Sharing Dutch knowledge at Velo-City 2023
From 9 to 12 May 2023, our colleagues attended Velo-city, the world cycling summit, in Leipzig, Germany. The conference brought together advocates, cities, decision- and policy makers, researchers and industry leaders to shape the future of cycling as a sustainable and healthy means of transport for all.
Walkshop about Dutch intersections
We hosted a walkshop: Visualizing a Dutch intersection. The walkshop was about how to reallocate public space to facilitate a transition towards more sustainable forms of transport. We shared our experience of creating a 10m x 10m canvas showcasing a quarter of an intersection at scale for the Munich Mobility Congress 2021. The canvas served as an experimentation area and workshop space amidst a highly frequented public square that brought together experts and citizens to discuss advantages and potential solutions while being able to experience the key infrastructure design elements.
The aim of the workshop was to discuss the lessons learned from this project and to find transferable solutions that can showcase the redesign of public space and communicate the positive effects within financially and legally constrained settings in a temporary manner in order to speed up the implementation process of more permanent solutions.
The walkshop was held outside in the sun and about 30 people attended. We received positive feedback from the participants who appreciated the opportunity to learn from our project and to exchange ideas with other professionals and enthusiasts.
Convinced by our story
One of the participants was João Pedro Boechat, Director of Cycling Infrastructure for the city of Niteroi in Brazil. He wasn’t convinced that Dutch-style protected intersections are the safest design for cyclists, since it has right-turning motorists and people on bikes meeting at a 90-degree angle. But he changed his mind after hearing the story of Richard ter Avest, who explained how protected intersections reduce deadly accidents by 75 percent. Boechat said he was impressed by the evidence and the demonstration of the intersection design. Read the blog here
We are proud to have been part of Velo-city 2023 Leipzig and to have contributed to the theme of #LeadingTheTransition. We hope to inspire others with our Dutch cycle-knowledge and to continue the dialogue on how to make cycling more accessible, safe and enjoyable for everyone.
