Route maintenance

To foster good cooperation among the authorities responsible for a cycle superhighway, it’s a good idea to keep all parts regularly informed about developments on the route. This can be achieved through annual route meetings, where municipalities update each other on the status and upcoming plans for their respective route strechtes. Additionally, these meetings can serve as forums for sharing knowledge about new solutions and projects.

In the Cycle Superhighway Collaboration in the Capital Region, the Cycle Superhighway Office facilitates these annual route meetings.

Route inspection is a method for systematically and periodically assessing the condition of the route in terms of operation and maintenance.

On cycle superhighways in the capital region, inspections of the cycle path network are carried out every spring. In the Cycle Superhighway Collaboration, the office is responsible for conducting these inspections.

The findings are reported to the various road authorities responsible for the cycle superhighways so that they can address any deficiencies.

By conducting annual cycle path inspections, it becomes possible over time to monitor the development of the operational level on the cycle superhighways.

A route inspection is not part of the formal maintenance system in the road sector and therefore does not need to follow the same procedures. For example, the result of the route inspection is ultimately prioritized alongside other operational activities, including accident prevention.

In the Cycle Superhighway Collaboration in the capital region, route inspections consist of registrations within the following categories:

• Marking, signage, and stripes
• Quality of pavement
• Vegetation
• Service facilities and lighting

The cycle superhighways should be included in the existing maintenance plans within the municipalities and should be of the highest priority. This ensures that the cycle superhighways are integrated into the municipalities’ ongoing maintenance and upkeep.

It is important that winter maintenance reaches a high level of priority on cycle superhighways. Therefore, it is recommended to consider cycle superhighways as level A in municipalities’ winter maintenance schedules.

It is recommended that cycle superhighways be given the highest priority in municipalities’ pavement plans for replacing asphalt pavement.

The surface is one of the most important elements for a good cycle superhighway. Cyclists are sensitive to unevenness, so the wearing course on cycle superhighways should be given high priority.

Several factors can influence unevenness in the surface of cycle superhighways. Repairs after excavation work are often the main culprit, but frost, thaw, and salt can also cause degradation of the pavement. As a rule of thumb, asphalt tends to become uneven after 10 years. Therefore, it is recommended that the asphalt on cycle superhighways is replaced at least every 10 years¹Idékatalog for cykeltrafik: Materialer. Konstruktion og æstetik, 2019. Link.

When cycle superhighways pass through green surroundings, it is particularly recommended to focus on pruning bushes and trees and removing fallen leaves.

Pruning bushes and trees and removing fallen leaves help maintain good visibility conditions on the cycle superhighway, and helps to ensure that lighting is not obscured, and will therefore keep the surface of the cycle superhighway safe.

It’s a good idea to delineate white edge markings on the cycle superhighway edges when there is grass verge alongside. This makes it clear if the grass is encroaching on the path, thereby avoiding narrowing of the cycle path width due to overgrowth in the long run.

The vegetation along stretches, especially leading up to junctions, should be pruned to avoid shading the lighting and thereby creating dark and unsafe sections. It is recommended to clear a free space around the path of at least 50 cm from the edge of the cycle superhighway and with a clearance height of 2.5 meters. The larger the area that is pruned, the longer it will take for the vegetation to grow back.

On cycle superhighways, there should be extra focus on ensuring that reinstatement after excavation work is done to the same standard as the condition of the cycle path was before. It is therefore recommended to ensure that patching of paths is always carried out across the full width of the cycle path.

Irregularities in the pavement have a significant impact on both cyclists’ accessibility, flow, safety, and sense of security. Irregularities primarily occur from poorly executed pipeline and wire installations, asphalt patches, ramps, wells, and tree roots. Therefore, it should be emphasized to both internal and external contractors that all asphalt repairs are carried out in a craftsmanship manner—without problematic edges and level differences to the existing asphalt. This can be achieved by ensuring that requirements for reinstatement across the full width of the path are included as part of the municipality’s “conditions for excavation work.”

Upgrade potentials can be identified through a screening process, where projects for specific upgrades are mapped out. These upgrades can involve either specific points or stretches along the route. Projects can focus on upgrading various elements such as cyclists’ safety, security, or accessibility. It’s a good idea to have sketches prepared for potential upgrade projects, especially when opportunities for funding arise.

If a larger development project is planned on or around a cycle superhighway route, it’s an opportunity to upgrade the cycle superhighway as well. This could include restoration projects where the width of the cycle path can be expanded or urban development projects where the road profile can be changed in line with recommendations for designing the cycle superhighway.

Based on the input received from ongoing dialogue with citizens and users of the cycle superhighway, upgrade proposals for the cycle superhighway can be developed.

It’s a good idea to create a comprehensive overview of incoming citizen inquiries, as it allows for tracking the trend in the number of inquiries and provides an overview of the topics being asked about/requested/complained about, etc. This enables follow-up on whether citizens’ requests are being addressed, allows for continuous improvement of the route based on user feedback, and provides a comprehensive overview of the trend in citizen inquiries over time.

One can also use other methods to gather input on improvements to cycle superhighways. For example, the Cyclists’ Federation has developed Fix Cykelvejen. “Fix Cykelvejen” (Fix the cycling road) is an interactive map that municipalities can use to gather citizen input on local cycling conditions.