There are explicit goals to increase the modal share of bicycle trips and to promote a modal shift to active transport especially in urban areas. At the same time today’s transport system is mainly built for cars. One of the consequences is that in the same environment attentional demands on cyclists are higher than on drivers of motor vehicles. This could be remedied by relocating bicycle traffic to the centre of the lane in certain urban environments. In addition to creating equality between road user groups with respect to attentional demands this measure can strengthen the position of the bicycle in the hierarchy of road users. It would entail a step towards traffic integration, braking today’s trend to separate motor vehicles from other traffic. 

To analyse potential benefits and drawbacks, international solutions and experiences were investigated and seven focus group discussions with different stakeholders were conducted. The concept “bicycle boulevard” exists in several countries and comes in different shapes. For the concept to work the share of cyclists needs to be high, but no clear-cut recommendations regarding the most adequate design can be given. How bicycle boulevards are experienced also depends on the cyclist and the purpose of the trip. This emerged in the focus group discussions, too. There was a general agreement that the car is the dominant transport mode today. While it was seen as positive in principle to relocate bicycle traffic to the centre of the lane, a number of practical and psychological obstacles were identified. 

It is unlikely that a single measure will be successful in increasing the share of bicycle trips. However, in combination with other provisions, the suggested physical relocation of biycle traffic may strengthen the status of the bicycle as mode of transport.