Cycling is increasingly recognized as a significant component of an integrated urban transport system. Following leading bike cities like Copenhagen or Amsterdam, many other European cities have been working to improve conditions for cycling. Thus, two trends can be observed: a) a general increase of bicycle use and b) in particular an increase of pedelecs. The rising popularity of cycling calls for an appropriate infrastructure supporting both intra–city cycling and suburbia–city commuting.
This paper presents two results from an Austrian research project on new perspectives for cycling in the suburban–urban relation [1]. On the one hand this paper presents requirements for providing a high quality cycling infrastructure, on the other hand it introduces a new organizational element for road junctions – the 'Viennese diagonal'.
The design and construction requirements focus on capacity, speed and curve radii and the effects of surface quality on body energy expenditure.
The 'Viennese diagonal' is especially aimed at top–level high capacity cycling routes and allows a 'one–step crossing' in contrast to the traditional and widespread 'two–step–crossing', where cyclists need to wait at least one period at traffic lights, are being confronted with limited space and sharp turns before they can go on, because the cycling infrastructure continues on the other side of the road – similar to pedestrians.

cycling infrastructure; pedelecs; design requirements; intersection design; cycling improvement