cykelvägars drift-och underhållsstandard –kommunenkät - VTI

Maintenance service levels of cycleways. Interviews with 13 Swedish municipalities
with relatively high amount of bicycle traffic.
by Anna Niska
VTI (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute)
SE-581 95 Linköping Sweden
Summary
This study gives an insight into the routines and regulations for cycleway maintenance
in Swedish municipalities with relatively high amount of bicycle traffic. The study is
part of a larger project “Service levels of cycleways” with the purpose of finding the
characteristics of an attractive cycleway, and specifying how to maintain cycleways in
order to promote cycling. The study is based on interviews with employees in 13
Swedish municipalities supplemented with relevant documentation provided by them.
In general, for cycleway construction, Swedish municipalities follow the technical
description of road constructions from the Swedish Road Administration (SRA).
However, for maintenance and operation of cycle ways, the municipalities have their
own requirements. The local conditions are considered to vary to a degree demanding
specific requirements for each municipality. Usually, budget restraints are determining
maintenance requirements and when measures are taken. In a majority of the
municipalities interviewed, cycle ways are given priority and are maintained at the
highest service level. Maintenance measures are performed by the municipalities them
selves or by contractors.
Thawing and freezing, resulting in slush followed, alternately, by icy ruts and
slipperiness, is considered to be the most difficult condition to handle in cycleway
maintenance. Providing good quality surfaces in view of cyclists’ sensitivity to even
minor defects, is also considered to be difficult. Many of the interviewed emphasized
that limited means is the largest problem making it increasingly difficult to provide a
high maintenance service level.
In general, cycleway surface conditions are monitored through visual inspections only.
The public is considered to be an important resource in detecting and reporting
potholes, cracks and other cycleway defects, and the municipalities systematically
register remarks from the public. The most common complaints from the public
concerning cycleway maintenance, regard broken glass or slipperiness. Other concerns
are also reflected such as requests for new cycle paths, unclear traffic regulations and
traffic behaviour where different groups of road-users are complaining about the
behaviour of others.
A continuous cycleway network separated from car traffic and a high maintenance
service level are considered to be the most important measures in order to promote
cycling and simultaneously improve cycling safety. It is also considered important to
raise the status of the bicycle as a means of transport, to elucidate traffic regulations
including cyclists, and to increase the respect among road-users. It is the overall
resolution combining several measures that is important when improving the situation
of cyclists.
It is important to support the municipal road administrators with cost-benefit arguments
presenting the total cost of bicycle accidents, travelling time, etc., in order to get
funding for maintenance measures. On the other hand, it is possible to improve the
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