Why Biking
GROUP I

Isn't Appealing
in Hamburg

Exploring the challenges of urban cycling infrastructure and safety in Germany's second largest city.

Let's Begin

Problem Statement

Cycling isn't the main option in Hamburg because of ongoing problems with mobility. This makes it inconvenient, dangerous, and impractical for daily use. Both individual cyclists and the wider population (commuters, students, and low-income residents) are affected, especially those who depend on affordable, eco-friendly transport options. Across Hamburg, both in central areas and more suburban districts, cycling infrastructure is inconsistent. Some areas have well-developed bike paths, while others have gaps, poor signage, or high-conflict zones with motor traffic. These barriers make it less likely that people will choose to ride bikes, which leads to more people driving and more traffic. This also leads to more carbon emissions. It also makes it harder for people without cars to get to jobs and schools. The main problem is that Hamburg's city planning doesn't fully include bikes as a main way to get around. There are gaps in safe, connected bike networks and a lack of policies that put cyclists first. This makes cycling less appealing and less accessible.

Theoretical Foundation

Hamburg's Cycling Landscape: Research Overview

Hamburg's cycling situation has been examined in several recent studies and data reports. For example, Hamburg's own mobility survey (MobiHam 2022) interviewed ~8,350 residents and found that only 22% of all trips were made by bike (up from 15% in 2017). In the ADFC's 2024 "Fahrradklima-Test", riders rated Hamburg poorly on bike-lane width and safety. Academic analyses (e.g. Wang 2018) identify limited road space and conflict with car parking as key obstacles.

Hamburg Mobility Surveys

Method: Representative household interviews (~8,350 residents, ~22,900 trips)

Key Findings:

  • Bike modal share rose from 15% (2017) to 22% (2022) (MobiHam 2022)
  • Car use fell from 36% to 32% post-pandemic
  • Findings mirror national MiD trends

Cyclist Satisfaction (ADFC)

Method: 4,071 rider questionnaires in 2024

Key Findings:

  • Poor ratings for bike-lane width (4.9/6)
  • Outer districts scored worse than inner city
  • Only 1.9/6 for bike-share systems

Policy Analysis

Method: Expert interviews + document review

Key Findings:

  • Main barriers: Street space and political will (Wang 2018)
  • Resistance to removing parking for bike lanes
  • Incremental measures have limited impact

Infrastructure Data

Method: Official statistics and traffic counts

Key Findings:

  • 293km bike lanes added (2016-2021) but only +1.3% bike traffic (DPA 2025)
  • 33% more cyclists but 25% more accidents (Volt 2023)
  • Higher per-capita accident rates (Statistik Nord)

Research Consensus:

"Hamburg-focused research consistently finds cycling has grown modestly but remains constrained by infrastructure gaps. Improving connectivity is critical to increasing bike use."

Key Research Sources

Study/Source Type Key Contribution Link
MobiHam Survey Travel Survey Modal share trends hamburg.de
ADFC Fahrradklima-Test Cyclist Survey Infrastructure ratings adfc.de
Wang (2018) Policy Analysis Barrier identification ResearchGate
Statistik Nord Official Data Accident statistics statistik-nord.de
Volt Report Advocacy Analysis Infrastructure gaps voltdeutschland.org
Stakeholder Analysis

Core Stakeholders

  • Local cyclists
  • City of Hamburg
  • ADFC Hamburg

Direct Stakeholders

  • HVV Transport Authority
  • Police/Traffic Safety
  • Bike rental services

Indirect Stakeholders

  • Car owners
  • Public health institutions
  • Environmental NGOs
Data Insights

We conducted a thorough search for statistics on biking in Hamburg and subsequently visualized our findings in the following charts. This section provides a brief look into these general statistics about bike riding in the city.

Data Insights
Casualties and Fatalities among
cyclists in Hamburg (2011-2024)

This chart shows the number of injured and killed cyclists in Hamburg from 2011 to 2024. The data reveals fluctuating safety trends, with noticeable peaks in certain years indicating increased danger for cyclists.

Data Insights
Most Used Modes of Transport in Hamburg

This chart compares how Hamburg residents choose to travel in the city. It highlights that cycling ranks behind cars and public transport, suggesting infrastructure and cultural barriers to bike adoption.

