CARMA IEE 09-721 D4.3 Peer-to-peer workshop in Budapest
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CARMA IEE 09-721
D4.3 Peer-to-peer workshop in
Budapest
Content Part 1
1. Background and rationale.........................................................................................................................3
2. Cycling in Budapest, an overview.............................................................................................................4
3. The peer-to-peer workshop in Budapest...................................................................................................6
4. Findings from the peer-to-peer workshop in Budapest.............................................................................7
5. Conclusions.............................................................................................................................................10
2
1. Background and rationale
The concept of peer-to-peer support commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters, and
can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, listening, or counselling. Peer support occurs when
people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. In the case of
CARMA peer to peer refers to an initiative where colleagues, members of relevant organizations and
others meet as equals to give each other support on a reciprocal basis. Peer is taken to imply that each
person has similar expertise as a supporter than the other and the relationship is one of equality.
However it is also understood that some of the cities of CARMA have garnered an extent of cycling
experience that may be prove helpful for cities that are only now starting to up-take cycling policies.
Standing the theory outlined above, the partners of the project believed it to be an asset for the cities of
Riga and Budapest to interactively access the experience and the knowledge accrued thus far by the
cities of Eindhoven, Gothenburg, Kensington and Chelsea, and Parma. Conceivably a peer has “been
there, done that” and can relate to others who are now in a similar situation. Furthermore, the exchange
of information with peers happens under positive psychological conditions, for mutual trust and concern is
recognised, as well as the value of first-hand experience, which offers a credible, unique and pragmatic
perspective.
Because of the success of the peer to peer approach in previous European projects, and namely in
another IEE initiative named START (also coordinated by the City of Gothenburg), CARMA opted for a
similar format, to be repeated twice over the course of project lifetime: i) the peer to peer workshop in
Riga (Latvia) on 6 October 2011, and ii) the peer to peer workshop in Budapest (Hungary) on 23 April
2012.
The workshop of Budapest was prepared and executed as follows:
Figure 1: flows of pre and post workshop activities
Following on the footsteps of the peer to peer workshops organised in Riga, the one held in Budapest
was initiated by the Hungarian Cyclist Club (HCC), which presented to the other cities of CARMA facts,
figures and issues faced by cycling in Budapest, together with the goals of the local marketing and aware-
ness campaigns, and the intended target groups and main challenges.
The assessment of the local situation allowed the cities of CARMA to convene in Budapest with a clear
overview of the situation and with concrete ideas and experiences to be transferred to Budapest as a
possible source of inspiration.
3
2. Cycling in Budapest, an overview
Facts and figures
The last official comprehensive survey dated 2004 shows that cycling had a modal share of about 2%.
Since then Budapest experienced a marked increase in cycling, with an estimated 4% modal share in
2012. Weekdays cycling levels nearly doubled since 2006, with data recorded by the first automatic
counter showing that the number of cyclists on an average workday is about twice as much as on
non-working days. The declared goal of Budapest is to reach a 10% modal share by 2020.
According to a 2009 survey part of a public bike-sharing study (sample taken in Budapest and its
metropolitan area within the age bracket 15-65), there are three different attitudes towards cycling:
• open for cycling: 40%
• dismissive towards cycling: 40%
• regards cycling as a leisure activity only: 20%
Bicycle ownership by attitude shows:
• 63% of open attitude owns a bicycle
• 25% of dismissive attitude owns a bicycle
• 34% of only leisure attitude owns a bicycle
Most of those who are open for cycling are single people and students, and on average people with a
mid-range income and a high school degree. Those who dismiss cycling are mostly people with higher
incomes and over the age of 35.
In terms of cycling network, Budapest saw the first 10 km of cycling lanes constructed in 1989, an
extension that had grown to 140 km by 2002. Today the network relies on about 200 km (a rather
impressive number considering that the entire road network of Budapest extends to 4.000 km). Many of
the cycling lanes constructed before 2009 are segregated cycling facilities, either poorly designed
shared-use footways or very expensive bike paths not organically connected to a network.
In recent years traffic planners in Budapest have applied an integrated approach bring on board cost-
efficient cycle-friendly solutions (sharrows, one-way streets open for cyclists, bus lanes open for cyclists,
low-speed zones, etc.). Today every new road reconstruction is to consider cycle-friendly solutions.
Although the number of cyclists has more than doubled since 2006, the number of serious and fatal
injuries has not proportionally risen, with the number of light injuries increasing only by 20% (from the
survey “Analysis of cycling accidents and traffic data in Budapest 2006, 2009 and 2010”). By all means
the “safety in numbers” theory works in Budapest. Drivers pay more attention to cyclists and
cycling in the city is considered to be less and less dangerous.
