AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.12.2004, Side 44

Hjólastæðum við lestarstöðina í Malmö fundinn staður á flotbryggju. /
Bicycle parking by the railway station in Malmo on a floating platform.
Ihe bicycle as a mode oí
transportation in the Capital Area
Guöbjörg Lilja Erlendsdóttir, M.s.c. Civil Engineer - Traffic and safety
Why should we enc-
ourage the use of
bicycles?
The bicycle can play an important
part in trips, shorter than 5 km.
In the European Union project
WALCYNG, which deals with the
question of how the part played by
pedestrians and bicyclists can be
increased, it is thought that around
50% of all vehicular trips are shorter
than 5 km and of these 30% shorter
than 1 km. Nothing indicates that
this is any different in the Capital
Area. According to the Regional
Plan of the Capital Area almost
700.000 vehicular trips are made in
the Capital Area each day.
Abroad people have discovered and
accepted that traffic jams do not
disappear by the building of new
roads and interchanges and have
therefore concentrated on action
to encourage people to choose
another mode of travel than the
private car (mobility management).
In this way not only expensive and
expansive road construction can
be delayed or avoided but this has
also resulted in a reduction of traffic
accidents.
During the preceding years people
have also become more aware
of environmental issues. This is
apparent in the policy making of
local authorities and state with the
Kyoto agreement and Agenda 21
and in the plans of local authorities.
Bicycling creates neither traffic noise
or air pollution. Increased bicycling
instead of vehicular traffic therefore
has positive influence on the envi-
ronment, both locally and in a wider
context.
By cycling to and from work or
school exercise becomes part of the
daily routine of people. According
to the calculations of the Transport
Economic Institute in Norway,
(Transportokonomisk institutt), the
societal gain of building bicycling
and pedestrian paths is many times
the construction cost if environmen-
tal and health gains are accounted
for. Bicycling is therefore not only of
benefit for the individual but also for
society as a whole.
The Capital Area
The Capital Area of lceland is not
as big as many would think. It can
be seen from the drawing that
accompanies this article where a
circle with a 5 km radius has been
drawn with a folcrum at the junction
of Kringlumýrarbraut and Listabraut.
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