Assessing the Compliance of Existing Cycling Route Infrastructure Against National Guidelines in Greece

The eve of the 2020s finds European cities in a process of shifting citizens’ mobility preferences towards more sustainable transport means. Cycling is an emerging alternative to motorised modes, particularly due to its lower operating cost and its contribution to healthier lifestyles and containment of climate deregulation from transport sector. Towards establishing cycling as a commuting mode and decreasing private car use, city authorities are increasingly investing in delivering integrated cycling route networks, pro-cycling policies and related services. However, poor and inadequate network design may act as a deterrent to cycling, due to safety, accessibility or quality concerns. To address this, the Greek Ministry of Transport in 2016 issued a set of technical guidelines for cycling network infrastructures in order to standardize their design process. In response to these new guidelines, this paper proposes a methodology for the assessment of existing cycling infrastructure through the utilization of a structured checklist. This checklist considers critical components of bicycle networks, such as their signage, width, inclinations, lighting, intersections, types of separation and interface with other modes and examines them against the minimum requirements described in national standards. The methodology was piloted in the existing cycling networks of Athens and Trikala, Greece. Results indicated certain design flaws and the attributes that did not comply with national standards. The proposed methodology could assist planning authorities into monitoring the quality of cycling infrastructure in Greek cities and indicating the aspects that do not meet the national set thresholds along with highlighting the appropriate interventions.