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Report 1 of 5:
On
Your Bike - The Netherlands
Introduction
Inner cities are becoming more and more congested. City dwellers and visitors are being subjected to constantly increasing levels of air pollution and noise. Access to, and travel within city centres is problematic. In order to maintain a reasonable environment within inner cities, it is vital to limit road traffic and improve public transport amenities.
In Amsterdam, the rise in traffic and transport has intensified problems of accessibility and taken its toll on the quality of living conditions. Increasingly, the public is being confronted with congested traffic on the motorways and roads leading into the city centre. The problem of finding nearby parking spaces is worsening by the day. By combining different modes of transportation in one trip, travellers can compose and "direct" their own travel plans. This option offers maximum control over the efficiency, expense, travel time and comfort of travel.
The "white bicycle" scheme
Individual modes of transport have always been a popular option for travelling short distances to or from destinations away from stations and bus stops. The introduction of the white bicycle in Amsterdam serves primarily as a means of transport to and from tram/bus stops and stations as well as encouraging bicycle use. According to research findings, the use of bicycles would intensify if availability increased. And that, in turn, would lower the statistical chances of bicycle theft. The advantages to the new system are not limited to increasing bicycle use. It also has the potential to reduce pressure on the environment and ultimately save the government money in that fewer investments would be needed to improve the road infrastructure.
The white bicycle is an appealing, enjoyable and environmentally friendly transportation alternative to trams, buses and the metro. 750 white bicycles and 45 bicycle stalls have been introduced into Amsterdam's city centre and the surrounding 19th-century districts to try and alleviate the traffic problems. This means that tourists and residents have a permanent means of transport within walking distance from almost any point in the central part of Amsterdam. The chances are that there will always be a white bicycle available in the neighbourhood stall and an empty space in the stall close to the cyclist's destination.
The white bicycle system works as follows: cyclists take a white bicycle from one stall and use it as transport to reach another location or transfer point. They return it to the nearest local stall once they arrive at their destination.
Hardware for white bike system
- Central computer with modem bank
- Selection stand
- Depot rack
- White bike with bike electronics
- Redistribution bike
- Special tools for maintenance work
Structure of the white bicycle
The white bicycle requires very little maintenance. Its fairly heavy frame and unusual design are intended to discourage theft. The seat is easily adjusted with the touch of a button. To prevent punctures, the bicycle has massive tyres that operate like air tyres. The white bicycle also features a battery and lights that turn on and off automatically whenever the weather conditions require.
The white bike is clearly distinguishable from private bikes by its special design. It is suitable for use by men and women alike. The tyres are foamed and leak proof. The white bike has a luggage rack. It is fitted with an identification system. The white bike does not have a locking device because it should only be parked within the specifically allocated depots.
The white bicycle is now being introduced as a facility to supplement the bicycle stalls located at public transport hubs and the facilities for taking bicycles into metro trains and express trams.
Bicycle stalls
The bicycle stalls have a number of features, including a Chipper card reader for payment and user identification, a bicycle pump (to service cyclists who have their own bicycles), a map to guide users in choosing their routes, a telephone and an Internet presence point.
The "DEPO" transport system is a more precise network of parking lots (depots) where public bicycles (white bikes) await the passenger. The passenger introduces a chip card, takes a bicycle out of the parking rack and rides to the depot of his choice.
The depots are unmanned parking lots which are located at distances of approximately 300 metres apart and intended only for parking white bikes. The depot consists of two racks each with 10 parking spaces and a choice board. The bikes are automatically locked onto the racks when they are placed into them. The choice board shows a map of the city with the locations of the depots. By using a chip card and clicking on the destination depot, a journey to that particular depot is booked and a parking space is reserved. Only then can the passenger take a white bike out of the parking rack.
Redistribution and variable payments
In order to stop the depots becoming overfull or empty during the day, the redistribution of the bikes is vital. Redistribution is accomplished by means of reserving the bikes and variable payment and by the maintenance service using special redistribution bikes. A redistribution bike can carry six white bikes at one time.
Before leaving, the passenger informs the selection stand of his/her intended destination depot so that the system can book a parking space there. The system refuses journeys to depots that are already full but it offers the nearest depot with spaces as a possible alternative.
By using variable payments (free journeys, journeys costing Dfl.2 or a reward of Dfl.2) the system encourages journeys from full to emptier depots and discourages journeys from emptier to fuller depots. When the passenger chooses his/her destination depot, s/he is informed of the price and on booking the journey the price is deducted from his/her chipper card.
One reservation is valid for half an hour. If the bike has not reached its destination depot within this time, the reservation is cancelled and a new reservation has to be made at another depot.
Chipper card readers
Anyone who owns a personal multi-functional Chipper smart card can use it to remove a white bicycle and return it to another stall. Some seven million inhabitants in the Netherlands currently have a Chipper or a similar type of card. This technology also enables user identification and ensures reasonable security for this innovative mode of individual public transport. First-time users have to register their identity by inserting their Chipper card in the reader and keying in their Chipper code. From then on, the "user's profile" will be stored in the registration system and all they have to do is insert the Chipper card to book and pay for a trip. The user states his/her destination and a white bike is automatically unlocked from the rack.
Aims of the "DEPO" system
A group of partners are in charge of applying the idea in practice and introducing the white bicycle, including: the Traffic and Transport Infrastructure Service, KPN, Chipper Nederland, the Postbank, Y-Tech Innovation Centre and the Municipal Transport Authority.
- To open up areas previously difficult to access by public transport
- To encourage the use of public transport by supplementary use of DEPO
- To encourage pedestrian traffic by supplementary use of DEPO
- To replace short distance car journeys by DEPO journeys
- To reduce the number of bicycle thefts
| 1 US Dollar (USD) = 2.39 Dutch Guilder (NLG) @ February 2001 |
For further information, please contact:
ITDG would like to acknowledge Y-Tech Innovation Centre for providing the original material on the White Bike System in Amsterdam.
This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID.
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