Tirana,Albania:

FromCarfreeandBicyclefull to CarfullandBicycleFree
Dorina Pojani
Presentationoutline
BackgroundonTiranasdevelopment
Abriefhistoryofbiking
Urbantransformationsafterthefallofcommunismin1990
Currentlevelsandpatternsofbikeuse
Theperceptionsofwomenandyouthaboutbiking
Currentinitiativestorevivebiking
Briefhistory
ofTiranasdevelopment
Until1945,Albaniawasa
poor,ruralcountry
From1945until1990,Albania
wasunderacommunist
dictatorship
Undercommunism,car
ownershipwasprohibited
Tirana,thecapital,was
compactandhadmedium
density
Thepopulationwas300,000in
1989
MapofTiranainmid1960s.
Notetheradialroadsystem.
Bicyclingwaspopularbeforecommunism
PhotosofthecenterofTiranainthelate1930s.
Notethebikeparkingspotontheleftphoto.
PhotographedbyG.Marubi
Bikingwaspopularduringcommunism
Peopleusedbikes:
fortheeveningstrollinthemainboulevard
intherain
tocarrythings
evenwhentheroadwasunder
construction
withtheir
children
Iusedtobike,too
1992:Photoofmeandmy
fatherbikinginthecitycenter
Bikingwaspromotedthroughcommunistart
Bikingasasignofemancipation
Biking assymbolofyouth
Biking asasign
ofeconomic
progress
CollectiveFarmWorkeronaBicycle,AlexanderDeineka,1935
TheBrigadeLeaders,Vilson Kilica,1972
TheBicycle,
1970ssongby
Francesk Radi.
Aromance
startsasaboy
helpsagirlfix
herbicycle
TheLadyfromtheCity,
acomedyfromthe1980s:
Acitysnob
gets
transferredto
the
countryside,
whereshe
seesthatlots
ofpeople
ownbikes
meaningthat
rurallifehas
becomeas
goodurban
life
Bikingwasstillpopularintheearlytransitionyears
1995:Traffic
countsby
Regional
Consulting,
anAustrian
planningfirm
%ofbiketraffic
onmainroadsin
Tirana
Source:MinnesotaLawyersInternational
HumanRightsCommittee,1990
PhotosbyaDutchurbanplanner,
JanetKullberg,199394
Viewsofsomemainroadsintheearly1990s
Urbandevelopmentsince1990
Albaniaseconomyhasgrownfromaverylowleveltothe
middleincomerange
Theaverageincomeinurbanareasis$375/month
Tiranaspopulationmorethandoubled
From300,000in1989to~850,000inthemetropolitanareatoday
Therehasbeenahugeamountofhousingconstruction
Theinnercityhasgrownupwards with1012storycondominium
buildings
Theperipherieshasgrownoutwardswithinformalsettlements
NowinTirana,2/3ofhouseholdsownacar
Trafficjamsareperpetual
Fewpeopleownmotorcycles
THECITYISABIGTRAFFICJAMAROUNDTHECLOCK!
Viewofinnercityandperipheries
DensitypatternsinTirana
Nowbikinglevelsarelowanddecreasing
A2003facetofacesurveyof200
householdsinaninnercity
neighborhoodindicatedthat:
8%ofresidentscommutedbybike
A2007 phonesurveyof384households
indicatedthat:
Only7%ofresidentseverusedabike
Onehourtrafficcountsintwoinnercity
alleysduringlate2010showedthatbike
trafficwasonly5%ofcartraffic
Inthe2003and2007
surveys,respectively80%
and92%ofpeoplewerein
favorofexclusivebikelanes
2003 2007
%ofpeople: Male Female Male Female
Cannotdrive 24 61
Commutebycar 30 8 42 27
Commutebybus 43 58 23 38
Commuteonfoot 12 31 13 23
Commutebybike
15 3 6 1
butthereishugesupportof
measuresinfavorofbikes!
