Tag Archive: Cycling

  1. UK government launches Active Travel strategy in Bristol

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    Source: Bristol City Council, ATE Image source: Amy W, Unsplash

    Active Travel England (ATE), the UK’s government agency focused on creating people-friendly streets and high-quality transport infrastructure, launched its new cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS3) in Bristol. The strategy aims to deliver 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings across England by 2030.

    ATE emphasises that the £4.5 billion strategy aims to make active travel choices an everyday reality, stating, “We will work across government to integrate active travel into health, planning, physical activity and cost of living policies.”

    The importance of integrating active travel with other transport modes is recognised, with the strategy moving towards a target for trip stages: “Many walking, wheeling and cycling trips are complete journeys, but many more are to or from a bus or tram stop, or a metro or train station. It’s important that we capture these trip stages to truly understand the extent of active travel in our communities.”

    The building of safe, coherent networks around schools is a priority, as is the creation of “a proper national active travel network – with every safe route mapped and accessible on route planning apps and consistent signage and road markings across the country.”

    During the launch, Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, Mayor for the West of England, Helen Godwin, national Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, and Bristol Deputy Leader Councillor, Heather Mack, took to the city’s shared bikes to see recent improvements to the Bristol-to-Bath Railway Path, which became the country’s first cycle path in 1985. Bristol City Council highlighted that it is investing in safer walking and cycling routes, including a School Streets Programme designed to reduce traffic outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times, the roll-out of more 20 mph (32 km/h) areas, and the upgrade of pedestrian crossings.

    In a video shared on ATE’s LinkedIn, Helen Godwin highlighted that sustainable-travel-conscious Bristol demonstrates the ambitions described in CWIS3, and business owners in one of the city’s pedestrianised streets spoke of the positive impacts, with the owner of a barber shop mentioning increased income, as well as the difference of a pedestrianised street to one with cars as “chalk and cheese…it’s a healthier street, the air feels a lot better, and it’s a safe street.”

  2. Tackling blame-shifting in road safety

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    Source: Stadszaken, SWOV

    Although there have been low traffic fatality numbers for many years in the Netherlands, the rate has more recently been increasing, with a total of 759 recorded in 2025, the highest since 2007. Martin van der Maas, an urban planner at the Municipality of Amsterdam, examined misplaced priorities, and allocation of blame towards cyclists and pedestrians.

    Martin draws attention to the unsuitability of increasingly large cars and strained urban traffic infrastructure for the 21st century. Car traffic travelling at high speeds is given priority, posing hazards and significant inconvenience to other road users: “Bicycle lanes and sidewalks that are too narrow, too many obstacles, insufficient freedom of movement for children, frequent merging, excessive waiting times, and dangerously close passes to speeding, overweight vehicles.”

    Martin speaks about this strong adherence to traffic culture from personal experience. Five years ago, his wife was injured while attempting to cross on a zebra crossing in Alkmaar in the early evening. The driver of the car had appeared to stop, but then suddenly pulled away, striking Martin’s wife and sending her over the front of the car.

    It transpired that the elderly driver later admitted he could no longer see well at dusk, but also that his greatest concern was keeping his driver’s license, for daily visits to his wife in a nursing home – a trip of one kilometre, along a bus route.

    Shifting the blame

    Martin was informed by a policewoman in the aftermath that the driver’s case was with the judicial authorities, and that he and his wife would not hear anything further about it. The policewoman also emphasised that Martin’s wife had been wearing a dark coat – which Martin counters with the fact that it is a wide zebra crossing, with warning signs and bright overhead white lighting.

    Martin and his wife indeed did not hear anything further from the driver, but did see him continuing to drive for several more years. Despite other accidents occurring on the same road, which has a 50 km/h speed limit, no changes have been made. Discussions about implementing a standard 30 km/h speed limit in Alkmaar have met with political opposition, despite mounting evidence of such measures bringing positive safety outcomes.

    Three types of blame-shifting are identified:

    • Priority blaming: from the car culture advocates’ point of view, it’s the right-of-way for pedestrians and cyclists that is the problem, not the car. Pedestrians and cyclists are expected to wait longer to cross or manoeuvre safely, while any extra waiting time for traffic is not acceptable.
    • Fatbike blaming: these have become an easy scapegoat, helping to shift focus from space-consuming car lanes, and stoking in-fighting among pedestrians and riders of standard bikes, cargo bikes, fatbikes over the remaining space available.
    • Victim blaming: shifting responsibility from car drivers to the victims of road traffic incidents. Car culture advocacy puts the onus on more vulnerable road users to make themselves safe from dangerous traffic; “They need to pay more attention, they wear the wrong dark coats, they need to wear a helmet.” Martin states, “According to the logic of victim blamers, my wife and I should now be walking around hyper-alert in fluorescent clothing and pedestrian helmets. But that would be the death of the city, the legitimization of the perpetrator, and the subjugation of the victim.”

