CHIPS


Project Summary

CHIPS (Cycle Highways Innovation for smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) will develop and promote cycle highways as an effective and cost efficient low carbon solution for commuting towards and from urban employment poles. CHIPS will demonstrate that, especially in combination with the growing number of e-bikes, cycle highway innovation can effectively get commuters out of their cars.

Project partners from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK will develop solutions that will help regions and mobility stakeholders to:

  • Position cycle highways as a new mobility product
  • Overcome physical and behavioural barriers that keep commuters from using cycle highways
  • Maximize synergies between cycle highways and trains, buses and cars
  • Upgrade cycle highways to key structuring elements in future spatial planning
  • Monitor performance and assess impact

Join the Cycle Highway Network!

Use this link to join the CHIPS Cycle Highway Academy Group on Linkedin. Click on the "Ask to join" button.

CHIPS Linkedin Group

Project Partners

Lead partner

Organisation Address Email Website
Provincie Vlaams-Brabant 1 Provincieplein
Leuven
3010
Belgium
wietse.hermanns@vlaamsbrabant.be www.vlaamsbrabant.be
Name Contact Name Email Country
Provincie Gelderland Frank Eggen f.eggen@gelderland.nl Netherlands
Regionalverband FrankfurtRheinMain Reinhard Henke henke@region-frankfurt.de Germany
Regionalverband Ruhr Thomas Pott pott@rvr-online.de Germany
Verband Region Rhein-Neckar Klemens Groeger Klemens.groeger@vrrn.de Germany
European Cyclists’ Federation Aleksander Buczyński a.buczynski@ecf.com Belgium
Flanders’ Bike Valley vzw Bert Celis bert.celis@flandersbikevalley.be Belgium
Sustrans Gordon Clarke gordon.clarke@sustrans.org.uk United Kingdom
Stichting NHTV internationale hogeschool Breda Joost de Kruijf kruijf.j@nhtv.nl Netherlands

News


High-level Political Discussions at the CHIPS Final Conference in Frankfurt

Posted on

The CHIPS (Cycle Highways Innovation for smarter People Transport and Spatial Planning) final conference summarised 3 years of knowledge sharing and research between partners from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, UK and Denmark. It inspired participants and gave decision makers from different member states an opportunity to discuss the EU agenda on cycling. The high-level conference in Frankfurt was immediately followed by Cycle Highway Academy, with hands-on sessions on practical tools and highly interactive discussions. Read More

What does a tractor gate do on the F1 cycle highway?

Posted on

The most visible upgrades on the section of the cycle highway F1 between Mechelen and Vilvoorde in Belgium is the new asphalt surfacing on the towpath along Zenne and two new cycling bridges across the river. But safety and comfort on a cycle highway is determined also by solutions that are nearly invisible from the user perspective. One of such changes is a “tractor gate” on the crossing of Weverstraat, Nedergemlaan and Begijnhofstraat in Zemst. Read More

More safety and comfort on the F1 cycle highway

Posted on

The 46 km F1 cycle highway connecting Antwerp with Brussels has undergone significant upgrades on the stretch between Zemst and Eppegem. On the 20th of February, the improvements along the Zenne were inaugurated by Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Ben Weyts, and include a brand new cycling bridge, 4 meter wide cycling paths, and new safe crossings. Read More

How to keep the costs of a cycle highway low: the A15/F15 case study

Posted on

The planned F15 cycle highway in the Netherlands represents a new model for cycling infrastructure projects. Not because of the route’s design standard, its length, or the new cycling bridge over the Pannerdensch Canal, but because of the lowest common denominator. Cost. This is possible because of the high level of integration the project has with the adjacent A15 motorway, sharing resources, rather than duplicating them, by working together. Read More

Wider cycle paths, more attractive public space

Posted on

Between 2008 and 2016 the number of cars driving across Dronning Louises Bro in Copenhagen dropped by nearly 60%. But the total number of people using the bridge increased by 16000 per day, thanks to higher numbers of cyclists. Additionally, shifting the traffic from cars to bicycles resulted more attractive public spaces that people not only commute through, but also like to spend time in. Read More


Public Events


CHIPS Launch Event

, Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU. Avenue de Cortenbergh 107, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

This event, jointly organized in partnership of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovakia to the EU, ECF and the recently approved European CHIPS project, will start two processes: - It will launch the official process of developing a stakeholder input document laying the groundwork for a future EU Cycling strategy. - It will be the official kick-off of the Interreg VB North West Europe CHIPS project on Cycle Highway Innovation.
Read More


Cycle Highway Academies


Second Cycle Highway Academy: Design & Build

, London

After a successful first edition of the Cycle Highway Academy in Arnhem during the Velo-city 2017 conference week, the second Cycle Highway Academy took place on the 4th and 5th of October in one of the pioneer cities of the Cycle Superhighway: London. This Cycle Highway Academy was a two-day session, focusing on the “Design and Building of Cycle Highways”.
Read More

First Cycle Highway Academy

, Best Western Hotel HAARHUIS Stationsplein 1, Arnhem1

This first edition of the Cycle Highway Academy (CHA) will be a one-day session, where the tools of the Interreg NWE CHIPS – project (Cycle Highway project) will be shared among partners. The target audience of this first Academy are mainly governmental organizations and industry associated with Cycle Highway. This first Academy will however be limited to partners and co-partners of the CHIPS-project. Next Cycle Highway Academies will be organized at the end of 2017 and during 2018.
Read More


Video on the Cycle Highway Definition

A Cycle Highway is a mobility product that provides a high quality functional cycling connection. As backbone of a cycle network, it connects cities and or suburbs, residential areas and major (work)places and it satisfies its (potential) users.

A definition of a Cycle Highway according to CHIPS

The 4 phases of the Life Cycle Highway

The Life Cycle Highway Explained

The CHIPS project partners have created a four-stage approach to develop cycle highways.

tage 1 PLAN involves planning the cycle highway where the focus is on the potential use of the new infrastructure and the impact for the region. A cycle highway facilitates citizens to move by bicycle from one place to another. It connects residential areas with business districts, city centers or transportation hubs. To determine the right location and make the right connection a calculation of the expected use is needed, taking into account the future developments to plan a future proof cycle highway. The virtual planning tool is one of the useful tools of this stage.

 

In the second DESIGN AND BUILD stage different criteria are distinguished to design a cycle highway. The challenge is to design the best suitable cycle highway for that specific location. Therefor different criteria such as attractiveness, wayfinding, size and directness have to be taken into account. Guidelines for the infrastructure and best practices of cycle facilities can be used for this stage.

 

Stage 3 SELL focus on promoting the cycle highways by using different campaigns. Communication and campaigns will help to stimulate (new) cyclists to use the cycle highway. Commuters are the main target group. The engagement of employers is key to reach the commuters and create a modal shift from car to (e)-bike. How do you brand and sell the cycle highway?

 

In the last stage EVALUATE the use of the cycle highway is monitored to get insights in the effects of the development. Are people using the new cycle infrastructure? There are several methods to collect data about the use of the infrastructure. By monitoring the use the effect on CO2 reduction can be calculated.

Introduction to CHIPS

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