Nationally (by the walking, cycling and public transport target), regionally and in many of Sweden's municipalities there are targets for increased cycling. However, these objectives are difficult to follow up, as the amount of bicycle traffic is not measured and followed up. The overall aim of the pilot study is to develop an accepted, reliable, applicable, and uniform method for estimating the kilometers travelled by bicycle in the municipality through bicycle flow measurements. 

The municipalities of Stockholm, Uppsala and Östersund are included in this pilot study. 135 weekly measurements were carried out in each municipality; 100 on the pedestrian and bicycle road network, 35 in mixed traffic, divided into five periods. The year-round measured cycle flow measurements were used as information for enumeration at year-round level. The cycle path network does not include gravel roads, individual road holders and roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h and higher. The links were divided into strata, where a systematic selection of the total link length was made in each stratum. The estimation method considered both space and time. 

During the year week 35 of 2020 to week 34 of 2021, 145±43 million kilometers were cycled in Stockholm, 59±23 million kilometers in Uppsala and 9±3 million kilometers in Östersund. The uncertainty in the estimate constitutes between 30 and 40 percent of the point estimate. There is a fairly large uncertainty in the estimate, but small enough to see that there are, for example, differences between the municipalities. 

Something that emerged in this study is that cycling in mixed traffic is not negligible and the municipalities should take this into account. The study should be repeated once more in at least one of these municipalities.

There is an objective of increasing cycling nationally, regionally and in many Swedish municipalities. The extent of cycling can be followed up with either travel surveys (TSs) or by measuring the bicycle flow. The Traffic Analysis Authority was commissioned by the Government to develop and propose a uniform method for systematic measurements of bicycle traffic at a local and regional level and their report was published in January 2018. Bicycle traffic can be measured in different ways and the two most common methods are (1) measurements by counting bicycles (manually or with detecting equipment) in the street area or (2) travel surveys (TSs). In this report, we focus only on counting cyclists in the street area. Today, the methods of counting bicyclists are limited, and they do not enable estimations of kilometers travelled by bicycle per average day in a municipality.

In order to achieve a broad application, it is necessary to investigate the possible obstacles that exist to use the Traffic Analysis's proposal for a uniform method, and this will be done in the following steps, where step 1 is described in this report:

1. A preparatory study: Suggest a set-up of a pilot study

2. Conduct a pilot study to establish a uniform and systematic approach, and finally

3. Determine the final uniform and systematic method.

The purpose of the preparatory study presented in this report is to adapt the Traffic Analysis's proposal to a uniform method for estimating the kilometers travelled by bicycle per average day, based on municipal conditions. The preparatory study will also lead to a proposal for a pilot study in which the adapted method is tested, and issues related to delimitations and definitions can be decided. The pilot study will be carried out in a follow-up project with a number of municipalities. This will result in a final determination of a uniform method for estimating the kilometers travelled by bicycle per average day.

Today, there is no defined national target level regarding increase in bicycling in Sweden. VTI received a governmental assignment to define that. The assignment includes a definition of a target structure and suggestion of indicators as well as a system for monitoring. We have gathered information through literature studies, a workshop, a survey as well as through own analyses of data from national travel surveys. We have limited the definition of cycling to include pedal cycle with or without electric assistance. Simply speaking, the rate of bicycling should double by 2035 and, more specifically, we suggest the following targets: 

• Overall objectives: Cycling in Sweden should increase to improve accessibility, strengthen public health, and decrease the climate and environmental impact. 

• Intermediate target 1: The bicycle share of the total number of travellers in Sweden should increase to 20 percent by 2030 and to 26 percent by 2035, without reducing the share of pedestrians or public passenger transports. 

• Intermediate target 2: The bicycle share of the total transport system work in Sweden should increase to 3 percent by 2035, without reducing pedestrians or public passenger transports. 

• Milestone 1: The total share of bicycle travel in Sweden, shorter than 10 km, should increase to 30 percent by 2030 and to 45 percent by 2035, without reducing the share of pedestrians or public passenger transports. 

