Netherlands' Groningen wants to create city without cars

Groningen, the sixth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 170,000, is aiming to create a car-free city centre.

The decision was made last year as a result of its success in the past.

Currently 57 per cent of the city's inhabitants travel by bicycle, making it the place with the highest bicycle usage in the West.

The move started back in 1977 when greenery, pedestrian areas, cycle paths and bus lanes replaced a six-lane motorway intersection in the city centre.

According to Gerrit van Werven, a senior city planner, the practice is not only intended to be an environmental programme, but also an economic initiative. Requests now regularly arrive from shopkeepers in streets where 'cyclisation' is not yet in force, to ban cars on their roads.

New houses are only accessible by bicycles, buildings in the city centre must provide cycle garages and out-of-town shopping centres are banned.