Photo: Herval (Flickr)

Amsterdam launches bike safety innovation competition

07 February 2022

by Christopher Carey

Amsterdam is inviting universities, companies and members of the public to come up with solutions to improve bike safety in the Dutch capital through an open challenge.

The central theme of the competition – “Different speeds on bicycle paths” – aims to influence the behaviour of road users and asks how bike delivery services, and differences in speed bicycle types can impact this.

The ten best ideas submitted to the Amsterdam Bike City Bicycle Innovation Lab will get the opportunity to present their solution to a jury of cycling experts, with the winner receiving a €2,000 (US$2,285) prize, development funding and the chance to implement their plan.

Speaking to Cities Today, David Gelauff, Senior Project Manager, Amsterdam Department of Traffic and Public Space, said: “We are experiencing a very real problem at the moment, the use of our bike paths by all kinds of different modes possessing different kinds of speeds – most notably, electric bikes.

“Nationwide, we’re seeing a bigger percentage of bike accidents involving e-bikes, particularly among older drivers.

“We’re not aware of specific statistics showing this in Amsterdam, but it’s something we hear from interviews with bikers, which we do on a yearly basis.

“It’s starting to keep people from using the bike because they simply feel it’s more dangerous.”

A total of 229 cyclists were killed in the Netherlands in 2020 – 24 more than in 2019.

Out of the total number of bike deaths, 32 percent were riding an e-bike and almost 75 percent were over the age of 60.

Competition

Entries will be assessed across five categories:

  • Relevance: Is it a recognised problem?
  • Innovative and original: To what extent is the idea innovative in the Amsterdam region?
  • Incitement to action: How does this idea encourage people to change their behaviour, making (bicycle) traffic safer?
  • Feasibility: To what extent can this idea be tested in the Amsterdam region within a year? And what is needed for that? And to what degree can this be applied more broadly?
  • Demonstration of a positive impact: How can you demonstrate that bicycle traffic safety improves based on this idea?

In addition to receiving €2,000, the winner will have the opportunity to develop the idea further with a maximum development budget of €45,000.

Applications are open until February 24, with the winner set to be announced on April 11.

The Bike City platform was established in March 2021 by the City of Amsterdam and the Transport Authority Amsterdam, which oversees regional transit.

It was developed as a community and a space for knowledge sharing for anyone interested in cycling, including industry professionals, administrators, students and bicycle campaigners.

Image: Herval (Flickr)

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