Experienced cyclists regard most parts of the city are suitable for everyday cycling, whilst less experi-
enced ones consider everyday commuting a hard and stressful task.
4Marketing for cycling
The Municipality of Budapest developed an articulated concept for the promotion of cycling that relies on
a package of tools, campaigns, and activities. Unfortunately the lack of financial and human resources
has so far prevented the deployment of the plan.
The recently founded Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK), the transport authority of the Hungarian
capital, is also responsible for the maintenance of all public roads in Budapest, and as such it is commit-
ted to emphasising sustainable travel modes, especially cycling. BKK believes in communicating a
positive image of cycling through the local press, especially during the European Mobility Week. BKK has
also initiated an active and productive cooperation with the local cycling NGOs and has been supporting
their efforts, such as the very popular Critical Mass event and the “Bike to work” campaign.
Marketing activities are mostly connected with those handled by the bicycle movement and the Hungarian
Cyclists’ Club (HCC), such as the Critical Mass, “Bike to Work”, “Bike to School”, “Buy Local”, cycling-
related events during the Mobility Week, websites and social media sites.
The Municipality of Budapest has limited financial resources available for marketing, with some €15.000
per year spent on the production of brochures, web-design and newsletters. BKK has no dedicated
financial resources for cycling promotion (though a budget of the public bike-sharing project does specify
resources for cycling promotion), and only one part-time person responsible for cycling promotion.
To date most marketing and communication activities have been related to specific infrastructure
development projects, such as new bike lanes and cycle-friendly solutions in road reconstruction. The
media used are articles and posts on the BKK website and Facebook site, press conferences, interviews,
jointly organised events with HCC. The latter has a website with more than 6.000 visitors a day during
campaigns, as well as social media sites with over 12.000 followers. HCC relies on posters, free-cards,
stickers, banners, TV-spots, viral videos, press conferences, press events, mass events, radio and TV
interviews, adverts in online and printed media.
Current marketing plans target people who are open for cycling, young people with high-school degrees
and mid-range incomes, and students. In doing so BKK will conduct a study on cycling transportation
behaviour to analyse conflicts, obstacles and the possibilities of regional connections and intermodality.
In cooperation with HCC, BKK will develop a cycling marketing plan using parts of the previous marketing
strategy, including the promotion campaign of “bubi” (Budapest bike-sharing system), and more focus on
social media (Facebook, blogs, et.) and events (flash mobs). The marketing and communication cam-
paign of “bubi” is expected to be trendy, classy, loveable, and related to a new green and sustainable city
life. Resources for marketing will heavily rely on EU funds.
The main challenge to effective marketing is in the dominant car culture of Budapest, and in a transport
system that was designed to meet the needs of car drivers. Furthermore, many drivers are not tolerant
towards cyclists, as they do not regard cycling as a real transport alternative. On the other hand, many
cyclists tend to be too aggressive and un-abiding by the road rules.
53. The peer-to-peer workshop in
Budapest
The workshop was held in Budapest on 23 April 2012 with the following format:
Programme of peer to peer workshop in Budapest
Morning
The aim of the morning session is to give all participants the opportunity to learn about and discuss
marketing of cycling with a focus on two themes selected by the Municipality of Budapest and the
Hungarian Cyclists Club. Each topic is introduced by one or two thematic presentations from a city with
relevant experience. All other participants contribute with concrete examples from their cities.
Workshop 1: communication and marketing related to specific infrastructure
investments
• Tanja van der Wiel, City of Eindhoven
• Eva Eriksson, City of Gothenburg
Discussion: reaching employers, how to do it? Ideas and experiences.
Workshop 2: the role of NGOs in marketing cycling and how they can
successfully cooperate with cities
• Szolt Kilian, Hungarian Cyclists Club
• Jonas Åker, City of Göteborg
Discussion: reaching parents, how to do it? Ideas and experiences.
Afternoon
The afternoon session concentrates on the situation in Budapest and how the city can advance in its
marketing of cycling. The city of Budapest is represented by the Transport Authority (BKK), which is
interested in learning more about soft (marketing) measures for the promotion of cycling with all age
groups. BKK is also interested in marketing and communication for the soon to be launched bike-
sharing system (“bubi”, 2013). The session starts with a presentation of BKK on the current cycling
situation and marketing initiatives, with peer comments and suggestions from the other cities of
CARMA. Thereafter all participants (broken down in two groups) take part in a brainstorming meeting
meant to assist BKK in drafting a specific cycling marketing plan, drawing from the experiences
accumulated so far.
Workshop 3 marketing Budapest’s new public bike system
• Virag Bencze-Kovacs, BKK
Workshop 4: how can cycling be promoted by a transport management centre
as an equal means of transport? How to implement effective soft measures
such as ”counter-flow” traffic and ASL for cycling?
