Funding approved for European CHIPS cycling infrastructure project

The CHIPS project (Cycle Highways for smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) has been approved for funding by the European programme Interreg North-West-Europe.

Interreg NWE is best described as a financial instrument of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy.

With the financial backing now available, over the next three years, 9 partners from Belgium, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands will together develop and demonstrate innovative solutions to make cycle highways more attractive, comfortable, safer and easier to use. They will also develop and conduct campaigns to remove barriers that keep commuters from using cycle highways.

The nine European partners are; 1 Provincie Vlaams-Brabant (B) (lead partner) (sub-partner: Mobiel 21) 2 Provincie Gelderland (NL) (sub-partners: Radboud University, stad Nijmegen)3 Regionalverband FrankfurtRheinMain (D) (sub-partners: Fraport, Gateway Gardens G3, DB Rent) 4 Regionalverband Ruhr (D) 5 Verband Region Rhein-Neckar (D) 6 European Cyclists’ Federation (B) 7 Flanders’ Bike Valley vzw (B) 8 Sustrans (UK) 9 Stichting NHTV internationale hogeschool Breda (NL) (sub-partners: TU Eindhoven, Stad Tilburg)

Once implemented, the hope is that thousands of people will benefit from a new generation of attractive cycle highways in each of the territories.

Key investments include :

Improvements in cycling infrastructure along the high speed train line between Leuven and Brussels. E-bikes will be used to promote the path to commuters.

Investment in e-bikes, fast e-bikes, smart lockers and better parking infrastructure on five sites along cycle highways in the region Arnhem-Nijmegen.

On three sites in and around Frankurt Airport, a mobile service and information station for the users of cycle highways will be tested. Later, this mobile ‘Mobility Hub’ will also be tested on the sites of other partners. The station can be integrated in larger mobility infrastructure such as train stations or car parks. It contains smart lockers and smart racks, charging infrastructure, bike share infrastructure, information panels and counters.

Comber Greenway (Comber-Belfast):CHIPS investments on the Comber Greenway will leverage additional local stakeholder investments in route development, including extending the route into Belfast City centre and lighting.

Investment in innovative monitoring equipment along the cycle highway Hart van Brabant running Tilburg-Waalwijk. The world’s first real Virtual Reality cycle experience monitor will enable authorities to test the ideal mix of measures that will attract commuters. Based on the results of this monitoring, there will be investments in measures that increase readability and attractiveness, parallel to the investments in other regions.

The CHIPS project will develop transnational standards and approaches and demonstrate solutions and tools to tap into the full potential of cycle highways. It will better connect cycle highways with public transport and cars, as well as investigate the potential of ‘cycle oriented spatial planning’.

It is hoped that the result will be a new, more attractive generation of cycle highways and related services, optimized synergies with public transport and cars, future developments that favour cyclists and above all more people using their bike to go to work and enabling other cities, regions and stakeholders to learn about project and investment results.

Partners in the CHIPS project include regions at the forefront of cycle highway development  and follower regions with high ambitions.  They include the provinces of Flemish Brabant (B) and Gelderland (NL), the German regions FrankfurtRheinMain, Ruhr and Rhein-Neckar, the British cycling charity Sustrans, academic partner NHTV (NL), the cycle industry cluster Flanders’ Bike Valley and the European Cyclists’ Federation.  They will focus their demonstrations and campaigns on cycle highway routes leading to Brussels, Belfast, Frankfurt, Arnhem and Tilburg.

For more information on CHIPS, see the European Cyclists’ Federation summary sheet here.

Further to the projects main partners, associated partners include :

Associated partners: Provincie Antwerpen (B), Stad Leuven (B), Gemeente Zaventem (B), Brussel Mobiliteit (B), Ruimte Vlaanderen (B), Gemeente Herent (B), Gemeente Kortenberg (B), Fietsberaad Vlaanderen (B), Gemeente Machelen (B), Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken (B), Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club Hessen e.V. (D), House of Logistics & Mobility GmbH (D), Stadt Frankfurt am Main (D), Stadt Hanau (D), Stadt Darmstadt (D), Stadt Heidelberg (D), Landratsamt Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (D), Stadt Mannheim (D), Stadt Ludwighafen am Rhein (D), Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (D), Nantes Métropole (F), Départements & Régions Cyclables (F), Stichting Groene Allianties (NL), Hermes Openbaar Vervoer B.V. (NL), NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) (NL), Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein (NL), CROW-Fietsberaad (NL), Supercykelstier (DK), Provincie Noord-Brabant (NL), Provincie Limburg (NL), De Lijn (B), Department for Regional Development (UK), Department of Transport Tourism and Sport (IRL), Transport for London (UK).