Berlin's urban configuration

Berlin is situated on the east-west axis from Paris to Warsaw/Moscow and on the north-south line from Stockholm to Prague/Vienna/Budapest. With the extension of the European Union (EU), Berlin's geo-political location has become even more significant. Berlin is both a federal state and a city. It therefore fulfils both federal state functions and municipal functions.

In an area of about 890 square kilometres - as large as Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt am Main together - Berlin unites a large number of urban districts, centres and boroughs which are completely different in character. The communal administrative level is divided into 12 boroughs. The current population of Berlin is 3.388.000 (in 2004), the Metropolitan region covers 4.400.000 inhabitants in total.

Mobility system and policies

Transport supply and demand

As a consequence of the political and urban development, the density of the city is still high. The public transport system offers a combination of different types of road and rail transport (9 metro lines, 28 tram lines, 165 bus lines, 15 commuter and a number of regional rail lines) with high quality, whereas the car density is low (less than 330 cars per 1.000 inhabitants).

Everyday about 11 million trips are undertaken. The modal split shows high shares of public transport, biking and walking. About 10% of all trips in Berlin in 1998 were bike rides. Biking is the only "green mode" with a growth trend. Nevertheless, road traffic (commercial vehicle traffic as well as private cars) still constitutes obstacles for the achievement of sustainability and high quality of life.

Mobility Goals

The SPICYCLES actions in Berlin will be not an isolated attempt to organise urban transport in a more sustainable way, but instead they are related to the city's integrated local transport policy.

Since 2000, an integrated approach has been used and transport is understood as interrelated to urban development. Consequently, an Urban Development Plan - Transport (Stadtentwicklungsplan Verkehr, StEP) has been developed and implemented by the Berlin Senate Department of Urban Development. The StEP is a vision and objective-oriented strategic plan for the integration of urban and transport development, based on social, environmental, economic and institutional objectives. Quality objectives, action objectives and integrated strategies form the framework for an action concept composed of a bundle of more than 60 measures to be implemented within the next decade.

The current urban transport policy introduces a new approach to transport planning and the basic principle behind it, following strategic guidelines elaborated in the Urban Development Plan - Transport. Some of the most important guidelines are listed below:

• Priority will be given to conservation, maintenance and qualification of the existing networks instead of further extending transport infrastructure networks.
• Extension investments for transport infrastructure will be based on the justification of their economic efficiency and plausibility with regard to long term demand.
• Special emphasis will be given to organisational (traffic management) and so-called "soft" measures (information, advertising, marketing and traffic management) to use existing infrastructure networks more efficiently.
• Provision of public transport must react to the changing demands in a fast, flexible and strong manner.
• Promotion of slow modes of transport and bicycle transport will be strengthened.
• New forms of car ownership, use and utilisation will be needed and supported especially because motor vehicles will continue to be an indispensable means of urban transport for the urban population and economy.
• Efforts towards a transport saving development of the metropolitan area as well as an objective-oriented transport policy will be strengthened.

Cycling State of the art

Bicycle use has had a long tradition in Berlin, yet its popularity has also always been subject to considerable changes. Nevertheless, for the past three decades cycling has been somewhat of a success story. As a consequence, in 1998 about 10% of all trips in Berlin were undertaken by bicycle.

The Urban Development Plan - Transport (2003) puts emphasis on the potentials of the slow transport modes within the strategy of promoting 'slow and public transport'. Consequently a bicycle strategy has been elaborated together with relevant stakeholders. Bicycle promotion policy is guided by the following principles:

• slow transport and especially bicycle transport constitute a complex system of movements- promotion strategies have to take this aspect into consideration
• safe, comfortable and direct connections are substantial;
• bicycle aspects have to be considered by all measures related to road transport (space, finances, traffic management, road works and so on);
• co-operation and co-ordination of relevant stakeholders are substantial.

The following objectives form the strategic framework of the Berlin bicycle strategy:

• increase the share of bicycle trips;
• improve intermodality between public transport and bicycle transport;
• decrease bicycle-related accidents;
• ensure appropriate financing approach;
• improve bicycle network.

The existing bicycle routes have a length of round about 800 kilometres of different character.

Although these figures are impressive, aggravating gaps and shortcomings in the network prevail in the eastern part of the city and in several western boroughs. Many routes converge on heavily travelled main arteries of the overall network since those provide direct connections and they are familiar to bikers, easy to follow and able to accommodate large quantities of users.

The number of bicycle-related accidents is decreasing despite increases in bicycle use. Promotion of bicycle use in Berlin can build on a number of favourable conditions:

• plain topography;
• good conditions for intermodal trips (public transport and bike, B&R);
• large network of bicycle routes and parking devices at public transport stations.

Main barriers against an increase of cycling in Berlin are as follows:

• lack of bike parking devices with comfortable and easy accessibility, at home as well as at schools, retailers and shopping centres, companies;
• accident risks, and fear of parents, that their children might be involved in an accident;
• aggressive and risky behaviour of cyclists and car drivers;
• high risk of theft for the bike.