• Roland Lengyel, BKK
Discussion: two working groups assisting BKK in drafting a cycling marketing plan.
Table 1: simplified programme of peer to peer workshop in Budapest
64. Findings from the peer-to-peer work-
shop in Budapest
Workshop 1: communication & marketing related to infrastructure
investments
The first workshop addressed marketing and communication approaches that have been effective in
promoting new and specific investments in transport infrastructure, e.g. new cycling lanes, reduced speed
zones, bicycle parking facilities, public bike systems. The goal was to provide concrete good practices,
practical tips and recommendations for Budapest to consider when engaging with marketing campaigns.
The City of Gothenburg presented the case of their large infrastructure investments, including cycling,
and the associated communication campaign for students, which involved the setup of a competition
awarding a donated bicycle to the winner. Interestingly, the approach was inspired partly by the work of
Kensington & Chelsea, thus demonstrating a knowledge transfer in progress.
The City of Eindhoven presented a local infrastructure project that involved building a large roundabout in
a very busy commuter road. Construction work was to be concluded within 6 months to avoid costly
economic losses, and the result was that the road was closed for a semester. To inform cyclists in real
time on how to get around the closed construction area, the City launched an innovative communication
campaign that resorted to the internet and social media such as Twitter, with considerable success.
A key point in the open discussion was the answer to a fundamental question: who is responsible for
communication? The City of Eindhoven told the story of the local evolution in approaching communica-
tion: whereas in the past the communication department was asked to step in only when an infrastructure
projects were undertaken and/or finalised, today this involvement is requested even before a project
starts. Interestingly, transport engineers working on an infrastructure project can be called to participate
directly in the communication campaign to answer technical questions. Whilst past communication
campaigns were confined to specialists, the advent of social media have changed things considerably.
The Borough of Kensington and Chelsea suggested to start spreading successful cycling stories to
inspire others to use cycling before and during infrastructure investments.
Workshop 2: the role of NGOs in marketing cycling and how they can
successfully cooperate with cities
The second workshop tackled the issue of relationships between local authorities and NGOs active in
cycling, and effective ways to reach out to grassroots movements to promote sustainable modes of
transport.
HCC provided an overview of the main recent communication initiatives of the City of Budapest, which
were deemed extremely successful. What HCC found out is that in order to gain credibility with the
Municipality and assert HCC as a competent cycling NGO it was crucial to build overtime a specific
communication competence. Today HCC is considered a solid and trustworthy counterpart by the
technical departments of the City of Budapest.
The City of Gothenburg illustrated their record of collaboration with members of the local CARMA external
network, including a number of NGOs. The main insight is that cities need to work hard to win the interest
of the members, something that usually happens after one or two interlocutory meetings. Key findings
from this process are:
7• Stakeholders need a discussion arena where they can convene and address hard felt issues that
otherwise are not publicly and collectively debated.
• Do not get stuck on past issues, which is a natural tendency, and rather focus on the future.
• Convey the message that all parties are here together, and that the public authority cannot solve it
all in isolation.
• To stimulate involvement and a sense of belonging (also symbolically), ask parties to alternate in
hosting the meetings.
Other contributions were brought by the City of Parma, which outlined their strong collaboration with FIAB
and partly with Legambiente (two major cycling and environmental NGOs) in designing and implementing
all local cycling initiatives. These organisations proved to be an effective ally in fostering a new cycling
culture, even though they work on a voluntary basis and have no budget. Accordingly the City tries to
come up with the necessary sources for their involvement, which is essential due to their ability to identify
grassroots needs and priorities.
The City of Eindhoven offered the local viewpoint on the subject matter describing the support that since
the 1970s exist in the Netherlands for the idea of financially backing up the involvement of NGOs and
stakeholders in policy making. Although good results have been obtained in terms of ownership of
policies, these forms of direct participation occasionally turned into overly bureaucratic practices that
backfired because of their ability to substantially slow down the overall decision making process.
Workshop 3: marketing Budapest’s new public bike system
BKK presented Budapest’s current ideas and plans for a marketing and communication campaign
concerning the introduction of “bubi” in 2013, seen as complementary measure to the prospective
adoption of a congestion-charging scheme.
The audience then split into two parallel working groups to share relevant experiences and ideas, and to
draft a marketing and communication plan serving as a source of inspiration in view of launching the new
public bike system. The work of each group was to reflect both the ambitions of the city of Budapest and
the considerations of the other CARMA cities in terms of desirable timeline, resources needed, and other
useful technicalities.
