DKIn some cases, it may be a good idea to let a cycle superhighway go through main streets and shopping streets. The advantage of these types of streets is that they often offer the most direct route and at the same time provide access to many different attractions and functions – shops, workplaces, public transport hubs, businesses, and housing. Urban life on the these kind of streets can contribute to a varied experience for passing cyclists, and the cyclists themselves bring life to the streets in the form of traffic at a human scale and speed.
Considerations for cycle superhighways on main streets and shopping streets
Due to the many functions of main streets and shopping streets, there are often many other interests and considerations to take into account, such as pedestrians and sidewalks, outdoor seating, product displays, urban plantation, bicycle parking, car parking, goods delivery and other urban space inventory.
These aspects can make it difficult to fulfil the five Cycle superhighways quality objectives, and the decision whether to let a Cycle superhighway through a main street or shopping streets, or an alternative route course around the main street, will therefore need to be based on a case-by-case assessment.
In this context, you should therefore consider what the alternative route is like:
- Is it longer?
- Is it unsafe?
- Is there a lot of traffic?
- Is there existing cycling infrastructure to build on?
- Does it connect to other functions?
- Is it possible to ensure a logical route?
All of these factors and more must be taken into account in an overall assessment and comparison between the two (or more) route alternatives.
Initiatives on cycle superhigways through main streets and shopping streets
If it is decided that the cycle superhighways should run along a main street or shopping streets, you need to clarify how to best integrate the superhighways into the street.
Here you can find a number of recommendations to help create good conditions on the cycle superhighway:
Primary solution: Unidirectional cycle paths of sufficient width
When establishing a cycle superhighway through a shopping street, the first priority is always to establish unidirectional cycle paths on both sides of the road according to the recommendations for cycle superhighways. The following widths are recommended for unidirectional cycle paths on cycle superhighways:
| Path type/Traffic volume in peak hours | Up to 200 cyclists | Up to 1.500 cyclists | More than 1.500 cyclists |
| Unidirectional cycle paths along roads | 2,25-2,5 m | 2,5-3,0 m | min. 3,0-3,5 m |
If there is curbside parking along the cycle path, there is a risk that cyclists can be hit by car doors being opened. This problem can be minimised by establishing a safety zone next to the parked cars. This safety zone should be min. be 0,3 metres and preferably 0,5 metres.
Alternative solutions: How should the function of the street be prioritised?
If it is not possible to establish unidirectional cycle paths, you should look at the overall functions you want the street to have and make a conscious and well-considered prioritisation based on this. Consider which of the following parameters are the most important:
- High accessibility for cars?
- High accessibility for bicycles?
- Car parking spaces?
- Ample space for pedestrian shoppers?
When choosing a street to accommodate a cycle superhighway, this should imply a certain prioritisation of cyclists’ conditions and special attention should be paid to the quality objectives of cycle superhighways: coherence, accessibility, comfort, safety and security.
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- Coherency will often already be present on a main street or shopping street, as the cycle superhighway is inherently well connected to important activities. Therefore, connectivity does not need to be worked with as a first priority.
- Accessibility, on the other hand, will often be challenged due to many traffic lights, crossing pedestrians, cars to and from car parks, delivery vans, etc.
- Comfort can be problematic if there are cobblestones, tiles or other uneven surfaces
- Safety can be challenged by, for example, opening car doors, bus traffic and many crossing pedestrians.
- Perceived safety can be affected when the street has many different functions and activities. It can be challenging to orientate yourself
Attempting to meet these quality goals will often lead to a need to re-prioritise space in the streetscape to increase space for cyclists (e.g. at the expense of space for cars).
One way to do this is to turn parking spaces into cycle lanes. Bikes take up less space than cars – both when travelling and when parked. Thus, appealing to shoppers by bike can make economic sense for businesses too. Studies show that motorists spend more money per shopping trip than cyclists, but cyclists have more frequent shopping trips1Incentive Partners: Indkøb og transportvaner i København, 2012. Link, 2 Citycreators.dk: Transport, forbrug og adfærd – en undersøgelse af danskernes handelsliv, 2015. Link , 3Frberhverv.dk: Indkøb og cyklisme på Frederiksbergs handelsstrøg, 2018. Link , 4CityLab: The Complete Business Case for Converting Street Parking Into Bike Lanes, 2015. Link.
By eliminating street parking along a shopping street/main street, for example, you can also contribute to a more attractive urban space and attract more shoppers. At the same time, you can work to establish good bicycle parking conditions for shoppers. For example, one car parking space can be converted into 10 bicycle parking spaces, resulting in space for more shoppers. Car shoppers can instead be directed to short-term parking on side streets and to larger car parks on either private or public land. The disadvantage of drivers having to walk a little further can be offset by better signposting to parking spaces in the larger car parks.
Alternative solutions
If you can’t create unidirectional cycle paths of sufficient width, there are several alternative solutions you can use:
Traffic management
If it is unavoidable that cyclists have to share the space with motorists, you should make sure that the speed of cars is low enough to not make it unsafe for cyclists. This usually means a maximum speed of 30 km/h – and preferably lower.
This goal can be achieved, for example, by establishing traffic calming initiatives to reduce the speed cars (chicanes, bumps and raised surfaces etc.). Closing the street to through traffic can also be considered, which will reduce the number of cars as well as their speed, thus creating a calmer traffic environment for the benefit of all users of the street.
Establishing a bicycle street
Often it can be difficult to create space for actual cycle paths due to a local desire to maintain curbside parking for cars, among other things. In such cases, it can be considered to establish a bicycle street on the route. Establishing a bicycle street can ensure good accessibility and safety for cyclists while maintaining other functions and areas (curbside parking, outdoor seating, etc.).
Temporary pilot projects
Often the redesign of shopping streets can involve big political decisions and many concerns about what the redesign will mean for the urban environment and retail life – both for users and retailers. One way to address these concerns is to work with temporary redesigns as pilot projects before a final (and more costly) construction solution is found. The final projects can often be simulated with movable urban furniture, traffic calming measures and with pavement markings and bollards. The advantage of this method is that the project can be continuously optimized by moving or scaling the movable elements.
 Temporary pilot project with cycle path widening at the expense of lane width. Nørrebrogade, Copenhagen, in June 2009. Photo: Google Street View. |  Previously, cyclists had to share the road with cars through Skanderborg. A temporary experiment with pavement markings and bollards on Adelgade ensures cyclists having their own cycle path and the project has been a success for everyone – including businesses. Photo: Skanderborg Municipality. |
Bicycle connections and routes through main streets
Below are examples of places where a bicycle connection runs through a main street. The first image shows an existing cycle superhighway, the second image shows a planned cycle superhighway and the third image shows an existing cycle superhighway near the main street in the image.
References
- Incentive Partners: Indkøb og transportvaner i København, 2012. Link
- Citycreators.dk: Transport, forbrug og adfærd – en undersøgelse af danskernes handelsliv, 2015. Link
- Frberhverv.dk: Indkøb og cyklisme på Frederiksbergs handelsstrøg, 2018. Link
- CityLab: The Complete Business Case for Converting Street Parking Into Bike Lanes, 2015. Link
