Cycling as an Element of Urban Climate Mitigation Policy

Urbanisation is increasing all over the world, with more and more people living in cities. So the urban mobility sector is playing a key role in helping avoid greenhouse gas emissions. At a local level, it is essential to come up with intelligent solutions for environmentally friendly mobility and transforming transport systems in large conurbations. Traffic emissions in cities need to be kept at a low level or even reduced. Quality of life, time efficiency and health should also improve at the same.

Car-centred transport concepts from the previous century need to be rethought and more effort made to promote cycling. Bicycles are more time-efficient, quiet, environmentally friendly and healthy than cars.

The project was operating in Tartu (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Warsaw (Poland), Velika Gorica (Croatia) and Drama (Greece). In each city, the current cycling situation was first of all analysed and evaluated. Then the team looked, for example, at where more cycle paths might be built, how the issue might be integrated into future urban planning or how, say, to better promote the use of e-bikes and cargo bikes.

The results fed into the collaboration with the cities and municipalities. This process involved developing specific strategies to promote cycling as a form of urban mobility. The project also came up with recommendations on how to promote cycling at a national level. Seminars were held and strategy papers published with a view to reaching even more municipalities.

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• Strategic development of urban cycling policy: In Riga, Velika Gorica, Tartu and Warsaw, local stakeholders from politics, administration, civil society and transport planning jointly assessed the quality of cycling policy in their cities. To do this, they used the internationally recognised Bicycle Policy Audit (BYPAD) tool. The studies led to practical recommendations for action and enabled each city to develop tailor-made strategies – an important step towards sustainable improvement of cycling infrastructure and the promotion of climate-friendly mobility.
• Greater visibility of frameworks at national level: In the five project countries, a study was conducted to identify which policy strategies and decisions have an impact on cycling. Transport, environment and spatial planning proved to be the driving forces, while tourism, education and the economy had little impact on cycling. The analysis revealed significant gaps in cross-sectoral coordination and showed that most project countries did not yet have a national cycling strategy – a clear starting point for future policy development.
• Policy recommendations with potential impact: The project formulated 25 recommendations for promoting cycling in the target countries. In Estonia, Croatia, Latvia and Greece, the focus was on updating standards and development plans, while in Slovakia, Latvia and Croatia, safety-related measures such as 30 km/h zones, minimum distances and cycle lanes were proposed. The recommendations also included ideas for traffic calming, mandatory bicycle parking spaces and mobility promotion in companies, thus supporting a shift away from motorised transport towards cycling – a contribution to lower traffic-related emissions and higher quality of life in cities.