    The toxicity of traffic culture

    Martin summarises how this traffic culture can be described:

    • The right of irresponsible people to drive outweighs the right of children to grow up with living and healthy parents.
    • The right to drive freely and fast outweighs the right to walk and cycle safely and comfortably through the city.
    • The right to drive SUVs outweighs the chance for pedestrians and cyclists to survive an accident.

    The obstruction of more spontaneous and space-saving mobility represented by pedestrians and cyclists is obstruction of the solution to the design for safe streets in the modern world. “There are plenty of possibilities for this, provided we settle for fewer, smaller, and slower cars. The fact that our cities simultaneously become more beautiful, healthier, and more pleasant is a welcome bonus for everyone.”

  3. Backlash as mandatory hi-vis for Irish cyclists, pedestrians and e-scooter users proposed

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    Source: Bike Radar

    Strong discussions have commenced after Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien, received a letter from Tipperary County Council members urging the introduction of a law to make the wearing of hi-vis jackets or vests mandatory for pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders.

    One of the most prominent voices in response to this news was the advocacy group Irish Cycling Campaign, whose Facebook post decrying the proposal has received over 640 comments to date. The post highlights that such a move would pose several risks, including “putting yet another barrier in the way of healthy, safe, sustainable transport” and “drawing resources and attention from the real source of risk: Poor, risky driving”.

    The letter from Tipperary County Council follows recent developments in Ireland’s cycling-related legislation; in February, the Department for Transport confirmed that there were plans to introduce mandatory helmet and hi-vis rules for e-bike and e-scooter riders, though regular cyclists were omitted from the legislation at a late stage.

    Irish Times contributor, and regular cyclist, Sarah Moss, highlighted that the issue of helmets and hi-vis diverts from the topic of suitable infrastructure which supports active travel. “In cities where cycling is safe, people on bikes don’t wear high-vis. You’ll see very few helmets on cyclists in the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium, certainly no laws mandating their use, because it is not cycling that is dangerous but driving. Where the built environment separates human skin and bone from lorries, cars and buses, there is no need for our frantic striving to make fragile bodies hyper-visible. The helmets and hi-vis are symptoms of the Irish problem, not the solution.”

    Irish Cycle, reported Ciarán Cannon, the president of Cycling Ireland, saying: “There is no credible evidence that mandatory hi-vis significantly reduces collisions or fatalities. Jurisdictions with the safest roads have achieved their outcomes not by criminalising people for what they wear, but by managing speed, designing safer streets and enforcing existing traffic laws.”

    A different view was offered by the National Bus and Railworkers’ Union (NBRU) at a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, where NRBU assistant secretary general, Thomas O’Connor, said, “Mandatory hi-vis clothing for cyclists and scooters is absolutely essential. People just don’t realise how hard it is to drive a large public service vehicle or a truck and to be watching out for people who may be in dark clothing in dark evenings, nights or mornings. This is especially important due to the new battery powered bikes which are very fast and mandatory hi-vis clothing will save us.”

  4. Young Londoners’ living location and dating choices are being shaped by cycling

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    Source: Air Quality News

    Data recently published by shared mobility operator and LEVA-EU member Lime, and flatshare site SpareRoom, has revealed that access to bikes – particularly those available in shared-use schemes – is a major influence on the choices made by Londoners in the 18-34 year-old age segment.

    Lime surveyed Londoners and found that 59% of respondents in the 18-34 age category said they would be more likely to rent or buy a home in an area with shared e-bikes available. This is in stark contrast to the over-55 age group, where only 18% said this was important.

    SpareRoom adds more context to the trend, with their data showing that 8% of Londoners list cycling as an interest on their profiles. Meanwhile, 34% of prospective property buyers seek to cut travel costs by opting for cycling or walking for daily commuting purposes.

    The Lime survey results also reveal other positive attitudes towards cycling among the young age group, leading to it being dubbed “Gen C”. 60% said that cycling and transport policies are important to them (compared to 39% of over-55s), and 44% saying that improved cycle lanes would encourage them to ride more. Only 23% were opposed to the conversion of car parking spaces into bike bays.

    The survey even explored dating, and found that 43% of 18-34 year-olds said that if a prospective partner were to arrive on a bike, they would perceive this as a “green flag”.

    Three-quarters of the under-35 respondents say cycling is now part of the capital’s identity, and 67% believe it makes the city more livable. Additional data from Transport for London (TfL) shows that car-free households among the under-35 age group is at record levels.

    Hal Stevenson, Director of Policy for Lime UK, said: “Cycling’s changing how Gen C gets around London and connects with the city. Car ownership among young people in London is declining, and this age group has busy lives, increasingly less time, and less disposable income. What they value is flexibility, and affordability, and they’re not afraid to shout about cycling barriers that need to change.

