Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced today ten global cities that will receive support to build innovative cycling infrastructure and sustainable mobility options. The announcement came in recognition of World Bike Day this Saturday (June 3).
These are the first-ever winners of the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI), which aims to help cities design streets that increase biking rates and revitalise neighbourhoods.
Led in partnership with the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), each city will receive technical assistance on project development, cycling facility design, data collection and resident engagement.
The winners are Fortaleza (Brazil), with a $1 million prize; Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Bogota (Colombia), Lisbon, (Portugal), Milan (Italy); Mombasa (Kenya), Pimpri-Chinchwad (India), Quelimane (Mozambique), Tirana (Albania) and Wellington, (New Zealand), each of which will receive $400,000 in funding.
These 10 countries on five continents collectively represent more than 15 million residents.
Cycling for empowerment
Joining the World Bike effort, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) has released a report with case studies demonstrating how cycling has improved accessibility and engagement of vulnerable groups in cities.
Titled ‘Cycling for healthier and more inclusive communities’, the document sheds light on how different cities across the world have used cycling to empower rural communities, seniors and children with active means of transport.
World Bike Day – In Brief
Many associations and operations have also put forward their own initiative to promote more sustainable means of transport this World Bike Day.
Micromobility operators have launched new campaigns and discounted rides to foster the use of shared cycles.
Dutch-French firm Dott has unveiled striking images to demonstrate the impact of the space occupied by cars in European cities.
The visuals aim to encourage people to think about how cities could be transformed if more individuals chose alternative transport.
“As people take to two wheels this World Bike Day, it’s a great opportunity to think about how our cities could be transformed if more people choose cycling on a regular basis,” Dott’s CEO Henri Moissinac told Zag Daily.
“Shared services, supported by infrastructure and policies which support cyclists, can help convince people to reduce their car use. And if we can remove more cars from our roads, then a huge amount of public space becomes available for uses that enhance our cities.”
Dott has reported a 77% growth in e-bike use across all its markets in this first quarter of 2023 based on both rides and riders. The highest growth was observed in Paris (187%) and London (153%).
Benoit Yameundjeu, CEO of French self-service bike company Fifteen, told Zag: “The ambition to decarbonise the transport sector is growing.”
Fifteen has partnered with the city of Marseille to incorporate an all-electric bike-sharing system into its public transport network. Yameundjeu said this resulted in a tripling of bike-sharing trips in just three months.
“A multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach will drive a healthier, happier future,” said the CEO.
Discounted rides
Operators will also offer discounts for rides this Saturday to encourage the use of shared e-bikes. Dott is offering 50% off two e-bike rides to all users, while nextbike by Tier is giving 30 free minutes through the voucher code BIKEDAY23 on the nextbike by Tier app.