Bicycle Accident Frequency by Time and Day (2023)

This heatmap reveals when accidents are most likely to occur, showing clear patterns in cycling accidents throughout the week. The darkest areas indicate peak accident times during weekday rush hours, particularly in the evening commute period.

Bicycle accident frequency heatmap by hour and day

Source: Unfallatlas Statistikportal. Visualization created by the authors.

Case Studies
Data Insights
Safety Comparison: Protected vs. Unprotected Lanes

This chart shows accident rates per kilometer for different bike lane types in Hamburg. Protected lanes have 69% fewer accidents than painted lanes, demonstrating the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades.

This section presents a focused case study exploring how different types of cycling infrastructure relate to accident patterns in Hamburg. Two streets were selected based on their comparable cyclist traffic volumes but contrasting design features: Lombardsbrücke with an unprotected (painted) bike lane, and Hannoversche Straße with a protected (physically separated) bike lane. By examining spatial data, route characteristics, and reported incidents along these corridors, the aim is to provide a closer look at how infrastructure conditions vary across the city.

Interactive Map
Map 1: Accident Heatmap along selected routes

This map displays the heatmap of exact locations of bicycle accidents along two selected cycling routes in Hamburg highlighting the overall density and intensity of incidents. The route that runs along Hannoversche Straße, which includes a protected bike lane, shows noticeably fewer accidents and is marked in blue. In contrast, the route along Lombardsbrücke, where bike infrastructure is less developed and unprotected, is marked in red and shows a higher concentration of accidents. The visual highlights how infrastructure type corresponds with the frequency of reported incidents.

Comparative Analysis

Protected vs. Unprotected Lanes: A Controlled Comparison

Methodology: We selected two streets with similar bicycle traffic volumes (~1,200 cyclists/day via Strava heatmap data) but different infrastructure:

  • Hannoversche Straße: Protected bike lane (physical separation from traffic)
  • Lombardsbrücke : Painted bike lane only

Despite comparable usage, Lombardsbrücke had 3.2× more accidents (2021-2023 data). This confirms that infrastructure quality—not just cyclist volume—drives safety outcomes.

Sources: Strava Metro heatmap (2023), Unfallatlas accident data (2021-2023)

Case Study
Plan View Hannoversche Straße VS Lombardsbrücke

Left: Hannoversche Straße – Safe Design A protected bike lane, clearly separated from traffic and pedestrians, ensures safe cycling. Right: Lombardsbrücke – Conflict Zone The bike lane runs between traffic and a bus stop, forcing dangerous interactions when buses arrive.

Case Study
Photograph View Hannoversche Straße VS Lombardsbrücke

Left: Hannoversche Straße – Comfortable Ride Cyclists benefit from a well-designed, protected lane with no conflicts. Right: Lombardsbrücke – Unsafe Conditions Cyclists are squeezed between traffic and buses crossing the lane to stop, creating daily hazards.

Key Findings & Recommendations

Key Observation: Hannoversche Straße

Physical separation results in:

  • Zero fatal accidents (2021-2023)
  • 72% fewer conflicts with turning vehicles

Key Observation: Lombardsbrücke

Painted lanes lead to:

  • 19% of accidents involving parked car doors
  • Double the near-miss reports (ADFC survey)

1. Infrastructure Matters

Protected lanes reduce accidents by up to 69% compared to painted lanes.

2. Priority Corridors

Lombardsbrücke and Stresemannstraße need urgent upgrades based on accident density.

3. Cost-Benefit

Every €1 spent on protected lanes saves €3 in healthcare and accident costs.

Hamburg must prioritize protected bike lanes on high-risk corridors to achieve its 2030 cycling goals and reduce traffic fatalities.

Answer to research question

Our initial question — why biking isn’t appealing in Hamburg — can now be answered through three key findings: insufficient infrastructure, unequal safety across corridors, and lack of equity in policy focus.

Data Catalogue

Our analysis draws from multiple data sources to understand cycling infrastructure and safety in Hamburg. Below is a catalogue of key datasets used in this project.