ThetypicalbikerinTiranais:
Male(in3/4
ths
of
cases)
AnativeofTirana
About50yearsold
Withanaverage
incomeand
educationallevel
50%likelytoowna
carbutfindsbikes
morepracticalfor
everydayuse
30%likelyto
commutebybike
Theverypoorbike,too
Theindividuals
picturedontheleft
belongtotheRoma
community.Theyare
oftenverypoorand
earntheirlivelihood
bycollecting
recyclableitemsin
garbagecans,which
theythentransport
bybiketoshopsor
factories.Sometimes
theymodifytheir
bikesbyattachinga
motorforfaster
movement.
Womenandbiking
Iinterviewedseveralprofessionalwomen ofdifferent
agesworkingintheurbanplanningorenvironmental
arenainTirana
Findingsfrominterviews:
NoneofthewomeninterviewedusesabikeinTirana
Mainreason:Heavyanddangerouscartraffic
Someoftheyoungerwomen(late20s)hadneverlearned
howtobike
Afewwomenhadpreviouslybeenregularbikeusersbutall
hadstoppedgoingoutonabikebymid1990s
Thewomenwhohavechildrenareveryreluctanttolet
thembikeonthestreets
Allthewomeninterviewedwantedtobeabletobikemore
Whydotheyfeelthatit
isimpossibletobike
now
Therearenoprotections
forbikersontheroad
Unrulydrivingisthe
norm
Peopleareincreasingly
attachedtoacar
orientedlifestyle
Carsareastatussymbol
whilebikesarenot
Peoplebelievethatcars
areafasterandmore
practicalwaytoget
aroundTirana
Peoplelikecarsbecause
theycanbeusedforout
oftownweekendtrips
whilebikescannot
Theairistoopolluted
Whatideastheyhaveto
encouragebiking
Createbikelanes
Limitcartrafficintheinner
city
Createcarfreezones
Implementapilotprojectto
allowpeopletoseethe
benefits
Carfreedaysonceaweek
Increasepublictransport
serviceatthesametime
Increasegastaxes
Bikerentingschemesnear
mainpublictransport
stations
Donatebikestopeople
Changeparkingfees
Createparkandride
schemesinperipheralareas
Drivereducationprograms
Whydotheylikebiking
Itsgoodfortheenvironment
Lessairpollution
Lessnoisepollution
Lessvisualintrusionfromcars
Itsgoodphysicalexercise
Itsarelaxing, pleasurable
activity
Itgivesthecityamore
youthfullook
Itreinforcessocialcontacts
Itsamorepracticaltransport
modeinamediumsizecity
withnarrowroadslikeTirana
Bikesareeasytoparkanywhere
Itsamoresustainable
transportmodeinthelongrun
Alreadythereisnoroomfor
carsinTirana
Youthandbiking
Isurveyed45undergraduatearchitectureandplanningstudentsatEpoka Universityontheir
attitudestowardbiking
10studentshadneverlearnedhowtobike
Only8everbikedinTirana
Fivegirlsandthreeboys
Theyonlybikedonweekends
ItmadenodifferencewhethertheywereborninTiranaortheyhadmovedfromsmallercitiestothecapitalinthe
lastfewyearstostudy
10students,whosefamilylivesinTirana,reportedthatoneoftheirparentsorgrandparentsusedtobikeorstill
does
Studentsdonotusebikesbecauseitisadangerousactivity
Afewsaidthattheydonotuseabikesimplyb/ctheydonothaveone
Afewsaidthattheyprefertouseacarinstead
Afewsaidthattheyhaveneverfelttheneedtouseabike theycangetaroundeasilyonfootorpublictransport
Somestudentsfeltthatbikingisnotpartofthemainstreamcultureanylonger strangeactivityforwomen
Moststudentscandrivebutfewhaveaccesstoacar
Moststudentsusetheschoolshuttletocommutetocampus(a30ridefromthecitycenter)
3/4
th
ofthestudentssaidthattheywouldliketobikemoreandareinfavorofthecreationofbike
lanes
Themostcommonreasonwasthatbikingismorepractical
Almostallwereawareoftheenvironmentalandeconomicadvantagesofusingabike
Studentsdidnothavemanyideasonwhattodotoencouragemorebiking
Just13gavesomesuggestions,including:
Awarenessraisingcampaigns,includingcelebritiesshownonbikes
Cartrafficcontrols
Bikerentalschemes
Somesmallercitiesneverlosttheirbikingtradition
SHKODRA
1890:Shkodra Police
officersonbikes.
