By Courtesy of Visit Flanders vélo Flandres
The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism recently adopted a draft resolution seeking to provide the whole of Europe with a robust cycling strategy. This paves the way for a genuine EU-wide cycling policy. Until now, cycling has been developed on the basis of national and local initiatives.
The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism recently adopted a draft resolution seeking to provide the whole of Europe with a robust cycling strategy. This paves the way for a genuine EU-wide cycling policy. Until now, cycling has been developed on the basis of national and local initiatives.
Based on the observation that cycling contributes to the European Union's green transition, but that its infrastructure often lacks investment, the resolution aims to double the number of kilometers cycled in Europe by 2030.
Among the measures proposed is the promotion of multimodal usage by creating bridges between cycling and other modes of transport. This would involve, for example, increasing the number of spaces available for bikes on trains, as well as the number of dedicated parking areas near stations. The implementation of bicycle paths running parallel to rail tracks, where possible, could also be considered. As for the production of bicycles and components, including batteries for electric bikes, a "made in Europe" approach is strongly encouraged.
More generally, the proposal calls for cycling to be systematically taken into account in the construction or upgrading of public transport systems. There should also be a considerable increase in investment in the construction of specific cycling infrastructure, whether through the development of new dedicated and secure parking facilities or the installation of new bike-sharing stations. In addition, cycle touring should be supported, in particular by accelerating the development of the EuroVelo network.
Note that this proposal calls for 2024 to be designated as the European Year of Cycling.
Supported in particular by the French green MEP Karima Delli, president of this committee, the resolution will soon be submitted to the vote of the EU Parliament.
