| Rotterdamse Doortrappers (Rotterdam Pedalers) – cycling as a fun and cool way to move | |
| Brief Description | The municipality of Rotterdam wanted to improve air quality and increase bicycle use in a southern area of Rotterdam where both were typically low. This led to the development of Rotterdamse Doortrappers, which roughly to Rotterdam Accelerators. This program has a focus on portraying cycling as a fun and cool form of transportation, as opposed to many other initiatives which portray it as sustainable and environmentally friendly. They collected information from parents and a local elementary school to get insights into problems and they mapped the local environment surrounding the school in terms of safe travel routes. The Dutch Cyclists Union supported this project by determining the average skill level of students in cycling and providing optional biking lessons for those who needed it.
The Acceleration week and monthly Acceleration days were introduced, and on these days, children were encouraged to go to school by bike. There was a competition for all the students of each school regarding how often they travel to school by bike. A bicycle repair man would fix broken bicycles and BMX-training sessions were given. Communication about the project took place through social and local media. Free supplies such as bike bells, reflectors and t-shirts were given away and they used a colourful flyer that children could attach to their wheel spokes, which gave a cool sound when cycling. In September 2015, one elementary school started with a successful pilot. |
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| European Country(s) | Netherlands |
| Field | Moving: Cycling |
| Type | Intervention |
| Impact | Health, Equity, Environmental sustainability |
| Status | Completed |
| Target Group | General population, Low socio-economic status, Children & adolescents |
| Evaluation | Yes |
| Level | Local |
| INHERIT Perspective | This is a promising INHERIT practice because it targets children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood where cycling is less common than other areas of Rotterdam, and where traffic safety is relatively bad. This intervention can provide these children with the health benefits of cycling and reduce the environmental pressure that is created by the cars that were previously used to bring children to school, a triple win. By creating a safer cycling environment and introducing children to cycling, both Opportunity, Capability and Motivation can be improved. |
| Detailed description PDF filename | Download file |
| Relevant links | https://www.schuttelaar.nl/werk/rotterdamse-doortrappers |
| Contact | Hugo van der Steenhoven E: hugo.vds@planet.nl |