PhotographbyG.
Marubi.
Communistera:
JournalistAgim
Parruca wrotein
magazine"Jeta e
ReinMay1981
thatinShkodras
mainstreets
circulatedabout
1,000bikes/hour
between6.00am
and6.00pm.
MainstreetinShkodra now
INITIATIVESTOREVIVEBIKING
CityofTiranaplans
TheCitys2009Sustainable
TransportStrategystates
that:
Tirananeedstodevelopa
coordinatedcitywide
publicbicycle/pedestrian
pathsystem
Bikenetworksmusthavea
transportfunctionhome
schoolworksocial
activitiesandfreetime
journey
Bikepathsmustbe
organizedwitha
developmentpriorityand
afunctionalhierarchy
Proposedlocationsforbikepathsinthe2009SustainableTransportStrategy,fundedbyEBRD.Thebike
flowshavebeenmodeledontheassumptionthatbikersarenothamperedbycartraffic
Firstimplementationstages
Abus&bikelanewas
installedinasmallRingRoad
aroundthecenterbutdueto
politicalfightswasremoved
andnowthelaneisflexible.
Bus&bikelanesarebeinginstalledinthemorecrowdedRingRoad
sections,whichwouldreplaceparkinglanesorbeaccommodatedon
sidewalks.Fornow,theCityhassecuredtheintersectionsandis
proceedingtoremovetheparkinglaneinstages.
BEFORE
AFTER
Someotherurbandesignfeaturestosupportbiking
Trafficlights
withsignals
forbikes
havealready
been
installedina
few
locations
aroundthe
citycenter
Curbcutshavebeeninstalledinordertocomply
witharecentlawonhandicappedaccess.The
rampswillbehelpfultobikerstoo,asbikepaths
willbeaccommodatedonsidewalksincaseswhere
theroadbedistoonarrow.
WhyhastheCitybeenslowtoactinfavorofbikes?
Cardriverswantasmuchspaceaspossible
Financialreasons e.g.the2010Citybudgetwasnever
approved
Politics:FightsbetweentheCityandthecentralgovernment
overeveryurbanintervention
Theinfrastructuremoneyfromforeigndonorshasnotbeen
earmarkedforsustainableprojects
Theexistingroadsarenarrowandtheparkingsupplyis
insufficient
Parking
ona
sidewalk
neara
school
inthe
center
Trafficmodelingdoneby
Cityconsultantsshows
how,intheabsenceofa
largeRingRoad,theby
passinterurbantraffic
overwhelmsinnercity
roads
CriticalMass
Tirana
Amonthlybicycleridetocelebratecyclingand
toassertcyclistsrighttotheroad
MeetsonSundaymornings,forbikingmini
toursaroundthecity
Mostparticipantsareyoungprofessionals
Halfoftheparticipantsarewomen
Itdoesnothaveawebsite
Promotedthroughsocialmediasites:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1076
67918774
CriticalMassTiranahas295memberson
Facebook
Apromotionalvideo,whichhasbeenprepared
byjournalistandCriticalMassmemberEdmond
Prifti,hasbeenuploadedonuTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZeNMoeO6z8
June2010CriticalMassrides
However
InterviewswithsevenCriticalMassmembersrevealedthat:
Fornow,CMTiranahasfewactivemembers
CMisaninformalgroup,withoutapoliticalagenda
Severalmembersarenotavidbikersthemselvesbutparticipate
forfun
CMisnotconnectedtoothersimilarorganizationsorwiththe
City
ThegeneralpublicishardlyawareofCMsexistence
Thebiketourshavenotattractedanymediaattention
WiththedepartureofoneofCMsmainorganizerstoanother
countrythegrouphaslostmomentum
World CarFreeDay
TheWorldCarFreeDayhasbeenobservedinTiranain
thelastdecade
TheCityorganizesbikerides
Thepressalwayscoverstheevent
Politiciansgivespeechesinsupportofacarfreelifestyle
In2008,Ms.Liri Berisha,thePrimeMinisterswife,wasa
chieforganizerofthisevent
The
Minister
ofthe
Environ
ment,
Fatmir
Mediu,
biking
onSept.
