Utrecht: bicycle x 2 by 2030

The City Council recently published its “ambitions document” entitled “Utrecht – attractive and accessible”. The bicycle should be the first choice for trips. Combined with a regional tram network as the backbone of the PT network, this should be the basis for a dramatic decrease of car use.

The ambitions document does not only provide an outline for the future mobility system, it also sketches the urban development perspective for the city. It brings consistency between the many planning processes in the field of transport and/or spatial planning that have been developed and are under development.

The plan provides a vision of different city zones, which are mainly equipped to cater for slow modes, including facilities such as high-quality bicycle storage and bicycle rental. These city zones are linked by cycle highways: high profile routes, recognisable two-way bicycle infrastructure with specific attention for conflict-less crossings.

The measures from the ambitions document should lead to a substantial rise in bicycle use. The prognosis states that the number of cycled kilometres should increase with 50 percent. For some destinations, the bicycle use could even double.

(source: www.verkeerinbeeld.nl)