• Milestone 2: The total share of bicycle travel for primary school children in Sweden should increase to 40 percent by 2030 and to 50 percent by 2035, without reducing the share of pedestrians.

 In addition, we have suggested seven indicators with associated measures linked to the targets suggested above. The national travel survey could be used to monitor the targets and the annual report by the National Council of Bicycling could preferably be used for monitoring the indicators.

In Sweden there are strategies, plans and goals for the development of bicycling on both a national and a local level at the municipalities. To reach the goals that have been set up, trials, projects and plans are carried out in many places within the country. An important part in these efforts are to evaluate to increase understanding about what gives the desired effect, what does not and why it does it give the desired effect, or not. One of the conditions for being able to conduct bicycling research is that there are measurements and methods specific for cycling. Therefore, one of the first areas that we chose to work with was an overview of what technical resources are available for bicycling research and evaluation of different efforts that have been made within the field of bicycling in Sweden.

The purpose of the report is to account for what technical resources are available in Sweden for bicycling research and thereby show what opportunities there are, but also what the limitations are for conducting bicycling research in Sweden. Through increased awareness we aim to inspire to new research ideas and contribute to new contacts for future collaboration within Swedish bicycling research.

By a technical resource we mean: bicycling research facilities, technical devices and instruments that can be used to measure bicycles’ and bicyclists’ interaction with the physical environment, the traffic environment and the state of the road surface through a bicyclist’s perspective as well as equipment that measures the environmental and health effects of bicycling. The technical resources are briefly described with the purpose to give an overview of function and applications.

The study aims to outline in which areas cycling has the potential to contribute to Sweden’s fulfillment of goals within the 2030 Agenda. 

The study is limited to main goals, sub-goals and indicators from the 2030 Agenda where cycling is deemed to contribute, positively or negatively. In the report, we have made a general overview of Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition to a structured literature review of previous compilations of contribution of cycling to sustainability goals, the so-called snowball method has been used to search for literature in the field of cycling and the 2030 Agenda linked to specific goals. In the literature review, we have found two previous compilations of the connection of cycling to the 2030 Agenda and an action plan for physical activity with connection to cycling and the sustainability goals. ,

In this study, we do not have the ambition to try to quantify the contribution of cycling to the various goals, only that cycling has the potential to do so. Our system analysis shows that increased cycling contributes positively to several of the goals and that increased cycling at the expense of car traffic increases the positive contribution. At the same time, increased cycling can lead to more injured cyclists, which contributes negatively to the goals of the 2030 Agenda. However, safer cycling does not only reduce the negative contribution to the 2030 Agenda through injured cyclists, but is also a way to get more people to dare and want to cycle. It is important to consider various challenges in society as integrated, indivisible and deeply interconnected and to try to understand how the transport system contributes both in a positive and negative way if the ambition is to work based on the principles in the 2030 Agenda.

Syftet med det här projektet har varit att identifiera tänkbara åtgärder för ökad säkerhet för oskyddade trafikanter i relation till byggtrafik. Trafikkontoret i Göteborg har initierat projektet då de under åren 2016–2019 hade flera dödsfall till följd av sådana konflikter. Litteraturstudier, olycksanalyser och genomgång av styrdokument har gjorts för att beskriva nuläget och förbättringspotentialen inom olika områden. För att utvärdera olika tekniska lösningar har fältstudier genomförts i ett testområde längs Lindholmsallén och vid en byggutfart vid Universeum i Göteborg. Fältstudierna har omfattat manuella observationer, intervjuer och analyser av trafikanters rörelsemönster utifrån data insamlat med ett 3D-kamerasystem från Viscando. 

Resultaten visar att de i studien utvärderade teknik- och produktlösningarna i infrastrukturen riktade mot cyklister har en begränsad möjlighet att förbättra säkerheten vid byggutfarter och liknande. De hade liten effekt på cyklisternas hastighetsanpassning, uppmärksammades inte alltid och var svåra för cyklisterna att tolka. Förekomsten av korsande fordon påverkade cykeltrafiken mer än varnings-systemen. Det mest effektiva vore därför att bättre synliggöra själva fordonet – antingen genom varningslyktor på detta eller med ett system som på annat sätt hjälper cyklisterna att titta åt rätt håll. Vägmarkeringar som omedvetet påverkar cyklisterna till ett mer trafiksäkert beteende är en annan möjlighet. 

