Paper presented at Walk21-VII, The Next Steps, The 7th International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities, October 23-25 2006, Melbourne, Australia www.walk21.com

Large scale test of traffic calming of the city centre of Copenhagen Klaus Grimar Architect City of Copenhagen Roads and Parks Njalsgade 13 2300 Copenhagen S Denmark Phone: +45 3366 3332 E-mail: klgri@tmf.kk.dk Abstract The city centre of Copenhagen already possesses a special identity with its many attractive shops, cafs, restaurants and cultural institutions. Pedestrian precincts in the area have strengthened the identity and created a lively urban life. However, it is still possible to develop the pedestrian culture by creating better and more exciting surroundings in the urban space, which will benefit the residents, the commercial organizations and the visitors. Over the last six years a Mobility Week has been held containing demonstration projects under the European project In Town without My Car and European Mobility Week. Local communities have been engaged in formulating projects and have been hosts for events. In addition to that car-free days and experiments with a car-free area in the historic city centre of Copenhagen have been held during the last 4 years. The demonstration projects have sparked a wide debate on the development of the city. Today, there exists considerable public and political support for the permanent traffic calming of the city centre. The local politicians have initiated a project based on dialogue aiming at a car-free area in the historic city centre. Pedestrian and bicycle culture have to be encouraged and city life is brought into focus.

Biography Name Klaus Grimar Nationality Danish Education Architect Work experience Over the last 10 years I have been working in public administration. I have primarily dealt with the physical planning and planning processes based on dialogue. For the past years I have been head of the Secretariat for the Mobility Week and the Car-Free Days in Copenhagen. The planning of the Mobility Week and the Car-Free Days has taken place in close cooperation with other administrations in the City of Copenhagen and with other public institutions. As considerable attention has been paid to the Car-Free Days in political quarters, one important aspect of the planning has been to ensure political support for the project. The development of the activities during the Mobility Week has taken place in close cooperation with local citizens groups and organizations.

Large scale test of traffic calming of the city centre of Copenhagen Klaus Grimar Architect City of Copenhagen Introduction In Copenhagen, great emphasis is being laid on the development of the Inner City. This is due to its significance as the cultural, trade and entertainment centre not only of Copenhagen itself but of the whole of Denmark. The Inner City is also a wonderful place to walk around in, both in terms of its history and its opportunities for leisure. It comprises the old medieval part of the city with its numerous small streets and squares. Over the last 40 years a gradual transformation has occurred from car city to pedestran city. The conversion of numerous streets to pedestrian streets and pedestrian frendly streets has meant that more people visit and take advantage of the city. We hope to continue this develpment in Copenhagen, so that the qualities already existing in the urban space in the Inner City can be enjoyed to the full. In 2004 and 2005 Copenhagen participated in the European initiative Car-free Day. Through this, we have been able to gain valuable experience as to how to use the city if further traffic calming measures are introduced in the Inner City. This paper deals first and foremost with lessons learnt from the implementation of Car-free days. From Car-free days to permanent traffic calming of the city centre of Copenhagen

The car-free zone In 2005, there were three Car-free days in all. The objective of extending the number of car-free days to three was: To gain experience with a view to creating a permanent traffic calming scheme in sections of the city centre. This included focusing attention on choice of travel mode and on the environmental advantages of choosing alternatives to individual motorized traffic with special focus on commuters and visitors to Copenhagen city centre. The immediate goal of the 2005 project was to draw attention to and derive benefit from activities in the car-free zone and to identify problems that arose for citizens affected by the experiment with a view to a permanent traffic calming of the area as soon as possible. The Car-free days were intended to identify the advantages and disadvantages that local businesses and resident would undergo from traffic calming in the city centre. What are the potentials? What are the obstacles? The concept Car-free day is misleading. It is neither possible nor desirable totally to close off an area like the Inner City to cars. Car-free day is a concept used throughout Europe, although in this case a more accurate description would be traffic calming. Nevertheless, the three trial days provided valuable insight into how city life can flourish without essential and desirable functions coming to a halt, even when a number of restrictions are imposed upon car traffic. After evaluating the Car-free days, the position of Copenhagen Municipality is that any further trials would offer only limited benefit. The politicians in Copenhagen have decided to develop a strategy for the development of the medieval part of the city; the same area that was covered by the Car-free days.