Feedback from the two Groups
All groups members agreed that the founding step of any campaign should be the clear identification of
the target audience. A general group definition, e.g. individuals in the 30-40 years age bracket, would not
suffice. What is needed is a specific group segmentation that allows for a targeted communication
campaign, as well as involvement co-shared in policy definition.
Another collective recommendation was to consider students as natural target group of the bike-sharing
system, provided that the above considerations stand (thus further analysing the various groups of
students that may be targeted). Knowing more about the commuting habits of these students becomes
crucial when it is time to locate the docking stations across the city.
Participants then address the issue of opening (or not) “bubi” to tourists, something deemed my most a
rather tricky decision, as tourists tend to strip any bike-sharing system of available bikes from residents,
as well as tampering with the normal balance in bike distribution across docking stations. The decision
must be carefully appraised by Budapest.
8Kensington and Chelsea pointed out that given the rather jammed conditions of the subway, commuters
should be regarded as another possible target group. Furthermore, “bubi” could be integrated with the
electronic ticketing system of the local public transport system.
Eindhoven and Parma suggested that besides reinforcing “bubi” with investments in the cycling network,
it would be advisable to employ soft measures aiming at improving cycling safety (e.g. approve cycling-
protective regulation, such as the case that in an accident with a car the cyclist is always assumed
rightful, including accidents happening in counter flow traffic). Soft measures like these are proven to be
cost-effective, particularly in moments of financial crisis as those currently experienced by Budapest.
A final collective advice regarded the early involvement in the promotion of “bubi” of already highly
motivated groups, such as the associations, companies and individuals that took part in the massive
Critical Mass that preceded the peer-to-peer workshop. These parties are likely to successfully uptake
bike-sharing and to trigger a snowball effect by voluntarily inspiring or even coaching prospective new
users. A possible way to set the uptake process in motion could be launching a competition that gives
away free “bubi” subscriptions to early users of the system. The competition could be repeated regularly
to keep interest alive.
Workshop 4: how can cycling be promoted by a transport management
centre as an equal means of transport? How to implement effective soft
measures such as ”counter-flow” traffic and ASL for cycling?
BKK presented Budapest’s current ideas and plans for the general promotion of cycling, asking to get
some specific guidance on effective ways to implement “counter-flow” traffic and ASL for cycling.
The audience then split into two parallel working groups to share relevant experiences and ideas, and to
draft a marketing and communication plan serving as a source of inspiration in view of shaping an
effective policy of “counter-flow” traffic and ASL.
Feedback from the two Groups
Kensington and Chelsea underlined the importance of getting full assistance from the municipal police to
ensure enforcement particularly in the early days of “counter-flow” implementation.
Participants collectively agreed on the need to prepare and train parties affected by “counter-flow” cycling,
such as cyclists, driving schools, bus drivers, taxi drivers, and freight vehicle drivers.
Kensington and Chelsea suggested to take into consideration the perception and behaviour of pedestri-
ans in “counter flow” traffic conditions, as experience shows that they tend to be weary only of cars and
initially forget to mind counter-flowing cyclists, causing accidents.
Everyone also agreed that in the case of adoption of advanced stop lines (ASLs) care should be taken in
that the design accounts for lane separation according to flow direction.
95. Conclusions
The facts and the ideas presented during the workshop, along with CARMA’s participation to the Critical
Mass and the Cycling Breakfast, pointed to a grassroots-led cycling culture that is in the process of
emerging and influencing decision-making at the city level. Unlike many of the other CARMA cities,
Budapest seems to already count on a very favourable public attitude towards cycling, which is classically
one of the main assets of cycling promotion.
The municipality of Budapest should thus exploit the good work initiated by the local cycling and environ-
mental associations, finding ways to cooperate without overtaking them. Elsewhere grassroots are unable
to generate the same level of enthusiasm and participation, and this is a factor to be used to one’s
advantage. At the same time the local NGOs do not need to be overly protective of their initiatives and try
to share them with the local authorities to facilitate their inclusion into a broader cycling programme led by
the municipality.
In other words, sensible cooperation is essential, for the are no owners of cycling birth-rights. Budapest
appears to be headed the right way in creating a thriving cycling culture and needs to nestle it into a
friendlier built environment that is bale to cater to the rising demand for cycling. The latter is a challenge
that the municipality has just now started to tackle.
Much of the meeting focused on the plans of Budapest to invest in cycle infrastructure and services, e g
the “Bubi” Bike sharing system. The general conclusion of the peer to peer review was that the plans for
this are recommendable but could benefit from a closer investigation of the views and needs of “Bubi”.
This is not a unique situation in Budapest but something that is recognised by all CARMA partners. The
cooperation between traffic planners and communication experts is generally too weak in cities, which
leads to the risk of investments made in the wrong place or the wrong design.
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