BYPAD
Part of the evaluation group with BYPAD certificate in Rostock
BYPAD – Bicycle Policy Audit – is an instrument enabling municipalities to evaluate the quality of their local cycling policy. It is based on the methods of quality management. It was developed by an international consortium of experts between 1999 and 2001 as part of the EU project “SAVE”. So far 65 European cities in 15 countries are using BYPAD.
The evaluation process is done by an internal evaluation group consisting of representatives from municipality, politics and NGOs. They are accompanied by an external expert (auditor). The auditor collects available data, facts and concepts regarding bicycle traffic and analyses it. The members of the evaluation group work with a questionnaire with 35 questions and defined answers belonging to the following modules:
- Needs of users
- Steering of bicycle policy
- Strategies and concepts
- Financial and personnel resources
- Infrastructure, safety and service
- Communication and education
- Target groups and partnerships
- Additional measures
- Evaluation and effectivity
The answers are related to the levels 1 to 4 (1. Ad-hoc orientated, 2. Isolated approach, 3. System-orientated, 4. Integrated approach). They are discussed in the first meeting of the evaluation group. The second meeting deals with the analysis of the auditor and the discussion about targets, action fields and measures. With these results the auditor writes the report and develops a quality plan. The intensive discussions in the evaluation group lead to a better understanding between the participants and broad consensus. Usually the participating city develops a bicycle programme within or following the BYPAD-process, although this is not obligatory.