The Cycling Policy Statement was developed using the international, standardized BYPAD process.
BYPAD (Bicycle Policy Audit) is a process for assessing the effectiveness of local cycling promotion. Over 200 cities in 25 countries (mainly in Europe) have already successfully completed this process, including German cities such as Münster, Cologne, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Lüneburg and Leipzig. Wolfsburg has now also participated in this process, which is led and moderated by a certified BYPAD auditor.
In order to develop the goals for the cycling mission statement, which are to point the way for the further development of cycling in Wolfsburg, it was first necessary to find out where Wolfsburg's strengths and weaknesses lie. Only on this basis can meaningful goals be set and measures defined. This is precisely the purpose of the BYPAD process.
The working group dealing with the BYPAD procedure and the guiding principle of cycling was made up of representatives of the city administration (transport authority, environmental office, the business divisions of schools, urban planning, road construction and project coordination as well as green), political representatives of all parliamentary groups as well as the General German Bicycle Club, the German Traffic Club, the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany, the traffic watch, the police, Volkswagen and representatives of the students. This means that a broad spectrum of views, wishes and opinions are taken into account.
The first meeting of the BYPAD group took place on May 21, 2015. The status quo of cycling promotion in Wolfsburg was analyzed in detail. This resulted in strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths include a fixed budget for the promotion of cycling, the promotion of cycling especially in commuter traffic, staffing within the administration, bicycle parking facilities in the central city center, the connection of the districts to the city center.
Weaknesses of Wolfsburg, on the other hand, include a lack of cycling strategy, subordinate consideration of cycling at many intersections, no uniform, consistent guidance of cycling in the road space, bicycle parking situation at the main station, lack of communication and information.
In the second meeting on July 16, 2015, fields of action were defined on this basis. These include infrastructure, intersections, school route safety, bicycle parking or bike & ride. In the final third meeting on November 12, 2015, the BYPAD group agreed on 24 goals to be achieved by 2025, which form the core of the cycling mission statement.