Basel Cycle Tracks as Model for Hamburg - First Modern Green Cycle Route in Hamburg

Cycle route in Hamburg some years ago (Picture: Frank Bokelmann)

Two years ago politicans and administration of the district of Altona invited me for consultation for a planned cycle route crossing the whole district. The cycle route should run along normal streets with cycle tracks or lanes, but also along small residential streets with speed limit of 30 km/h, or as a green cycle route through green spaces without car traffic.

Cycle route nowadays

Cycle route nowadays

Traditionally cyclists in Hamburg have to turn around fences when they leave a green cycle route at a crossing with a street. Cycle friendly cities like Copenhagen or Basel do not confront cyclists with fences or force cyclists to get off their bikes on main cycle routes. Apparently those fences are redundant.

Suggested cycle route from Basel

Suggested cycle route from Basel

Suggested cycle route from Basel

Suggested cycle route from Basel

Suggested cycle route from Basel

Suggested cycle route from Basel

After examples of Basel given to the administration fences were removed and the cycle route got a new direction. For the first time in Hamburg a green cycle route is designed in this way. Hopefully this will be applied at other cycle routes in the following years. Hamburg plans to build many kilometers of cycle routes until the year 2015, starting this year with Route No. 6 along the small river Wandse between downtown Hamburg and Barmbek / Dulsberg. The planned cycle route network was a showcase for the application as European Green Capital.

Typical cycle route in Hamburg

Typical cycle route in Hamburg, even without low curbs

Typical cycle route in Hamburg

Sometimes cyclists in Hamburg find signs like this at the point, where a cycle route meets a main road.Cycling is not that easy in Hamburg