The site visit to Brescia was jointly attended by the Behavioural and Social Issues in Public Transport and the Cycling working group. The site visit was made possible by a number of individuals and organisations from Brescia including:

- Maurizio Tira and Chiara Bresciani of the University of Brescia
- Claudio Bresciani and Valeria Ventura of the Municipality of Brescia
- The Managing Director, Andrea Mazza and other staff at Brescia Mobilita
- The Deputy Mayor for Brescia (Transport and Environment)

The two working groups were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Brescia (Transport and Environment) and the Managing Director of Brescia Mobilita. Two presentations were then given to the cities on the topics of cycling policies/plans in Brescia and the planned transport projects/facilities in Brescia.

The Brescia technical visit took place on the afternoon of Monday March 14th 2005 and involved a cycling tour of the old town and the southern area of the city. The following sites of interest were visited:

• The cycle routes through central Brescia and the old town area of the city.
• The “LAM” High Mobility lines which are segregated urban bus lanes being constructed on the most heavily congested routes in the city.
• The pedi-bus routes through the southern areas of the city which offer a safe, traffic free route to school for children.
• Cycle parking infrastructure at numerous local sites of interest and at one workplace in the city

Presentation on Cycling Policies and Plans in Brescia

This presentation provided information on prevailing levels of cycling in the city, as well as various plans for improving cycling in the future.

The city of Brescia has nearly 200,000 people living in its administrative area and covers an area of over 90km2. The city sits within the regional Province of Brescia which itself has a population of over 1 million inhabitants and covers an area of nearly 5,000 km2.

Mode share of the bicycle is dwarfed by the private car according to recent statistics, but the Municipality has intentions to improve the situation in a number of key areas:

Infrastructure maintenance – annual inspection of cycle paths, including bicycles to be ridden on them.

Network length extension – promotion of new cycle routes and connection with cycle tracks on rural roads and other parts of the province. The diagrams below show the cycle network length in 2001 (44km) alongside the intended 200km length for the future. At present the network is about 115km.

Cycle network (2001)

Cycle network (200X)

The diagram below gives one example of technical work undertaken by the Municipality to install space for cyclists.

Bicycle parking – improvements for parking at the train station and major bus stops. Integration of parking with historical areas.

Road safety – safer road layouts, black spot treatment (e.g. traffic calming and 30km/h zones), integrated safety management. A database is currently used to plot accident data on GIS maps.

Directional signage and cycle maps – planned in a closely co-ordinated process. The Municipality have carried out a project which aims to provide dedicated signage for cyclists according to FIAB (Italian Federation of Bicycle Friends). A cycle map (1:15,000) is also being produced which provides information on routes, repair shops and cyclist associations.

Information and campaigns – communication strategies for cycle training (e.g. teaching the health benefits of cycling, promotional days, cycle training for children). A CD-ROM has been produced which gives details of cycle network characteristics, the health benefits of cycling and recommendations for improving safety. This training tool is aimed at school children (aged 3 to 14 years) as part of their education on these issues.

Presentation on METROBUS and LAM

The groups were told about two major infrastructure projects taking place in the city. The first is called ‘METROBUS’ and is a 635 million Euro project to install a driverless ‘light metro line’ in the city. The project is due to open in 2011 and will include 13.1km of track and 17 stations. Much of the track will be located underground due to gradients in the area.

The technology is similar to that used in Copenhagen where a similar system exists. It is hoped that the METROBUS will increase public transport passengers by 20-25% (there were 35 million public transport users in 2004).

The second project presented was called ‘LAM’, which is a rapid transit bus network due to be operational by 2006. Initially, two lines (LAM 1 and 2) will be built and will incorporate dedicated road space and traffic light priority in order to increase the commercial speed of the service. Other innovations include an integrated fare system with regional bus lines and real-time information at bus stops. It is hoped that LAM will increase public transport patronage by about 6%. The dedicated lanes for the LAM will also be available for cyclists to use and the network is being designed alongside the regeneration of ten urban areas in Brescia, which were previously dominated by traffic. Plans for the future include an extension to the network (LAM 3) as well as feasibility studies that consider freight movement and more facilities for pedestrians.

The High Mobility Lines were observed on several occasions during the cycle tour of the city and some images of the sites visited, some of which are still under construction:

Cycle Tour of Brescia

The two working groups were taken on a bicycle tour of Brescia lead by the Deputy Mayor. This allowed participants to gain a better understanding of the layout of the city, as well as observation of a number of infrastructure features designed for cycling and walking. Some of these are detailed below.

The participants were able to undertake the tour using bicycles owned by the Municipality.

A bicycle storage facility was demonstrated which uses a key-card locking system for security.

Participants were taken to an area where children are involved in a scheme called ‘Pedibus’. This is a walking bus initiative designed to co-ordinate safe and healthy travel to school. Markings are made on the path to display the route they take and signage promotes the concept.

Brescia has a variety of cycle route types, for example:

• One-way segregated cycle space next to the carriage way
• One-way segregated cycle space on-road
• Two-way cycle path in historic park area next to the carriage way

The pictures below demonstrate a city-bound route with good segregation (left) and also markings across junctions to encourage driver awareness of cycle routes (right).