Bicycle Bridge Design as Green Road

Sieyoung Moon1 and Keewon Hwang

2

1 San 56-1, Sillim-Dong, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea

2 San 56-1, Sillim-Dong, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea

ABSTRACT

City needs Green Hospitality for human and earth these days. This study shows

effective ideas to increase green spaces in the city through Bicycle Bridge Design.

We applied this bridge design on the median barrier of road. By this bridge, we can

reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and provide more green landscapes. It is

important to expand the Green Roads in forming networks of bicycle bridges,

bicycle paths, nearby buildings, local parks, and green spaces. Under the bridge,

flower garden landscape design can contribute to visual beauty and safety.

Moreover, it is possible for bicycle riders to pass rapidly, safely and easily without

interruptions occurred by cars and pedestrians. This study is classified into three

stages: (1) Design of Bicycle Bridge; (2) Linking Bicycle Bridges to Bicycle Paths

along the Han River; and (3) Green Networks of Bicycle Bridges, Bicycle Paths,

nearby Buildings, Local Parks, and Green Spaces in Seoul. In conclusion, Bicycle

Bridge as a part of a Green Road and it will be helpful in making a Green City.

Keywords: Green Hospitality, Bicycle Bridge Design, Green Road, Green Network,

Green City.

1. INTRODUCTION

A city needs Green Hospitality for human and earth these days. This study shows

effective ideas to increase green spaces in the city by Bicycle Bridge Design. We

applied this design to the median barrier of road in Seoul, Korea. By this bridge, we

can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide more green landscapes. It is

important to expand the Green Roads in forming the networks of bicycle bridges,

bicycle paths, nearby buildings, local parks, and green spaces. Under the bridge,

flower garden landscape design can contribute to visual beauty and safety. Moreover,

it is possible for bicycle riders to pass rapidly, safely and easily without interruptions

occurred by cars and pedestrians. From the other point of view, bicycle riding helps

bicycle riders to increase their physical and mental health.

2. BICYCLE BRIDGE AND GREEN HOSPITALITY

2.1 Bicycle Bridge

A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle is a pedal-driven, human-powered,

single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. And

a bridge is a structure that is built over railways, rivers and roads so that people or

vehicles can cross from one side to the other side. In this study, the bicycle bridge,

which is the combination of the terms “bicycle” and “bridge,” means the bridge for

bicyclists excluding drivers and pedestrians.

2.2 Green Hospitality by Bicycle Bridge

In this study, we analyze the Green Hospitality in a city in view of visual green and

green system. The term “visual green” means Green Design such as a green road

design, a green park design and the like. For example, the flower garden landscape

design under the bicycle bridge increases visual green effect in this study. And also

environment friendly materials such as wood and red clay are used inside the bridge.

The term “green system” means a system for recovery of ecosystem by reusing water,

utilizing solar energy and so forth. For example, bridge materials and bridge

maintenance system are environment friendly. Most of all, the bicycle bridge provides

a Green Road for reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, and this is related to the

Lee Myung-Bak administration’s environmental policy “Low Carbon and Green

Growth” in Korea.

3. PREVIOUS STUDIES OF BICYCLE BRIDGE

3.1 BTS TransGlide 2000™

The TransGlide 2000™ Bicycle Transit System made by Bicycle Transportation

Systems (BTS), Inc. in U.S.A. is a new strategy in bicycle transportation system. The

TransGlide 2000™ Bicycle Transit System is an interstate highway style

transportation corridor that is 7.62 m wide with 3.96 m tall center sloping to 3.04 m

high side walls. Bicycle road is divided by a center wall in two parts. Running bicycle

lanes in each direction is 3.65 m wide. The speed of a bicycle can be faster than light

rail, bus, or motor vehicle. Constant powered air movement in direction of riding

contributes to sustain the riding speeds of 40 km per hour. Cycling inside the

TransGlide 2000™ is 90% more efficient than cycling outside because of the enclosed

airflow enhanced system. A comparative low-cost, low-tech transportation solution to

meet the challenge of providing affordable effective mobility that offers an alternative

to the environmental problem created by increasing levels of motor vehicle use.

Figure 1: Image of BTS Transglide 2000™

3.2 Velo-city

Velo-city is a series of Cycle Planning Conferences started in 1980 in Bremen,

Germany. The Velo-city 1980 inspired the founding of the European Cyclists'

Federation (ECF) in 1983. The conferences are one of the world’s primary forums for

the exchange of bicycling expertise. At the beginning, the conference guests and

speakers were mainly bicycle advocates, but today, Velo-city is well known for

gathering all those involved in policy, promotion and provision for bicycles. Velo-city

is more than just a conference. It is the occasion for a city to show continuous and

lasting efforts to improve cycling in the city. For instance, Paris inspired by the Velo-

city 2003 conference, launched Velib in 2007, thereby creating world-wide attention.

