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Report: The state of national cycling strategies in Europe (2021)

Created

2022-01-25 10:00

ECF has released a new report, "The state of national cycling strategies in Europe (2021)," which provides an overview of national cycling strategies in 47 European countries as of December 2021.

Read the report here.

Executive summary

This report provides a comprehensive overview, for the first time ever, of the status of national cycling strategies in 47 European countries, at a time of growing political interest across the world in cycling as a sustainable and healthy mode of transport.

A national cycling strategy is a crucial policy tool for countries to develop and grow cycling’s modal share at the national level, with all the positive impacts that this generates, such as cleaner air, healthier and happier citizens, more liveable cities and towns, better rural connectivity and more vibrant local economies. National cycling strategies are also instrumental if the world is to cut transport emissions quickly and effectively and avoid the worst of the climate crisis.

With the adoption of the Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion in May 2021, under the umbrella of WHO/Europe and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, 54 countries in the pan-European region are now politically bound to develop and implement a national cycling strategy by 2030. But with data from 47 European countries, ECF’s analysis shows that most countries have a long way to go if they are to reach this objective.

Developing a national cycling strategy is not a new policy instrument. The Netherlands “invented” it in 1990, followed by Germany in 2002 and the Czech Republic in 2004. Yet half of the European countries have never implemented a cycling strategy or similar policy document (24).

Of 47 countries, 23 have at some point adopted a national cycling strategy. Cycling strategies are currently in force in only 13 of these countries, while they have expired and therefore need updating in ten, including in the cycling nation of Denmark. Of the remaining 24 countries analysed in the report, only five are currently in the process of developing such a strategy for the first time.

To reach the master plan’s 2030 goal, cut transport emissions and reap the many societal benefits of cycling, many countries must urgently begin the process of developing or renewing their national cycling strategy. Most of the countries that have never had such a strategy – and are not currently in the process of developing one – are located in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

While national cycling strategies can be instrumental for the development of cycling in a country, the scope and duration of such strategies differ widely. Some of the most popular measures pursued by countries include the promotion of intermodality (18), legal changes to highway codes (15) and the development of a national cycle route network (13). The duration of most strategies corresponds to the term of the government that adopted it (8), while others are seven-year (3), ten-year (6) or even 25-year strategies (Northern Ireland).

The findings in this report will provide a benchmark against which ECF intends to publish annual update reports to track progress on the development, implementation and effectiveness of national cycling strategies in Europe towards 2030.