As mentioned in the introduction, there are numerous pedestrian and pedestrian frendly streets in the Inner City which create a strong identity in that part of the city. These streets offer excellent conditions for pedestrians and provide a lively city life. The new strategy will focus on further potential for developing this areas urban space. Clearly, car traffic influences the potential for developing this space. The strategy has to focus on the possibililty of stopping on-street parking together with changing traffic flow, thereby offering new opportunities for using this urban space potential. Even the adoption of this strategy will not be working with a completely car-free Inner City, since it must still be possible to deliver goods, collect the refuse and attend church services using public transport etc. There was indeed some press criticism that Copenhagen was not completely closed to traffic. As just mentioned however, it is not possible to impose a complete ban on traffic in the Inner City in Copenhagen for the reasons given. Steps to implementation and results Pre-implementation We started our departmental planning about seven months before the Car-free days, which took place over three days in late September between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.. The first information to the public was sent out about four months before implementation. A great deal of subsequent effort was put into providing information about the large number of vacant parking spaces that are normally available in the immediate vicinity of the car-free zone. Implementation The car-free days in 2005 were based on the 2004 guidelines and implemented with very few adjustments.

Six entry gates were set up manned by Copenhagen traffic wardens and the Copenhagen Police. The composition of the gate guard worked very well. All the other streets were blocked off by barriers, although cyclists were allowed to pass through. The barriers remained in place from 8p.m.- 6 a.m., which meant that every morning the placement of the barriers had to be adjusted since many of them had been moved during the night.Traffic movement at the gates and on the streets surrounding the zone took place without complications.

Deliveries were allowed through all five gates until 11 a.m., whereas emergency vehicles, transport of the handicapped and the elderly, home-care services, meals-on-wheels, on-call GPs, transport of patients, post, parcels and waste disposal were allowed all day. It was also possible to leave the area all day.

There were normal public bus services in the area, whereas taxis, tourist

busses, commuters and tradesmen were not allowed motorized access.

Catering firms and the like were allowed to apply for special permits to drive in the area. There was also access to the two hotels located within the zone as well as to the multi-storey car park at large department store.

A count was performed at two of the gates, in order to see whether there had been a drop in traffic entering and leaving the area

A model for predicting traffic noise on the house fronts was developed and traffic

noise calculated. Results

The results of the counts show that traffic in the car-free zone was reduced by half during the car-free days compared with the normal situation. This is the equivalent of traffic noise being reduced by 2 dB, which is a significant change.

Just outside the outer limit, the traffic dropped by approx. 7%.

A non-vehicular traffic analysis in the city centre showed, not surprisingly, the majority of people are to be found on the primary pedestrianized shopping streets during the car-free days as well as during the reference week.

The increase in the number of walkers and cyclists in the areas where driving is

normally allowed was greater (11.4%) than in the areas where driving was not normally allowed (5.7% increase).

Feed back from the citizens, the shoppers and the shop owners Working party The City of Copenhagen invited a number of the areas commercial and business interest groups to participate in a working party to plan the Car-free days. This was with a view to focusing attention on creating activities within the traffic calmed zone and on the issues that have to be addressed if the city centre is to be traffic calmed. Collaboration with the working party in planning the car-free days was excellent. For example: access to Illums, a large department store, parking garage during the car-free days

was granted a solution was found so that the two hotels in the car-free zone were accessible by car

during the period. On the basis of working party proposals, emphasis was placed on debating future perspectives and on testing a pedestrian friendly zone. All in all the working party feel that the car-free days went very well. The guidelines and information were satisfactory. The working party do not feel that the Car-free days provide a sufficient basis for a decision to make the city centre a permanently car-free zone, but recommend a long-term dialogue process for the development of the area. Other groups

The police experienced little or no difficulty at the gates. Traffic outside the area moved without complications.

