WORLD BICYCLE DAY – June 3, 2024
Cycling and active mobility have an important role in UPPER's further development of public transport systems. It can serve as a fast and easily accessible option for public transport users to complete their trips' “first mile” and/or “last mile”. Just like everyone else, commuters enjoy their comfort, and providing them with an efficient and convenient way to use sustainable transport modes from start to finish increases the likelihood of them choosing this option. As such, cycling and public transit go hand in hand and each reinforces the usage of the other.
UPPER partner The European Cyclists Federation is focused on 10 measures in 6 different cities. These consist of creating multimodal hubs where active modes and public transport meet, developing incentive packages to support multimodality, enabling public transport in peri-urban areas, campaigning for sustainable modes of transport (including public transport and active modes) and, finally, enhancing multimodal interconnections and integration.
Today the world celebrates more than a mode of transport – it symbolizes freedom, health, and the joy of riding. So dust off your bike and appreciate cycling’s profound, simple impact. World Bicycle Day is a chance to celebrate the fun of riding bikes. This special day brings back memories of learning to ride without training wheels. It felt like magic and adventure! World Bicycle Day shows how bikes give us freedom and connect us. It renews our hope for safe streets everywhere for cycling. By honoring the simple joy of bicycles on this day, we look forward to a future with better and cleaner transportation.
The designated theme for World Bicycle Day in 2024 is “Promoting Health, Equity, and Sustainability through Cycling.”
Cycling also has the benefit of making public transport accessible to a larger population across a wider area. Bicycles increase the range of accessible public transport stations and multimodal hubs in two main ways:
- by making the transport time shorter than if the users were to walk.
by allowing more flexibility and being more cost-efficient than if a fixed (or on-demand) public transport line was used to reach the station.
On April 3rd, the EU took another important step in reducing transport emissions by officially adopting the European Declaration on Cycling. The declaration recognizes cycling as a sustainable, accessible, and affordable means of transport, with strong added value for the EU economy. It includes clear commitments, such as safe and coherent cycling networks in cities, better links with public transport and secure parking spaces and access to recharging points for e-bikes. These commitments shall be taken at EU, national regional and local level. These are all necessary elements in improving the quality and quantity of cycling infrastructure across Member States and making cycling more attractive to the public.
Learn more about UPPER cities and region's cycling commitment here
