Cycling, TEN-T and European Policies under the spotlight this summer
ECF has been spending recent weeks pushing for cycling to play a greater role in Europe. The bicycle’s link to European transport policy and the flagship TEN-T network has been up on the agenda, with ECF joining EU events and missions to engage with policy makers.
Amidst record breaking heatwaves, and mounting pressure to address transportation issues. We have been working hard to convince EU decision-makers of the need to integrate EuroVelo into the TEN-T network - and in past weeks joined two key events; the Connecting Europe Days in Lyon and a mission of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee to northern France.
Connecting Europe Days
At this edition of Connecting Europe Days, held in Lyon, France between 28 and 30 June, ECF was present with a booth. Speaking to the assembled leaders from the worlds of transportation and European politics, ECF staff were busy making the case for cycling, while outlining the importance of integrating EuroVelo into the EU’s TEN-T network of transport infrastructure.
Speaking about cycling and the TEN-T network during the Connecting Europe Days
Decarbonisation and the fallout from the war in Ukraine framed much of the discussions during the Days, with the need to green the entire European transportation system the theme clearly the overarching theme. For the policy makers looking for easy, sustainable answers to our shared mobility challenges, ECF was there, making the case for the bicycle.
During the same TEN-T days, a teaser that tomorrow a major announcement concerning work on a pan-European cycling plan was issued by chair of the Parliament’s Transport Committee, Karima Delli. With a roadmap, followed by a European Parliament resolution expected in September, this presents an opportunity to elevate cycling as a mode of transport in its own right within European policies.
Delli emphasised the need for greater support for EuroVelo during the event. Not only stressing the importance of financing upgrades to address bottlenecks in the network, she made the case for increasing support to market the EuroVelo network, as well as properly interconnecting with the TEN-T network.
Thanks to Vélo & Territoires (French National EuroVelo Coordination Centre), ECF co-organised a technical site visit in Lyon – a cycle tour of the city’s infrastructure with the participation of Fabien Bagnon, Vice-président of Métropole de Lyon. During the tour, cycling tunnels were visited, including the Passage France Péjot - a good example of tunnel reducing the barrier effect of big TEN-T interchange in the city centre. We also rode over the Carrefour de la Mulatière bridge – crossing the A7 motorway, a TEN-T road, and part of EuroVelo 17. Here investments are needed in this section of the TEN-T to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. The start of works on the Les Voies Lyonnaise – a system of metropolitan cycle highways connecting suburbs with the city centre – a good example of a project to address congestion on the TEN-T network and around urban nodes. Special thanks to the support of Camille Tomé, member of ECF’s board and EuroVelo Council and Director of Vélo & Territoires, and the help of FUB and the “Maison du vélo” of Lyon.
Cycling under the spotlight in Dunkirk
Mid-July saw another moment when cycling and the TEN-T network was put under the spotlight, with the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism undertaking a mission to visit northern France, centred on the port cities of Dunkirk and Calais, alongside Lille. While the agenda covered maritime, rail and road transport; from the international, regional and local perspective, ECF brought a cycling centric point of view to the meeting.
Presenting to Members of the European Parliament and officials from the Dunkerque Urban Community, ECF laid out the importance of the EuroVelo network and its integration within the TEN-T network. EuroVelo 4 - Central Europe Route, and EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route, wind their way through this important French port city. The multi-purpose use of these 17 long distance routes crisscrossing the continent, was made clear in the meeting, not only do travellers using the EuroVelo network visit the city, the network creates a backbone for local and regional cycling networks, enabling commuting and urban trips. With the presentation of the EuroVelo network taking place barely 150m from the city’s train station, in front of a handsome bicycle storage building – the importance of integrating cycling as part of multi-modality was clear.
The Euro-Velo route connecting Belgium and France
At ECF we chose to take a practical approach of showing how EuroVelo can get you to your important meetings by bike or train + bike; travelling first from Brussels to the Belgian coastal city of De Panne by train, then cycling on the EuroVelo route to the meeting.
The fact the event took place during an extreme weather event, with temperatures in Northern France and Belgium reaching nearly 40C° underscored the need for achieving a transition to sustainable transportation to reach climate goals. Cycling should be fully integrated inside Europe’s transport policies, including the flagship TEN-T infrastructure network. From sustainable tourism to job creation, meeting local transport needs and tackling health goals, cycling can play a role.
The support and groundswell we have seen in recent weeks is positive – and we move towards September ready to engage with elected officials and decision makers to ensure the TEN-T guidelines are improved for cycling.
And moving towards autumn, there are positive signs. The European Parliament's IMCO Committee in a recent opinion called for better integration of cycling and walking in the revision of the TEN-T regulation taking some of ECF proposed amendments on board. As many as 14 of the proposed amendments aim to ensure better infrastructure for active mobility. The amendments cover addressing the barrier effect of TEN-T, calling for safe crossings, and exploiting synergies to integrate cycling infrastructure alongside rail lines, inland waterways, or within bridges and tunnels.
For more on our Revision of the TEN-T guidelines campaign, please visit our dedicated page.
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