How can Germany become a cycling nation? This question was addressed by around 2,700 participants at the 7th National Cycling Congress (NRVK) in Hamburg. During the event, Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer presented the new National Cycling Plan 3.0 - the federal government's cycling strategy up to 2030 - to the cycling community.
"Cycling is booming and there is money for it: the Ministry of Transport alone is funding better and safer cycling infrastructure with a record sum of 1.46 billion euros until 2023. Now these funds need to be mobilised and used on the ground.
For the first time, we have also consulted citizens for the National Cycling Plan 3.0. Never before has there been such a comprehensive strategy for safe and good coexistence. I call on everyone to fill the NRVP 3.0 with life and implement the measures. I look forward to the NRVK being used to learn from each other, exchange ideas, take ideas home with us and quickly put them into practice."
The NRVP 3.0 in detail
The NRVP 3.0 is the strategy for promoting cycling throughout Germany and a guideline for the federal government, federal states, local authorities, industry and science up to 2030. Promoting cycling is a joint task of the federal government, federal states and local authorities. The aim: more, better and safer cycling - in the city and in the countryside.
The NRVP 3.0 is a citizens' plan: At the National Cycling Congress 2019, Federal Minister Scheuer gave the go-ahead for the NRVP 3.0 and called on citizens to get involved in its development for the first time. Their most important concerns: seamless cycling networks and greater road safety. Building on this, the content and topics were discussed together with representatives from the federal states, local authorities and associations such as ADFC, VCD, ADAC, Changing Cities, Deutsche Bahn, VDV, Zweirad-Industrie-Verband e.V. and Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik. Last week, the NRVP 3.0 was adopted by the Federal Cabinet.
The NRVP contains concrete proposals and recommendations for action, for example
Promotion of a safe and seamless cycling infrastructure:
- When new federal, state or district roads are built or extended, cycle paths should always be installed alongside them.
- The federal government, federal states and local authorities finance and build priority cycle routes and fast cycle connections - especially in all metropolitan regions.
- Infrastructure for bicycles and motor vehicles are separated as far as possible. There should be clear application limits for mixed traffic in terms of motor vehicle traffic volume, proportion of heavy goods vehicles and permitted motor vehicle speed.
- Local authorities rely on protected bike lanes, safe junctions, slow lanes and cycle lanes to safely separate cyclists and motor vehicles in road traffic.
- Municipalities are gradually creating space for cycling in public areas - also by converting car parking spaces. They accompany this with the necessary car park management and concepts for loading and delivery traffic. Car parking spaces are being concentrated in neighbourhood garages.
Bicycle parking spaces:
- The federal government is developing a programme of bicycle parking facilities at railway stations and providing funding. Together with DB AG, it is expanding the Bike&Ride campaign to build secure bicycle parking systems.
- The cities and municipalities create bicycle parking systems at railway stations and public transport stops.
- The federal government, federal states and local authorities are building a sufficient number of bicycle parking facilities at all public institutions. In highly frequented locations, local authorities are primarily building bicycle car parks.
- The federal government provides financial support to housing associations, homeowners' associations, employers and retailers to build bicycle parking systems in and on existing buildings.
- A new building must always offer easily accessible bicycle parking facilities. The federal and state governments are therefore adapting the requirements in the model building regulations and the state building regulations.
Road safety:
- The federal government, federal states and local authorities are promoting a cultural change in the way road users interact with each other.
- Compliance with traffic regulations must be consistently monitored and offences must be punished. The federal states support the police and local authorities with enforcement.
Promotion of business trips:
- Companies are introducing mobility budgets - supported by the federal government, federal states and local authorities - and thus also promoting the use of bicycles. Companies are expanding their company bike leasing programmes.
- Authorities and public companies are promoting the use of bicycles for business trips, creating company bike fleets and increasingly utilising cargo bike sharing services.
Administration, education and training and cycling culture:
- Cycling is becoming a cross-sectional task at all administrative levels. The federal government, federal states and local authorities are creating administrative structures, staff positions and permanent contact persons for the tasks of promoting cycling. They are continuously training managers and specialists.
- The federal government is setting up a road transport academy with a training programme dedicated to other sustainable mobility topics in addition to cycling. The programme is aimed at staff in the public sector, planning offices and consulting firms.
Linking modes of transport:
- The federal government is in favour of expanding bicycle transport options on long-distance services.
- In rural areas in particular, the federal states promote options for transporting bicycles on or in buses.
- Deutsche Bahn supports the carriage of bicycles on trains - including special bicycles. To this end, it is making railway stations barrier-free, in particular with ramps and lifts.
Logistics and cargo bikes:
- Where possible, authorities and public companies are increasingly tendering transport journeys as cargo/bicycle journeys.
- The federal and state governments are amending building legislation where necessary and promoting micro-depots.
- Municipalities facilitate the establishment of logistics areas in public spaces. Together with CEP services, they design urban logistics concepts such as micro-depots or city hubs.
- The federal government and the associations are in favour of creating uniform European standards for cargo bikes, e.g. for swap bodies, digital interfaces and software solutions.
Further information on the NRVP 3.0 is available here.
"Never before has the federal government issued such a large package of measures." (original video)
On the BMVI's cycling campaign
The NRVP 3.0 and the National Cycling Congress are part of the BMVI's cycling campaign. The goal: a cycling network that covers as much of the country as possible, safe routes, unbundling of transport and networking of modes of transport. Record funding totalling around 1.46 billion euros is available for this purpose until 2023, which is intended to improve cycling on the ground, among other things:
- To support the federal states and municipalities in the planning and construction of cycle highways, the federal government has been providing financial aid totalling 25 million euros per year since 2017. As part of the climate package, this funding has been doubled to €50 million per year for the period from 2021 to 2023. 29 applications have already been approved. Cycle highways are particularly interesting for urban areas and metropolitan regions and can be a real alternative, especially for commuters.
- The BMVI is providing a total of 127 million euros for innovative pilot projects until 2023. This will be used, for example, to support the bicycle-friendly remodelling of Ballindamm in Hamburg and the planning of the Warnow Bridge in Rostock.
- With the Special "Town and Country" programme the BMVI is funding infrastructure projects of the federal states and local authorities for better local cycling for the first time. Around 660 million euros are available for new and safe cycle paths, cycle car parks, cycle bridges and subways, among other things. 144 measures have already been approved.
- With The BMVI is also funding the expansion and extension of the "German Cycle Network" with 46 million euros. The German Cycle Network consists of the German Unity Cycle Route, the Iron Curtain Trail and the twelve D-Routes - a broad network of long-distance cycle routes that run through the whole of Germany.
- With a volume of The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is funding cycling professorships and the establishment of Master's degree programmes with 8.3 million euros for the first time Cycling at seven universities. The endowed professorships are intended to train new cycling experts - including the urgently needed transport planners.
The BMVI has also presented a bicycle-friendly amendment to the road traffic regulations. This includes, for example Minimum overtaking distance for motor vehicles, walking speed for motor vehicles over 3.5 tonnes turning right in urban areas, green arrow exclusively for cyclists, general ban on stopping on hard shoulders, easier establishment of bicycle zones, traffic signs for cargo bikes, ban on overtaking at bottlenecks.
