike lane maintenance. The one-year pilot phase to implement the measures will take place in the cities of Mainz, Munich, and Münster. Along with technical and organizational approaches, communication measures are also incorporated in the improvements.
The aim of the project is to increase the attractiveness of bicycle riding and thus the use of bicycles in everyday life as a result of improved operational maintenance of the bicycle path networks. The project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the German National Cycling Plan.
On the basis of an online survey of the general public conducted between October and December 2020 and interviews with the responsible maintenance depots and bicycle agencies, measures were designed that can be implemented with the cities as part of the pilot program. A selection of these measures will be tested in each of the participating cities.
Optimization of problem reporting process
Maintenance depots rely on reports from the public to quickly identify and correct any problems. However, on the reporting platforms used, residents are often not given any feedback on the handling of a reported problem. To promote understanding of the processes and with it the satisfaction of residents, text templates will be created as part of the project and automatic feedback functions based on them will be set up.
Avoiding obstacles
Obstacles on the bicycle infrastructure pose an inconvenience and, above all, a risk of accidents for people on bikes. In cooperation with law enforcement agencies, highly impacted locations in the infrastructure are to be identified and appropriate recommendations for the route planning of inspections are to be made in order to prevent illegal parking on bicycle lanes in the long term.
A related issue to parking violations are portable obstacles such as garbage cans, parked e-scooters and bikes that are on the bike path infrastructure. Preventive action is to be taken against this with communication that is directed at the source of the problem and explains the issue and the consequences.
Communication concept
Presenting the services provided by the maintenance depots and cities in a transparent manner promotes understanding among the general public. In the context of the project, work on bike path maintenance is to be communicated and explained using the cities' social networks. Flyers will be used to draw attention to the new communication strategy and extend its reach accordingly.
Junked bicycles and long-term bike parkers
Bicycles that have been abandoned and are not fit for use in traffic take up large portions of bicycle parking facilities and other areas. Regular removal of such bikes is necessary to maintain bicycle parking capacity.
Within the scope of the project, process security and optimization are to be implemented, which makes it possible to remove abandoned bikes faster and to maintain the bicycle parking capacities. In addition to the process measures, preventive attention is to be drawn to the problem with outdoor advertising and posts on social networks. The design of the posts, posters and flyers is based on the communication concept.
Outlook
Following the one-year pilot period, the impact of the measures will be assessed by means of another survey of the general public in the three cities. A new survey of the maintenance depots will provide insights into the implementation process. The project will conclude in March 2023 with a guide recommending effective measures and describing their implementation for other municipalities.
For more information see allrad.hs-mainz.de
Picture: Selected measures (Source: Leandro Boogalu, pexel.com)