The trade guild received no reports of workmen experiencing difficulty getting to

work within the zone.

KCC (Copenhagen city centre business association) carried out a random check of the turnover in seven shops during the Car-free days compared to normal days. The shops were located within or on the Car-free zone boundary. The random checks show that three shops on the boundary experienced no drop in turnover while four shops within the zone experienced a drop in turnover of 5-30%.

HORESTA (the Danish industry organization of the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry) studied occupancy rates of 70 hotels before, during and after the car-free days. Compared to the week before, there was a total drop in the occupancy rate of 6.4%. Saturday especially drags down the figure. HORESTA explains the drop in the occupancy rate by the fact that a major congress was held in town on the Saturday before the Car-free days. In relation to the following week the occupancy rate rose by 2.4%.

Survey Institut for Centerplanlgning (ICP) carried out a non-vehicular traffic count (pedestrians or cyclists) at 12 selected spots within the car-free zone as well as an interview of 1,000 randomly selected respondents. The traffic count and interviews took place during the Car-free days and on the corresponding days during the following week. As mentioned earlier, the majority of people are to be found on the primary pedestrianized shopping streets during the car-free days as well as during the reference week. Analysis of non-vehicular road user interviews The questions can be grouped under four main headings:

1. reason for entering the city centre 2. choice of travel mode to reach the area 3. car-parking 4. attitude to cars in town

Reason for entering the city centre: The reason why the majority of the respondents were in the car-free zone was shopping. This was true on both the car-free days and during the reference week. The proportion was slightly larger during the reference week than during the car-free days which can probably be explained by the fact that during the reference week people had just received their pay checks. The fact that respondents also expected to spend more money during the reference week than on the car-free days also bears this out. Drivers tend to spend more money than other road user groups although evidence for this is inconclusive. Choice of travel mode to reach the area. The majority used public transport to get to the car-free zone. This is true of the car-free days as well as the reference week. There were

slightly ewer motorists and slightly more cyclists on the Car-free days than during the reference week. Car-parking. The multi-storey public car parks close to the car-free zone are not the primary parking areas since over three quarters of the respondents report having parked elsewhere on the car-free days and during the reference week. On thewhole, fi nding a parking space in or close to the car-free zone appears to have been relatively easy since three quarters of the respondents say that they either did not spend time or did not spend more than 5 minutes looking for a parking space. At the same time 11% state that they spent 20 minutes or more. Attitude to cars in town

15% of the respondents on the Car-free days said that the Car-free days made them consider using their cars less while 25% reply otherwise.

Fewer drivers than other road users would consider using their cars less. At the

same time it should be pointed out that 58% of drivers have absolutely no intention of using their cars less.

The majority of the respondents say that what draws them to town is the

atmosphere and the shops. On the Car-free days the majority cited atmosphere, whereas during the reference week the majority mentioned the shops.

Over two thirds of the respondents on the Car-free days thought being in town was

more enjoyable without cars slightly fewer motorists than other road users agree on this point and only 16% of drivers completely disagree. This is born out by the fact that more than one third say they completely disagree with the following statement: Its extremely annoying that you cant bring your car to town.

Nevertheless almost one quarter (23%) of the respondent motorists are in fact

annoyed at not being allowed to drive in town. Informing citizens

All households, shops and offices with an address within the car-free zone were informed of the event in advance by two letters distributed to each household or place of business.

On the Sunday prior to the car-free days ads were run in news paper in the greater

Copenhagen area

Information on the car-free days was printed on the ubiquitous green cycle messengers cycle bags

Signs telling about the car-free days were put up in the public busses. In addition,

the city of Copenhagen held a public information meeting the week before the car-free days were due to start.

Programs were distributed to drivers entering the area, radio spots were

broadcasted, information was posted on the major approach roads and information was available at all the gates.

The event also received excellent media coverage.

