The bicycle is as much a part of Basel as the red City Hall building and green trams. For almost 30 years this Swiss town has been actively, but sometimes laboriously, making bicycle policy. And this process continues: by the end of 2002 the current ‘long-range bicycle budget’, the equivalent of nearly 16 million Euro had almost been spent. Time therefore for reflection before formulating a new bicycle policy. An evaluation committee made up of politicians, civil servants and representatives of users’ groups is in agreement that bicycle policy is on the right track and should be continued. The range of activities should expanded. In this respect suggestions are, among other things:
• promoting bicycle use by soft policies (communication, children on bicycles, cycling lessons);
• generating, collecting and communicating information, knowledge and experiences;
• determining and communicating users’ needs;
• improving co-operation among civil service, users’ groups and other actors;
• matching personnel and qualifications to requirements;
• developing a bicycle quality audit to ensure quality standards are met;
• providing recent traffic data and ensuring their management, for evaluation and monitoring purposes.