    “We’re proud to champion cycling and be on this journey with Gen C. But we want to work with boroughs across London to encourage all generations to cycle more and get to the places they need to be, reliably and sustainably. With every ride, we are helping reduce congestion, clean our air and push London closer to becoming a truly cycling city.”

    Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom, said: “Under 35s in the capital are likely to be renting in flatshares where they’re competing with their flatmates for space and will have nowhere to store their bikes. They also tend to be on tight budgets and they’re used to renting everything from their music, clothes and cars to their homes. So, it makes perfect sense they’d want to live near rental bikes to reduce travel costs, and save on space. They solve a lot of problems for the youngest renting generation.”

  5. Bike-sharing reaches record levels in Paris

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    Source: Les Echos

    The French capital’s status as the shared-cycling capital in Europe has been cemented with its rides increasing by 6 million, from 70 million in 2024 to 76 million in 2025.

    Paris has over 1,000 km of cycling paths which experiences great demand from both local Parisians and tourists. It is served by both the public Vélib’ network, as well as private operators Lime, Dott, and most recently, Voi.

    Its market has become more dynamic since Voi has taken up a share of 25% of dockless bike shares through rapid deployment and aggressive pricing in the three months since it arrived in 2025.

    Although public operator Vélib’ is still the market leader, which is used for millions of rides monthly, it is facing increased pressure due to recent price hikes, disruptions to its services, and fraud incidents that have led it to temporarily reduce its fleet to approximately 17,000 bikes. Read the full article here.

  6. Henk Doombas retires from AZ-Import

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    Source: Nieuwsfiets

    The departing account manager passed the torch to successor Serwin van Dijk at LEVA-EU member AZ-Import.

    Henk Doornbos said his goodbyes to the Trenergy team recently to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Doornbos has been with AZ Import for almost a decade and has been an active member of the industry for over 25 years.

    Starting out at the warehouse racks of AGU, Doombas has enojoyed a long and successful career in the cycling industry, including work with The Dutch Bicycle Corporation, Multicycle and BSP. Doornbos joined AZ-Import in February 2017 and represented the growing Trenergy brand until April 2025. Doornbos says. “I’ve always felt like a fish in water here, because it’s a very friendly company, with a nice Trenergy collection, with which you can easily ride around the country. You just walk in to dealers with nice bikes. That’s how I was able to build up a dealer network in those eight years, which is now being taken over by Serwin.“

    In the period that Doornbos started selling Trenergy, the brand was less prominent than it is today, but the Northern account manager never had any problems with that. “Because I had a lot of experience with dealers, as a result of my previous work, I had built up a reputation with many entrepreneurs. When I go somewhere, I always keep my appointments. That is much more important than being a smooth salesman,” says Doornbos. “Those entrepreneurs in the bicycle industry have a memory like an elephant, you don’t want to know that. If you have a good reputation, you can really sell something with a good bike and a good story.“

    Doornbos is planning to cycle more in his retirement. “My current bike, a Trenergy Jetset, is four years old and has about 17,000 kilometers on it. I live in the Groningen countryside, where you can find exceptionally beautiful nature. I enjoy it every day, if the weather is nice of course. That gives me a satisfied feeling. And if you can stay a little healthy, it’s all good.“

    In his last two weeks, Doornbos took his successor Serwin van Dijk into his Trenergy dealer network. Van Dijk joined the Trenergy team in March, previously owning a Fietserz Hardenberg for almost 9.5 years and dealing Multicycles. “I’ve seen quite a few sides of the industry, but what I really enjoy is being on the shop floor with dealers and working with products to build customer relationships,” says Van Dijk. “I know what our role is, from Trenergy, to ensure that a dealer can work well with this and that you also provide it at home, if necessary.”

    The transfer from Doornbos to Van Dijk was completed a few weeks ago. Van Dijk is looking forward to helping AZ-Import and the Trenengy brand grow.

    “Henk of course had a lot of baggage on the road. I certainly have a background in the bicycle industry, but not his baggage. I do feel that with the experience I have had as an entrepreneur myself, I can easily connect with the dealer. You just have to do what you say and say what you do. That is the basis. In addition, we have beautiful electric bicycles with a good price-quality ratio and various systems. There is a beautiful e-bike for everyone. Enough opportunity.“

  7. New data highlights ongoing safety challenges for cyclists in Germany

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    Source: Velo Biz

    The 2024 road accident statistics for Germany released by Destatis offer insights into current traffic safety trends, particularly concerning cyclists. One notable observation is the continued high number of bicycle accidents resulting in injuries, suggesting there may still be areas for improvement in cycling infrastructure.