Demonstration of the future The Car-free days activities were particularly aimed at drawing attention to and deriving benefit from activities within the car-free zone and at focusing attention on choice of travel mode and the environmental advantages of alternatives to individual car traffic. The activities were as follows:

The ecological entrepreneurs set up Info-Oase, an information centre. Every day from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. information was provided about what was going on, and various kinds of entertainment as well as organic produce were available. On Saturday the Info-Oase information centre was combined with a harvest and book market, folk dancing and music. A prize was also awarded to the three shops that developed the best cycle parking facility

Linked to the Info-Oase information centre were exhibitions:

o Green Lungs, a photo exhibition of house-front plantings in historical Copenhagen

o new designs for bicycle stands and an exhibition on the citysdesign and development

o the City of Copenhagens development plans for traffic, urban spaces and the environment

On Thursday 22nd September three childrens events were arranged:

1. pony rides 2. experiments with hydrogen energy in vehicles 3. learning how to be a traffic star, where 1400 children from the

ages of 5 to 8 were invited to learn about road safety On Friday, Open Courtyards provided the opportunity to visit private historical courtyards. Eight courtyards opened their doors to the public. As in former years, this was a great success which was why the DaneAge association arranged a Nordic walking tour from the harbour to the Open Courtyards The Royal Copenhagen Skaterpark invited the best skateboarders from all over the country to put on a display. The show attracted many visitors all day The Krebsen Gallery held a reception on Saturday following which there was a tour of a number of nearby galleries A street was posted as a pedestrian friendly zone for the entire three

days. Two green oases were set up where the Veterinary and Agricultural University presented an exhibition entitled Nature and green spaces prevent stress On Friday, 23rd September a theatre group staged five guided tours of Copenhagens parallel universe, intended to entertain and encourage people to look at Copenhagen with new eyes On Thursday and Saturday, Copenhagen Rickshaw ran pedicabs from four spots in the city centre. For 25 DKK you could be transported around the area, which many people did. It was also possible to ride for half price in a horse-drawn carriage The lessons learned During the car-free days, no difficulties were registered in traffic movement within the zone and in the surrounding streets. At the manned gates, traffic generally proceded in an orderly manner. The zone boundary was logical and comprehensible in accordance with last years perception. Special-permit applications provided an excellent picture of the individuals and groups that are dependent on daily motorized transport. The Copenhagen police, other interest groups and citizens have expressed satisfaction with the level of information. Traffic signs at the barriers to the Car-free zone were excellent clear, uniformly designed and attractive. All the events that were held during the car-free days were well attended and contributed to the positive atmosphere. The weather was excellent, which was of course a major factor in encouraging people to go to town even though it was at the end of the month. The city of Copenhagens exhibit on city traffic, the environment and urban space was a great success, with an extremely high turnout. The Info-Oase information centre with its pleasant surroundings and varied events attracted a great deal of media attention. The fact that the experiment lasted for three days created a lively debate on the future of the city centre and many different views were voiced. The experiment and the assessment provided no clear picture of citizens attitudes to a permanent traffic calming of the area.

Generally speaking, there is public support for doing something about traffic and urban spaces in the city centre, but there is no consensus on the extent to which traffic should be limited nor the means. The residents in a area of Inner city are concerned that permanent traffic calming in sections of the city centre in the form of more pedestrian friendly zones and pedestrianized shopping streets might lead to an undesirable commercialization of the area. The City Centre neighbourhood council generally approve that further work should be done on developing schemes for reducing traffic in the historic city centre. Planning the car-free days, the project group had an excellent collaboration with the working party which consisted of several city centre interest groups. The working party has put forward recommendations for what they believe should be taken into account in any future planning of city centre traffic calming. The Copenhagen police have made it clear that enough information has now been collected to form the basis for a meaningful discussion of the traffic consequences of calming the historic city centre. For this reason they will not allow car-free days to close off the city centre in future. With regard to future perspectives for the city centre, the conclusion is that there is widespread support for calming a section of the city centre, but many different views on the means to achieve such traffic calming. Consequently it is recommended that the administrations, in collaboration with the different interest groups, should develop concrete proposals and carry out impact assessments of various schemes for reducing motorized traffic in the historic city centre in order to form the basis of a future political discussion.

Introduction Pre-implementation Implementation Results Working party Other groups