The cycle tourist’s tools
In a decade where almost, everyone got some sort of navigation system near at hand, you would think that route marking wasn’t that relevant anymore. But that is not the case. Here is an attempt for an explanation.
By Jesper Pørksen, Danish Cycling Tourism
When cycle tourists navigate around, they follow the physical road signs as much as they did 10 years ago. That is even though nearly everyone got a navigation device in their pocket – more specifically their phone. You can easily use your phone to plan a cycling trip across the continent with wayfinding guidance from start to finish, just like if you were planning a road trip by car. How come Germany and Holland, the most popular cycling countries, still focus on developing and expanding their physical wayfinding systems?
The short answer is; because wayfinding signs are still the most widely used navigational tool among cycle tourists. According to the German Radreiseanalyse from 2018, 75% of German cycle tourists find their way by following the road signs. Only one out of two uses their phone. Nor does the phone play a significant part as a guideline in Holland. The phone is not so necessary to bring for guidance – a nation-wide and extremely well-developed wayfinding system that consist of over 8,000 mobility hubs makes it impossible to get lost. Germany also has an extremely well-developed wayfinding system that exclusively is a help for cyclist. In a survey of Danish cycle tourists in 2017 only one third stated they used route signage for wayfinding. However, only one third of Danish cycle tourists cycled on signed routes where wayfinding signage was an option.
Compared to Germany and Holland its limited how extended the wayfinding guidance is for cyclists in Denmark. Apart from a few exceptions it is the municipalities who have the responsibility to secure and maintain the trail signs. It is important to remember that the trail signs are not only helpful to cycle tourists, but also to local cyclist.
Feeling secure on the trip
The Radreiseanalyse is conducted annually, and it shows that use of printed maps has dropped over the past 10 years. At the same time use of digital tools has extended. This may be an indication that the phone is slowly replacing the printed map, but not in terms of signage. During the planning phase the internet is by far the preferred choice.
Before we discuss why physical signs are still so popular among cycle tourists, it’s interesting to take a closer look at their function. Their main purpose is to show the cycle tourist the way to a given destination, but that’s not their only purpose. They also make other road users for an example motorist aware that cyclists may be expected on a given stretch. This helps increase cyclist traffic safety. Finally, signs may also be seen as advertisement for recreational cycling options.
A sign sends a signal that someone has thought about and used resources on a stretch of road. This makes the cyclist feel secure and knowing by following the route the cyclist won’t get lost or end up on a major highway with heavy traffic and no cycling infrastructure. At least it should be that way. The fact is that there are holes in the Danish wayfinding system, and the cyclist is occasionally guided to stretches which are not particularly bike friendly.
A break from the phone
It can be hard to do without your phone – especially on vacation. On the other hand, it’s nice not being dependent on it and perhaps especially so on vacation. A phone can run out of power or lose the signal. The phone demands that we remove our glance from what we typically came for, namely, to experience nature and the landscape. The phone will probably get us safely from point A to point B, but when we cycle for recreation, we’re seeking adventure. What could happen if we went that way instead? That’s the advantage of the good old printed map, or a wayfinding system like the Dutch-Belgian one where you can change routes whenever you reach a destination hub. However, this is not legal in Denmark where there are binding road rules for route guidance signage.
Links:
Danish Cycling tourism, 2017: Danes as cycle tourists (Danskerne som cykelturister)
ADFC, 2018: ADFC-Travelbike Raadreiseanalyse 2018