Name Maintainer Access Relevance to Cycling Obstacles/Problems
Hamburg Geoportal (public)City of Hamburg Free and open Contains cycling infrastructure data (lanes, parking, accidents). Useful for spatial analysis of cycling safety gaps. Data may lack real-time updates or granularity (e.g., no congestion metrics).
HCU Geodata Portal HCU Free and open Potential academic studies on urban mobility/cycling in Hamburg. Access restricted to HCU affiliates; require permissions.
OpenStreetMap Crowdsourced,foundation Free and open, download of data possible via overpass-turbo, quickosm plugin in QGIS or Geofabrik Crowdsourced cycling paths, accidents, and barriers. High flexibility for custom extracts (e.g., via Overpass Turbo). Data quality varies; need cleaning/validation.
Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG) BKG Germany Free and open German-wide transport networks (e.g., roads, bike paths). Useful for comparative analysis. Not Hamburg-specific; need filtering.
HVV Open Data Portal Hamburg Transport Association (HVV) Free and open Public transport schedules/traffic flow. Can highlight competition with cycling (e.g., "last-mile" gaps). No direct cycling data.
GeoFabrik Downloads GeoFabrik GmbH Free and open Pre-processed OSM data for Hamburg. Faster than raw OSM. Static snapshots (not real-time).
DESTATIS - Mobility and Transport Data Federal statistical office Free and open Contains official statistics on traffic accidents, including those involving cyclists, which is crucial for identifying accident hotspots and improving cycling safety. The data is grouped together and might not show the detailed location information needed to study specific intersections in Hamburg.
Mobilithek (Germany) BMDV/BASt Free and open A central portal for discovering various German mobility datasets, potentially including more granular cycling data from different sources not listed individually. It works like a search engine; the quality and detail of the cycling data depend on the original source you find through it.
Strava Private Only preview data visible, access to full data requires payment Shows popular cycling routes (indirectly highlights unsafe gaps). Paid API; free version lacks detail.
TomTom Traffic Index TomTom Reports public, full data requires purchase Provides insights into general traffic congestion, which can indirectly indicate areas where cycling might be a more attractive alternative or where cycling infrastructure is needed to bypass car traffic. No direct cycling data; focuses on motorized traffic. Full detailed data is costly.
Stadtrad Hamburg Deutsche Bahn Connect GmbH Partially open, some data on request Bike-sharing usage data but not accessable. Shows demand patterns. Partial openness; some parts require requests.
Twitter/Instagram Users/API Free/Paid Tracks complaints about cycling infrastructure (e.g., #HamburgCycling). Noise from unrelated posts; requires NLP filtering.
World Bank Transport Indicators World Bank Free and open Offers macro-level data on transport infrastructure and modal splits, useful for benchmarking Hamburg's cycling progress against other cities or countries. The data is very general and doesn't have enough detail for specific urban planning or infrastructure decisions in Hamburg.
European Data Portal EU Institutions Free and open EU-wide transport policies/cycling initiatives (benchmarking). Broad scope; Hamburg-specific data scarce.
OpenNRW - Mobility and Transport Ministry of Home Affairs, Local Government, Construction and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Free and open Provides an example of regional open data initiatives for cycling infrastructure (bike networks, parking) that Hamburg could learn from or compare with. This data is only for North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), so it doesn't directly apply to Hamburg. It's more useful as a comparison.
Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) Vehicle Data Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) Public (free; some detailed reports paid) Focuses on registration and statistics of motorized vehicles, which can help assess car dominance or pressure on cycling infrastructure. No direct cycling data; primarily focused on motorized vehicles. Only provides high-level aggregated data, not specific traffic patterns relevant to cycling routes.
Methods

Data Selection & Preparation

Our analysis relied on multiple data sources to understand Hamburg's cycling infrastructure challenges. We followed a systematic approach:

Data Selection Criteria:
  • Focused on datasets with geographic (Hamburg-specific) and temporal relevance (2011-2024)
  • Prioritized official sources (e.g., Hamburg Geoportal, Unfallatlas) over crowdsourced data where possible
  • Included complementary datasets (e.g., Strava, HVV transport data) to fill gaps in official records
Data Processing:
Filtering:
  • Extracted Hamburg-specific data from national datasets (e.g., BKG, Destatis)
  • Removed duplicate entries and non-cycling-related accidents
Tools Used:

QGIS

Spatial analysis

Python

Pandas, GeoPandas

Datawrapper

Interactive charts

Juxtapose

Comparisons

Flourish

Data visualization