Göteborgs stad kan också förbättra trafiksäkerheten för oskyddade trafikanter i byggskedet genom att i regler och riktlinjer tillämpa de inriktningar som finns formulerade i Cykelprogrammet. Göteborgs trafikföringsprinciper kan tillämpas i större utsträckning för att styra byggtrafikens rutter och tidpunkter så att konflikter med oskyddade trafikanter kan undvikas eller minimeras. Byggutfarter bör alltid utformas så att minsta sikttriangel kan uppnås. Generellt har annars åtgärder i motorfordonen eller riktade mot förarna störst potential att rädda liv. En kombination av förarutbildning, säkerhetssystem och mer ändamålsenlig utformning av fordonen behövs för bäst effekt.

In Sweden there is an on-going process to formulate a national standard regulating the design of temporary traffic control devices used on pedestrian and bicycle paths. This paper presents results from simulated single-bicycle crashes with the purpose to create an understanding of how different features of such devices affect the risk of injuries among cyclists. A Hybrid II 50th percentile crash test dummy was placed in the saddle of a bicycle and crash tests, usually at 25 km/h, were performed. Eleven different types of road equipment were included, and different crash angles were applied, in a total of over 50 crash tests. The road equipment represented temporary traffic control devices of various kind commonly used in Sweden, but also some specifically designed for cyclists. The tests were documented with several video cameras at different angles. Slow motion pictures were analyzed with focus on mechanisms during impact and the following motion of the bicycle and the dummy. Observations regarding “body parts” in contact with the road equipment were of particular interest highlighting design features of importance such as height, smoothness of surfaces and energy-absorbing capacity. The tests show that all bicycle crashes into road equipment can cause injuries and thus the use of work zone material on bicycle paths should be avoided, if possible. Safety barriers designated to prevent cyclists from falling into a shaft must be high enough to do so and be anchored and linked together correctly to prevent them from falling and creating dangerous situations. Temporary traffic control devices should be flexible or energy-absorbing to moderate the injury outcome of a potential bicycle crash. Fences should have a fine meshed net construction to prevent bicycle handlebars from getting stuck. All road equipment should be designed without sharp edges as they could cause injuries to cyclists passing or crashing into the equipment. © 2021 The Author(s)

Trafikmodeller för (bil)trafikprocesser har varit och är ett viktigt stöd vid trafikplanering, oavsett om planeringen sker på kommunal, regional eller statlig nivå. Trafikmodeller av olika slag har bland annat gjort det möjligt att med hög kvalitet utvärdera effekter av förändringar i trafiksystemet, att ta fram underlag till effektsamband och att styra trafik. Denna typ av modellstöd stöd saknas till stor del vid planering av cykelinfrastruktur, vilket exempelvis medför svårigheter att utvärdera investeringar i cykelinfrastruktur i samhällsekonomiska kalkyler, ger bristande underlag för effektsamband, samt försvårar planering av effektiv, säker och attraktiv cykelinfrastruktur.

Syftet med denna förstudie är att identifiera behov av modellstöd vid analys av cykeltrafik, i samband med att åtgärder inom gång-, cykel- och bilinfrastruktur analyseras, samt att identifiera forsknings- och utvecklingsbehov i Sverige inom området cykeltrafikmodeller. Ett av målen är att tydliggöra kommuner och regioners behov av modellstöd samt till att öka kommuners och regioners medvetenhet om vad cykeltrafikmodeller kan bidra med i arbetet för en ökad och säker cykling.

För att undersöka behoven av cykeltrafikmodeller har det inom projektet genomförts både intervjuer med konsulter och en workshop med kommuner, regioner och Trafikverket. Detta PM redovisar slutsatserna från dessa intervjuer och workshopen.