Best Practice

Enabling Cycling Outside the City Centre

Madrid, Spain (2018)

Scale: District level

The Bicycle Master Plan (2008-2016) is being updated by the City of Madrid. This measure will contribute to reducing overall car trips, decarbonising mobility in Madrid and thereby improving the overall health and air quality of the city.

Industry, Innovation And Infrastructure

Sustainable Cities And Communities

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Challenge / Goal

In 2008, the City of Madrid adopted its Bicycle Master Plan (2008-2016). The plan boosted the development of a cycling infrastructure network, currently over 300km long, and also led to the implementation of BICIMAD - the city’s electric bike-sharing system.

Despite this, cycling levels remain at a very low rate (below 1% of all recorded journeys). This is particularly the case for trips to and from the peripheries. A higher perceived accident risk when cycling can explain this to some extent.

This measure will contribute to reducing overall car trips, decarbonising mobility in Madrid and thereby improving the overall health and air quality of the city.

Solution

The Bicycle Master Plan is being updated, with the shared use of road space in the demonstration area prioritised, specifically the peripheral district of Vallecas. Bike ownership is fostered through the implementation of innovative parking solutions for residents and for users of public transport hubs in the demonstration area. The potential of the Anillo Verde Ciclista (64km cycling ring road of cycling infrastructure surrounding the city) to boost cycling mobility in the area is analysed, as well as the chances for improving its connectivity with the demonstration area.

As part of the update of the Bicycle Master Plan and to achieve the goal of increasing bicycle trips, the following activities are being carried out:

High-quality cycling corridors in the peripheral urban district of Vallecas
- The two main cycling corridors connect three areas in Vallecas (Ensanche, Villa and Puente de Vallecas) and a broader cycling network links the neighborhood centres to public transport stations and other main destinations, such as the university campus and commercial areas
- This enables easy switching from bicycle to bus and metro (underground) within the district
- The corridors are being implemented with a focus on improving cyclists’ safety when on the road
Provision of bike storage facilities on a large scale
- These are located close to public transport and the ‘e-mobility hub’
- This is being done through another CIVITAS ECCENTRIC measure by Madrid, that targets pedestrians (‘Pedestrian friendly public space outside the city centre‘)
- This will further enable easy switches from bicycle to public transport
An in-depth study of the potential of the existing 64km cycling ring road
- To help further boost cycling as a mobility option in Vallecas
- Improving its connectivity with the surrounding neighborhoods, and with the outskirts of Madrid at large
- The results of this study could determine the possibilities of upscaling the cycling network approach, piloted in Vallecas, to other parts of the city

Citizen participation

Planning is done in cooperation with residents and local stakeholders, following a participatory approach organised through the cities Participative Budget. This approach almost guarantees citizen involvement.

More details of this can be found at the following address: www.decidemadrid.es

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Time period

Implementation time: 6 months to 1 year

Implementers

Madrid City Council

End users

All Citizens

Main benefits

Improving public transport accessibility
Promoting sustainable private transport models

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