    Cycling in Germany has grown considerably over the past decade, partly due to the increased use of e-bikes. As a result, both the number of cyclists and the total distance traveled by bicycle have increased. This has corresponded with a rise in the absolute number of accidents, including those resulting in fatalities. In 2024, 441 cyclists died in traffic accidents – a slight decline from 474 in 2022, yet still an 11.4% increase compared to 2014. As total road traffic fatalities have decreased over time, cyclists now account for a larger share of overall fatalities, reaching 16%.

    Contributing factors have been identified, including inadequate or poorly maintained cycling infrastructure, narrow paths, and intersections where cyclists must navigate alongside turning vehicles.

    In collisions between cyclists and motorists, which account for 70.7% of all bicycle-related accidents, official records indicate that motorists were primarily at fault in the majority of cases. Cyclists were found to be the main cause in only 24.7% of such accidents. In incidents involving trucks or commercial vehicles, cyclists were primarily responsible in 20.9% of cases.

    Older adults appear to be particularly vulnerable. Of those who died while cycling in 2024, 63.5% were aged 65 or older. Among non-motorized bicycle fatalities, 59.4% were seniors. This proportion increased to 68.8% among pedelec riders.

    Policy measures have been called for, including the expansion of physically separated cycling infrastructure, improved intersection design, reduced urban speed limits (with 30 km/h as the standard), and greater government commitment to road safety.

  8. Cycling rises by more than 50% in City of London

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    Source: BBC

    Cycling in the City of London – the UK capital city’s financial district, also known as the Square Mile – has risen by over 50% in the past two years, based on official traffic counts.

    In October 2024, an average of 139,000 people cycled daily across 30 monitored locations, compared to 89,000 in 2022. The City of London Corporation reported that this increase represents the most significant rise in cycling numbers since data collection began in 1999.

    According to the Corporation, cyclists now make up 56% of all traffic during peak commuting hours. Additionally, dockless bicycles now comprise approximately one in six bikes on City of London streets.

    This shift in transport patterns has led the City of London Corporation to meet three major traffic and environmental targets ahead of the original 2030 schedule. Since 2017, cycling has increased by 70% – surpassing the initial goal of a 50% increase by 2030. Over the same period, motor traffic has decreased by 34% (exceeding the 25% reduction target), and freight traffic has dropped by 21% (surpassing the 15% goal).

    The Corporation also noted improvements in air quality. Chairman of the planning and transportation committee, Shravan Joshi, stated that the number of locations exceeding nitrogen dioxide limits has declined from 15 in 2019 to two in the most recent data.

  9. Perceived quality of cycling infrastructure linked to traveling longer distances

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    Source: Fietsberaad

    A recent study utilizing data from the Mobility Panel Netherlands has established a connection between the perceived quality of cycling infrastructure and the distances people cycle.

    Researchers from Southeast University in China and University College London found that individuals who rate their local cycling infrastructure as higher in quality tend to cycle longer distances over time.

    Study findings

    These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers aiming to promote cycling as a primary mode of transportation.The research, published in the scientific journal Transportation Research Part D in January 2025, analyzed longitudinal data from over 1,200 participants between 2013 and 2016. It examined the causal relationship between individuals’ perceptions of cycling infrastructure, their preference for cycling, and the distances they traveled by bicycle.

    A key finding of the study is that a higher perceived quality of cycling infrastructure corresponds with increased cycling distances one year later. At an individual level, those who view their local cycling network more favorably tend to develop a stronger preference for cycling, leading to greater travel distances by bike. While cycling preferences and distances remain relatively stable over time, perceptions of infrastructure quality appear to be more susceptible to change.

    Policy implications

    These insights provide a basis for urban planners and policymakers to improve cycling infrastructure and enhance public awareness of its benefits. However, researchers caution that the impact of such improvements may take several years to become evident.

    The study also highlights disparities in perception across demographic groups. Women and individuals with lower incomes generally rate cycling infrastructure quality lower than other groups. For infrastructure improvements to encourage these populations to cycle more frequently, changes must be visibly substantial and meaningful.

    Moreover, while past research has identified a correlation between cycling behavior and an individual’s preference for cycling, it has not established a direct causal link between changes in preference and increased cycling activity. This suggests that efforts to influence cycling behavior should focus on tangible infrastructure improvements rather than solely promoting cycling as a desirable activity.

    Background and methodology

    The Mobility Panel Netherlands provided the data for this study. This panel tracks mobility trends through annual three-day travel diaries completed by 6,000 randomly selected Dutch residents aged 12 and older. By leveraging this extensive dataset, researchers gained deeper insights into cycling behavior and the factors that influence individuals’ willingness to cycle more frequently.

    The study’s findings contribute to a broader understanding of how infrastructure influences mobility choices. By focusing on improving cycling networks and ensuring accessibility for all users, policymakers can create more sustainable urban environments that encourage cycling as a viable and attractive transportation option.

    The full study can be accessed here.