DW: challenges in encouraging travelling by bicycles in Germany

We learn more details with DW correspondent Jefferson Chase right now.

1) Berlin has committed to investing hundreds of millions of euros in its cycling infrastructure. What are the goals the German capital is pursuing?

Berlin aims to become nothing less than the world's most bicycle-friendly big city. City planners are hoping that automotive traffic in the German capital will be climate neutral by the year 2050. They also want to reduce cycling fatalities to zero. But the capital is a long way from realizing those goals. While the city has 600 kilometers of cycle paths, many are inadequate or in poor repair. So many people still prefer to drive. Very often bike lanes simply stop and spit cyclists out into the street. And nine cyclists were killed last year. Berlin has a long way to go.

2) Are any other German cities doing better in making it easier to use bicycles as the main transport means?

Yes there are. The city of Münster, for instance, has 300,000 inhabitants but twice that many bicycles. That's a mark of how connected people are to their bicycles there. The city has succeeded in making cycling very convenient. Cycling is integrated with public transport and car-sharing stations. There are more than  3000 bike parking spaces at the train station, and the major intersections all have special cycle traffic lights to ensure safety. The entire old city center is free of cars. And that at a cost of only 2 euros 50 per year per inhabitant. Cycling infrastructure is much cheaper than automobile infrastructure. Plus the air in Münster is really clean.

3) So how much can Berlin and other places around the world learn from a city like Münster?

Different cities have different sizes in terms of areas and populations. So their needs and the challenges of meeting them will differ too. But there are some general lessons. One is that on main roads, cars and bicycles must be kept apart as much as possible. But another is that cycling can be made safer and more attractive just by raising the public awareness. In Münster, about a third of all the local government's efforts go toward PR work. That's one very cost-effective way of coverting many people into cyclists, which is, in the end, good for everyone who lives in big cities.