FLOW is a project that aims to put walking and cycling on an equal footing with motorised modes as a solution to tackle urban congestion. In the project a user-friendly methodology, involving traffic modelling, to assess the effectiveness of walking and cycling measures, will be developed.
FLOW will be the first project explicitly linking walking and cycling with congestion reduction. Consultants from different disciplines are part of the project, likewise Walk 21 (advocating walking) and ECF (for cycling).
Six FLOW partner cities (Lisbon, Budapest, Munich, Gdynia, Sofia and Dublin) will pilot an assessment tool that looks at the congestion impact of walking and cycling measures as well as improved transport modelling simulation tools. These will be used to develop implementation scenarios and action plans to add or upscale cycling and walking measures shown to reduce congestion. The results will be shared with a list of exchange cities and follower cities.
FLOW targets cities, businesses and decision-makers with the aim of shifting the way these groups think about and act on the potential for non-motorised transport to reduce congestion.
For ECF the project is important to take away the misunderstanding for some decision-makers, that building cycle infrastructure is negative for the accessibility in cities for cars and public transport. We will also advise the participating cities in designing good facilities for cyclists.
A previous publication of Fietsberaad shows already how increase of bicycle usage helps to tackle urban congestion.
More information on the dedicated website: http://h2020-flow.eu/