Cyclurban+: Mobility Change, not Climate Change

The project built upon the findings and results of the predecessor project "Cyclurban." Nevertheless, the transport sector, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions, has made little progress in reducing emissions in recent years. The number of registered motor vehicles continues to rise, and alternatives to cars are still not attractive enough.

In the target countries, cycling is currently not considered an integral part of urban transport systems and is, at best, perceived as an emergency solution rather than a "full-fledged" mode of transport. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between car ownership and social status, with many people deriving a sense of self-worth from owning a car. As a result, the number of cars in cities has doubled over the past 20 years, while bicycles are only used sporadically or on an ad-hoc basis as a means of transport.

A systematic, integrated approach is lacking to encourage people to switch from cars to bicycles. Cyclurban+ aimed to overcome these limitations and foster a shift in mindset among decision-makers and planners in the transport sector through capacity building.

To foster cycling in urban transport, Cycleurban+ targeted municipal staff and decision-makers as well as institutions at the national level to overcome the traditionally car-oriented perspective on urban development. 

Over 14 months, the project initiated several measures to promote the transition of the transport sector in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, focusing on Bratislava and Brno as examples of implementation. First, it held workshops and seminars for planners and decision-makers. Second, it provided an online platform for funding cycling projects and infrastructure to municipalities in both countries. Third, policy briefs with suggestions for effective cycling enhancing measures were provided. For Slovakia, they worked with a database that monitored cycling accidents and helped to identify and eliminate dangerous spots. In Brno, a Bicycle Policy Audit was carried out to evaluate the city's cycling policies and develop proposals on how to overcome weaknesses. Additionally, NGOs and other cycling advocacy groups in both countries were supported by the exchange of knowledge and dissemination of successful approaches.

Cyclists in the city centre; photo: Jolanda Lipu, BEF Estonia

• Launch of an online platform for the financing of cycling infrastructure in Slovakia. According to a survey of the project, in which 130 municipalities, cities, municipalities, and districts were involved, there was a lack of a comprehensive overview of the available instruments for financing cycling infrastructure through national and EU funding programmes. The online platform responded to this demand. It continued to be freely available after the end of the project.  
• The cargo bike rental service was successfully piloted in three cities (Bratislava, Brno, Tartu), as evidenced by user surveys. This proved that cargo bikes could replace many car journeys in the city at a relatively low cost of setting up a public rental system. The project published a guideline for the introduction of cargo bikes in municipalities. 
• As part of the previous project, the implementers were trained as certified BYPAD auditors and now carried out a bicycle audit for Brno in order to evaluate the city's cycling policy and develop suggestions for improvement. 
• Due to the pandemic, face-to-face workshops were replaced by instructional videos and web seminars, which reached more communities, urban planners, and the wider public.