cykelvägars drift-och underhållsstandard –kommunenkät - VTI
cykelvägars drift-och underhållsstandard –kommunenkät - VTI
cykelvägars drift-och underhållsstandard –kommunenkät - VTI
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Maintenance service levels of cycleways. Interviews with 13 Swedish municipalities<br />
with relatively high amount of bicycle traffic.<br />
by Anna Niska<br />
<strong>VTI</strong> (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute)<br />
SE-581 95 Linköping Sweden<br />
Summary<br />
This study gives an insight into the routines and regulations for cycleway maintenance<br />
in Swedish municipalities with relatively high amount of bicycle traffic. The study is<br />
part of a larger project “Service levels of cycleways” with the purpose of finding the<br />
characteristics of an attractive cycleway, and specifying how to maintain cycleways in<br />
order to promote cycling. The study is based on interviews with employees in 13<br />
Swedish municipalities supplemented with relevant documentation provided by them.<br />
In general, for cycleway construction, Swedish municipalities follow the technical<br />
description of road constructions from the Swedish Road Administration (SRA).<br />
However, for maintenance and operation of cycle ways, the municipalities have their<br />
own requirements. The local conditions are considered to vary to a degree demanding<br />
specific requirements for each municipality. Usually, budget restraints are determining<br />
maintenance requirements and when measures are taken. In a majority of the<br />
municipalities interviewed, cycle ways are given priority and are maintained at the<br />
highest service level. Maintenance measures are performed by the municipalities them<br />
selves or by contractors.<br />
Thawing and freezing, resulting in slush followed, alternately, by icy ruts and<br />
slipperiness, is considered to be the most difficult condition to handle in cycleway<br />
maintenance. Providing good quality surfaces in view of cyclists’ sensitivity to even<br />
minor defects, is also considered to be difficult. Many of the interviewed emphasized<br />
that limited means is the largest problem making it increasingly difficult to provide a<br />
high maintenance service level.<br />
In general, cycleway surface conditions are monitored through visual inspections only.<br />
The public is considered to be an important resource in detecting and reporting<br />
potholes, cracks and other cycleway defects, and the municipalities systematically<br />
register remarks from the public. The most common complaints from the public<br />
concerning cycleway maintenance, regard broken glass or slipperiness. Other concerns<br />
are also reflected such as requests for new cycle paths, unclear traffic regulations and<br />
traffic behaviour where different groups of road-users are complaining about the<br />
behaviour of others.<br />
A continuous cycleway network separated from car traffic and a high maintenance<br />
service level are considered to be the most important measures in order to promote<br />
cycling and simultaneously improve cycling safety. It is also considered important to<br />
raise the status of the bicycle as a means of transport, to elucidate traffic regulations<br />
including cyclists, and to increase the respect among road-users. It is the overall<br />
resolution combining several measures that is important when improving the situation<br />
of cyclists.<br />
It is important to support the municipal road administrators with cost-benefit arguments<br />
presenting the total cost of bicycle accidents, travelling time, etc., in order to get<br />
funding for maintenance measures. On the other hand, it is possible to improve the<br />
<strong>VTI</strong> rapport 558 7