22,2010
MissGlobe
participants
bikedfor2
kmonSept.
22,2007.
Theshow
tookplace
inTiranain
2007.
Children
and
teenagers
bikingon
themain
boulevard
onSept.
22,2010
However
Onlyafewmainstreetsarecarfreeduringthese
events
Theremainingstreetsarejammedwithtrafficmore
thanusual
Henk vandenDool,theAmbassadorofthe
LowCountriesinAlbaniasaidforthepress
onSept.22,2010:
BikinginTiranaissuicide.Sometimes,my
wifeandIpullourcouragetogetherand
bikeintheafternoons.WetriedthisSunday
andalmostgotkilledeighttimes.Itisvery
dangerous.Themainreasonforthisisthat
manyAlbanians,assoonastheygetbehind
thewheel,feelasiftheyowntheroad,and
donotcarefortrafficrulesorlaws.
TCH,anAlbaniannewsstation,comments
onincreasedtrafficonSept.22,2010in
moststreets
EcoVolis isabikerentalschemeestablishedandmanagedbyPASS
PASSisanyoungAlbaniannonprofitorganization,whosegoalsaretoencourage
communityactionandraisepublicawarenessofsocialandenvironmentalissues|
http://www.p4p.org/pass.html
OtherPASSprogramsinclude:WelcomingCenterforFamiliesinNeed|TheVolunteer
ActionMovement|TheAKSESProgram|TheCivilYouthProject
500bikesweredonatedtoEcoVolis byanAmericannonprofit
organization,PedalsforProgress|http://www.p4p.org
Someofthebikesarebeingsoldtocoverthecostofrepairingtherestofthebikes
andfittingthemwiththeprojectlogo
Lowtechscheme
EcoVolis membersobtainacardbuttherearenoautomaticmachines
Employspersonsinsteadofexpensivetechnology
Oneofthepurposesoftheprogramistoemploypeopleinneed
23peopleperstation
Theserviceisoffered18hoursperday(7.00AM12.00PM)
Asocialbusinessidea
PASSplanstocollaboratewithorganizationssuchastheCityofTirana,several
universitiesandnonprofitorganizationssothattheysetupbikestationsneartheir
entrancesandmanagetheminhousethroughthevoluntaryworkofemployeesand
students
Thefirst200membershavesignedup
Thefirstfourstationshavebeensetup
Allfourstationsarenearthecitycenter
Twostationsarenearalargecitypark
Theaimisbringthenumberofstationsupto22or1station/300m
www.ecobike.org
5%
30%
15%
5%
10%
10%
25%
45%
CityofTirana
Donationsfromfoundations
Partnersinkind(bikedonations)
Volunteerwork
BikesalesinEcoBicycleShop
Ecovolisuserfees
Ecovolismembershipfees
However
Unfortunately,theschemeisnotself
sustaining
Itlargelydependsondonations
TheAlbaniancivilsocietyisnotwelldeveloped
anddomesticdonationsforenvironmental
projectsareverylimited
Themembershipfeeisrelativelyexpensive:
1day $1
Comparedtothepublictransportfareof30cents
1month $9
1year $39
Tirana would be a perfect place to bike from
the perspective of its high density, compact
size, flat topography, and pleasant weather
A large portion of the population would like
to bike more but
They are too passive in requesting changes in
favor of bikes from the authorities
They do not want to give up their cars at the
same time
| Tirana - Albania | www.epoka.edu.al
DORINAPOJANI
EpokaUniversity|DepartmentofArchitecture|dpojani@epoka.edu.al