CHIPS (Cycle Highways Innovation for smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) was a project that developed and promoted cycle highways as an effective and cost efficient low carbon solution for commuting towards and from urban employment poles. CHIPS demonstrated that especially in combination with the growing number of e-bikes, a cycle highway innovation can effectively get commuters out of their cars. The CHIPS project also developed joint cycle highway standards and solutions.
Nine project partners from Belgium, the Netherlands, UK and Germany developed transnational standards, approaches and tests to demonstrate and roll out solutions and tools that enable regions to tap into the full potential of cycle highways as an attractive commuting option.
By re-designing cycle highways in 5 regions to high quality standards, both with regard to infrastructural and non-infrastructural aspects, CHIPS demonstrated the potential impact of this mobility concept on a sustainable modal shift towards low carbon commuting in the NWE region. As a result of funded investment and campaigns, we forecasted a 1,5 to 3 fold increase in the actual number of cyclists on the cycle highways. The CHIPS-consortium provided policy makers, city planners, employers and commuters in the whole of NWE with a proven, well documented, viable and sustainable alternative to car-dominated commuting approaches. The involvement of companies that offer cycle highway related products and services have the potential to lead to innovations, which clearly increase the turnover in cycle highway related businesses.
The following cycle highways will be used as living labs for the demonstration of new solutions:
- Cycle Highway Leuven-Brussels in Belgium
- Cycle Highway Arnhem-Nijmegen in the Netherlands
- Cycle Highway Frankfurt Airport Region in Germany
- Cycle Highway Hart van Brabant in the Netherlands
- Comber Greenway in Ireland
For the ECF it was important that the project develops a (North West) European guideline for cycle highways and to increase the amount of commuters switching from car to bike. ECF engaged with authorities and other stakeholders to build a stronger support base for the development of cycle highways in NWE.
For more information visit the dedicated website and the Cycle Highway Manual