Barriers to Implementing Pro-Cycling Policies: A Case Study of Hamburg

Abstract

Cycling is gaining increasing attention as a convenient, environmentally friendly, and fitness-improving mode of transport. While many policy interventions have been made to promote cycling, not enough research has focused on the barriers to implementing pro-cycling policies. For effective policy implementation, identifying major barriers and removing them is critical. This study took an in-depth look at Hamburg which started a major cycling promotion in 2008. According to expert interviews and literature surveys, the author found that the major barriers are physical, political and institutional, and social and cultural. Specifically, the city lacks enough physical space, political support, and the evaluation of travel behavior and demand. Also, some private stakeholders are reluctant to give up on-street car parking space for cycling lanes, and the negotiation process is difficult and time-consuming. To overcome these barriers, Hamburg requires cycling-oriented urban design, a strategic and integrated cycling action plan, strong political support, and target group-oriented communication.

The unequal cycling boom in Germany

“…Second, governments at different levels around the world are investing heavily in cyclingrelated infrastructure, in many cases redistributing resources to the detriment of drivers and in favour of cyclists (Sheldrick, Evans, & Schliwa, 2017;Wang, 2018). If the well-educated benefit disproportionately from such changes, these policies have the unintended side-effect of reinforcing social inequalities.…”

Cycling Tourism Destination Development From Local Stakeholders’ Perspective

“…Rezultati proizlaze iz strukturiranog pitanja s maksimalno moguća tri odgovora. Ponuđeni odgovori preuzeti su iz nekoliko drugih studija (Wang, 2018;Aldred et al, 2019; Institut za poljoprivredu i turizam Poreč, 2021) te modificirani sukladno fokusu ovog istraživanja. Odgovori ispitanika upućuju na ključne prepreke razvoja cikloturizma iz percepcije dionika.…”

“…The results reflect the structured question with a maximum of three responses. The list of barriers to cycling from other studies (Wang, 2018;Aldred et al, 2019;Institute for Agriculture and Tourism Poreč, 2021) was modified to better fit this study's focus. The answers emphasize the key obstacles to cycling tourism development from the stakeholders' perception.…”

Cycling policy in strategic documents of Polish cities

“…However, the main task of cycling policy should be to ensure the safety and comfort of cycling journeys. In this context, it seems pivotal to give cyclists a privileged position in urban transport by creating appropriate conditions for mobility (Wang 2018). According to cycling policies, safety and equality in transport is to be ensured by cycling infrastructure separated from car traffic (Aldred and Dales 2017;Pucher and Buehler 2008).…”

“…The problem of insufficiently developed infrastructure is not the only obstacle to popularising cycling. The strong city-dwellers' habit of using motorised modes of transport is one of the biggest barriers to the promotion of cycling Wang 2018). Thus, the tools used to support cycling include methods to discourage or hinder car traffic (Tapp et al 2016).…”