Cycling City Munich

Title in original language:

Radlhauptstadt München

Location:

Germany, Munich (1,400,000 inhabitants)

Project description:

The project start

In July 2008 the City Council of Munich asked the municipality to develop a marketing campaign to promote cycling and prepare a call for tender. The main objectives of the decision were:

• Increase the modal share of cycling (quantity)
• Improve the traffic safety for cyclists (quality)

In July 2009 the city council made a decision to increase the budget for cycling from 1.5 to 4.5 million EUR per year. The intention was to support soft measures for promoting cycling too. The contracting authority put out a European call for tenders for a cycling campaign. 62 tenders were received. In March 2010 a contract was awarded to the consortium of helios/SportKreativWerkstatt/Green City e.V.

Moreover, the city council asked the municipality to evaluate the campaign within two years and to report the results to the council, which could then decide about a continuation of the campaign.

The campaign ‘Radlhauptstadt München’ began on 23 April 2010 with a press conference and a kick-off weekend including the first cycling night and cycling spring market. Since then, the benefits of cycling as ideal mode of transport in the urban area are being promoted by means of a varied marketing concept. The slogan represents the city’s claim to become one of Europe’s most cycling-friendly metropolitan areas.

The objectives of the campaign

Cycling stands for independency, flexibility, activity, quality of life and life style. It has a long tradition in Munich, but at the same time it represents future mobility. The aim of the campaign was to strengthen this positive image of cycling and raise people’s awareness. Through numerous events the benefits of cycling are shown and made to experience in order to spark the interest of those inhabitants who were not yet convinced of it as an everyday means of transport. Mobility habits are to be looked at critically, thus motivating a modal shift in favour of a deeply rooted cycling culture. The bicycle is supposed to become an element of the Munich way-of-life and its vitality again.

Elements of the campaign

The campaign uses a variety of possibilities to promote cycling. This includes emotional aspects and a clear local reference in order to win people for cycling in THEIR city. However, it is important to stress that the soft communication and marketing measures are not supposed to substitute the necessary infrastructure, but to complement it. For an up-to-date event calendar and further information on the campaign please visit www.radlhauptstadt.de.

Implemented measures

• Munich Bike Night (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013)
• Cycling Spring Market (2010 and 2011)
• Cycling flea market (2012 and 2013)
• Competition ‘Munich Bike Star’
• Safety checks (2010-2013, approx. 40 dates per year)
• School tour ‘Check your bike!’ (2011, 2012 and 2013)
• Munich Bike Week (2011, 2012 and 2013)
• Munich Bike and Fashion Show (2011, 2012 and 2013)
• Welcome bike tours for new residents (2012 and 2013)
• Celebrity bike tour ‘de luxe’ (2012)
• Cycling capital band ‘Fahrtwind’ (head wind) (2011)
• Cycling capital song ‘Wir fahren Bike’ (we ride a bike)
• Stands at various events and trade shows, e.g. f.re.e, Bike-Expo/ISPO-Bike, city anniversary, street life festival, sports events, traffic safety days, block parties
• Presentation of the campaign in public areas: large banners on public buildings, posters and postcards (2010-2012)
• Extensive PR activities alongside all measures of the campaign

Information and service offer (print and online)

• Website (since 2010) www.radlhauptstadt.de
• Facebook (since 2010)
• Twitter (since 2010)
• Campaign newsletter
• Youtube channel of the campaign (since 2010)
• Extensive filmic documentation of all measures (since 2010)
• Cinema spot on traffic safety (2011 and 2012)
• Video clips with celeb ‘friends of the Cycling Capital Munich’ (2011 and 2012)
• Brochure ‘Cycling – trendy and safe’
• Yellow pages for the Munich cycling scene
• Munich cycling calendar (up-dated every year)
• Communicating the infrastructure developments
• Postcards (Radl-Bavaria, Riesenradl Oktoberfest, Wadlhauptstadt, etc.)
• Merchandising (accessories, T-shirts, jumpers, hoodies, bags, bike bells, retroflective strips, pens, caps, stickers, tool kits etc.)

Cycling trend in Munich

The modal share of cycling in Munich is 17% according to the results of a telephone survey (sample size 750) that has been carried out in the framework of the campaign’s evaluation in 2011. Compared to the results of a MiDMUC survey from 2002 (10%) this is an increase of 70%. It can be expected that the modal share of cycling will further increase in the coming years.

Wigand von Sassen

Target group of the campaign:

• Children and teenagers
• Providers / stakeholders
• Employers
• Retailers

Individual elements and activities of the campaign are targeted at specific groups. Overall, it is intended to reach all city residents and get them enthusiastic about cycling in Munich.

Funding:

Capital investment

• Municipal financial means

Running costs

• Total: 3,800,000 EUR (2010-2014)
• Max. 1,200,000 EUR (in 2010), min. 500,000 EUR (2013 und 2014)
• Municipal financial means

Explanations

The first two years of the campaign (2010-2011) saw a budget of 2,150,000 EUR. The budget for the following years (2012-2014) is 1,600,000 m EUR (2012: 600,000 EUR, 2013/2014: 500,000 EUR each).

Organizations responsible for the project:

Funding body: municipality

City of Munich, Department of District Adminstration

Participants: consortium of contractors

• helios - Agentur für audiovisuelle Kommunikation
• Innovationsmanufaktur
• Green City e.V.

Project term:

Since April 2010

Open end

PR and documentation:

• Websitewww.radlhauptstadt.de
• Press report published by the City of Munich
  www.radlhauptstadt.de/presse
• Photos and videos
  www.radlhauptstadt.de/galerie
• Decision of the city council to evaluate and continue the campaign 2012-2014
  www.ris-muenchen.de/RII2/RII/DOK/SITZUNGSVORLAGE/2497948.pdf
• Review movie of the campaign year 2010 www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyEYHVztbFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
• Review movie of the campaign year 2011 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GReZkUajjyk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
• Movie documentation of the Bike Night
• Movie documentation of the competition ‘Munich Bike Star’
• Movie documentation of the Munich Bike Week
• Movie documentation of the school tour ‘check your bike’
• Movie documentation of the Bike and Fashion Show
• Video clip of the band ‘Fahrtwind’
• Video clip for the song ‘Wir fahren Bike’

Contact person:

Project management

Mr. Günther Innerebner
helios – agency for audiovisual communication
Dantestr. 20a
39100 Bozen
Italy
Telephone: +39 0471 300 767
Telefax: +39 0471 328 637
E-mail: ginnerebner@helios.bz
www.helios.bz

Municipality - Responsible project coordinator

Mr. Wigand von Sassen
Landeshauptstadt München (Kreisverwaltungsreferat)
Kreisverwaltungsreferat, HA III / 112
Implerstraße 9
81371 München
Germany
Telephone: +49 89 233-39965
Telefax: +49 89 233-989-39965
E-mail: wigand.von.sassen@muenchen.de
www.radlhauptstadt.de