Figure 2: Bicycle Bridge Image at the Velo-city 1980

4. GOAL AND METHOD

The previous ideas on Bicycle Bridge Design, like BTS TransGlide 2000TM

and Velo-

city, are means of transportation. However the main purpose of this study is to design

Bicycle Bridge as a part of a Green Road. This study is classified into three stages (1)

Design of Bicycle Bridge (2) Linking Bicycle Bridges to Bicycle Paths along the Han

River and (3) “Green” Network of Bicycle Bridges, Bicycle Paths, nearby Buildings,

Local Parks, and Green Spaces in Seoul.

Figure 3: Three stages for Bicycle Bridge design

5. BICYCLE BRIDGE DESIGN AS GREEN ROAD

5.1 Design of Bicycle Bridge

In a word, the main concept of this Bicycle Bridge Design is “GREEN+ (plus)

ROAD.” It contains four basic directions: (1) Pleasure and fun; (2) Low carbon

dioxide emission; (3) Unique design; and (4) Sustainable city (Figure 4). The

connection of the first alphabet of these four directions makes PLUS, which means

being added to another. In other words, green factors, both visual green and green

system, can be added to the city by this bicycle bridge.

Figure 4: Design Concept of Bicycle Bridge

Under the ideal conditions, the bicycle lane, at least 1.2 m in width, should be one-

way facilities carrying bicycle traffic in the same direction, and should has the slope

less than 3%.

In this study, we designed this bridge to be 7.3 m wide and 3.8 m tall. The inner space

is divided into two parts for different directions (Figure 5). By adjusting the pier

height, the height of the bridge from the ground level can be kept uniform regardless

of the difference of the ground levels.

Figure 5: Superstructure of Bicycle Bridge

The pier form of the bicycle bridge is the most sensitive part of the bridge because the

bicycle bridge locates on the median barrier of roads which is very narrow in its width.

Thus, the size of piers should have maintained at their minimum size for being capable

of withstanding the weight of the bridge. Further, in order to keep safety and visual

clearance of car drivers, it is better to reduce the number of piers. Under the bicycle

bridge along the median barrier, it is better to create a flower garden for increasing

visual beauty and safety for car divers (Figure 6). And it is possible for bicycle riders

to reach on land by ramps or elevators.

Figure 6: Pier location and shape of Bicycle Bridge

The main materials of this bridge are plain glass for not blocking the view of the street

and steel for sustaining the upper body weight. Environment friendly materials such as

wood and red clay are used inside the bridge. Solar panels are attached on the top of

the roof. The solar panels create solar energy for making the wind blow, heating (or

cooling) and brightening inside the bicycle bridge. Moreover, a ventilation system will

maintain the inner air in clean and pleasant conditions (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Natural Materials and Eco-friendly System of Bicycle Bridge

The form of bicycle bridge is basically simple and slender. Such form helps to

decrease the visual confusion on road. With respect to the form of the bridge, we

focused on three elements, i.e. the rhythmical truss shape, the aesthetic and stable pier

shape, and the simple and round outline of the bridge tube, which are related to the

aesthetic aspects of the bicycle bridge. The rhythmical truss shape is related to the

arrangement of the truss which rhythmically repeats at regular intervals. The aesthetic

and stable pier shape is related to the substructure of the pier showing the aesthetic

and stable balance with the combination of triple triangle (Figure 8). We considered

the element of the simple and round outline of the bridge tube in order to stress the

natural beauty of curved line of tube outline.

Figure 8: Simple and slender design

This bridge can be used during all four seasons because a tube form of this bridge

prevents bicycle riders from a bad weather condition like snow, ice, rain, fog, and

strong wind. Bicyclists can ride bicycles day and night because lighting tube on the

center of the upper wall illuminates at night. Further, this bridge can prevent bicycle

rider from colliding with pedestrians, road facilities and cars.

5.2 Linking Bicycle Bridges to Bicycle Paths along the Han River

The Han River is a major river in Korea and the fourth longest river in the Korean

peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. The Han River has so many

beautiful sights and plenty of green spaces. One of the best ways to tour the Han River

is a cycling tour, and thus many people including foreigners enjoy cycling the bicycle

paths along the Han River. It is possible to link the bicycle bridges to the bicycle paths

along the Han River effectively by ramp and elevator (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Methods for linking Bicycle Bridge to Bicycle Path along the Han River

5.3 Green Network Design in Seoul

The Green Network of bicycle bridges, bicycle paths, nearby buildings, local parks

and green spaces in Seoul are meaningful to make Seoul a green city. Recently, the

South Korea Government has invested in creating more bicycle paths. The total

distance of bicycle paths in Seoul is about 259.8 km, and the Seoul Government

announced a plan for building an additional 207 km of bicycle paths by 2012. By

adopting the Green Network which links bicycle bridges not only to bicycle paths but

also to nearby buildings, local parks and green spaces as the above plan, it is possible

to encourage the bicycle riders to use bicycles more often, and to contribute for

carrying out the environmental policy “Low Carbon and Green Growth” in Seoul.

Figure 10: “Green” Network through Bicycle Bridges in Seoul

6. SETTING UP THE PUBLIC BICYCLE RENTAL SYSTEM (PBRS)

The Public Bicycle Rental System (PBRS) is a system for renting bicycles to the urban

residents, thus, they can use bicycle conveniently without having to purchase bicycles.

A PBRS typically consists of a number of bicycles for rent, automated stations where

bicycles are stored, and programs for bicycle redistribution and maintenance. The

automated stations located at major destinations and transportation centers, are

generally spaced about 300 m apart and have automated self-serve docking systems

that accommodate 5 to 20 bicycles for rent. Thus, the bicycle riders may rent bicycles

at one station and return it to another station. In order to boost the PBRS, it is

necessary to develop an effective system for operating the automated stations, educate

people not to damage and steal bicycles, and establish short-term and long-term

policies for sustainable development.

7. CONCLUSIONS

This study provides effective ideas to increase green spaces in the city by Bicycle

Bridge Design. There were some ideas on Bicycle Bridge Design such as the BTS

TransGlide 2000TM

and the Velo-city suggesting the bicycle bridge as means for

transportation. However, our study provides Bicycle Bridge Design as a part of Green

Road. This study is classified into three stages: (1) Design of Bicycle Bridge; (2)

Linking Bicycle Bridges to Bicycle Paths along the Han River; and (3) Green Network

of Bicycle Bridges, Bicycle Paths, nearby Buildings, Local Parks, and Green Spaces in

Seoul. The main concept of this Bicycle Bridge Design is “GREEN+ (plus) ROAD”

which means that green factors like the visual green and the green system can be

expanded to the city by this bicycle bridge. The pier form of the bicycle bridge is the

most sensitive part of the bridge because the bicycle bridge locates on the median

barrier of roads which is very narrow in its width and has insufficient space for pier.

Thus, the size of piers should have maintained at their minimum size for being capable

of withstanding the weight of the bridge. Further, it is better to reduce the number of

piers for car drivers’ safety and visual clearance. Under the bicycle bridge, flower

garden landscape design can contribute to increase visual beauty and safety. The main

materials of this bridge are plain glass and for not blocking the view of the street and

steel for sustaining the upper body weight. Environment friendly materials such as

wood and red clay are used inside the bridge. Moreover, the ventilation system

maintains the inner air in clean and pleasant conditions. The form of bicycle bridge is

basically simple and slender. Such form helps to decrease the visual confusion on road.

Regarding the form of the bridge, we focused on three elements in aesthetic aspects. It

is possible to link the bicycle bridges to the bicycle paths along the Han River, which

is a major river in Korea and has so many beautiful sights and plenty of green spaces,

by ramps or elevators. The Green Network of bicycle bridges with bicycle paths,

nearby buildings, and local parks and green spaces in Seoul is meaningful to make

Seoul a green city. Recently, the South Korea Government has invested in creating

more bike paths. By adopting the Green Network of the bicycle bridge, it is possible to

encourage the bicycle riders to use bicycles more often. In order to boost the Public

Bicycle Rental System (PBRS), it is necessary to develop an effective system for

operating the automated stations, educate people not to damage and steal bicycles, and

establish short-term and long-term policies for sustainable development.

8. REFERENCES

Hunki Lee, Heechul Shin. 2008. A Study on the Bike Rapid Transit System. The

Korea Transport Institute.

Kywanbho Shim, Chungwon Lee, Intae Kim. 2010. Installation and management

manual of the bicycle utilization. No.11-1311000-000251-01. Ministry of

Public Administration and Security.

Namchul Baik, Kwansub Noh, Cheolwoo Park, Sooahn Kwon, Sungdo Hwang,

Jongmin Kim, Kyunggoo Yoon. 2009. Facility standard and

Guidelines for bicycle road. No.11-1611000-000634-01. Ministry of Land,

Transport and Maritime Affairs.

The Korea Transport Institute. KOTI Bicycle Transport Brief. 2010. Vol.1 No.5

2010.8.1. The Korea Transport Institute.

Yooshin Engineering Corporation., Construction & Transportation Technology Co.

Report for bridge type of BIRT(Bicycle Rapid Transit). 2010. Yooshin

Engineering Corporation., Construction & Transportation Technology Co.