The ECF brings attention to the concrete benefits of cycling at the PEP Relay race workshop held in Rimini, Italy. On Friday, November 9^th, 2018, the Secretary General of the ECF, Dr. Bernhard Ensink, attended the PEP Relay Race workshop, where he addressed the attendees of the event on the importance of the EU Cycling Strategy as a proposal for a holistic approach to cycling policies at EU level. He furthermore highlighted the economic benefits of cycling, indicating that the financial gains of investment in cycling reached an estimated €513.19 billion in 2015 alone. 

Dr. Ensink went on to speak on the financial incentives for e-cycling, recommendations on the improvement of bike sharing services, and the potential for investment in cycling logistics that could “transform our cities and improve livability”.

Addressing especially the representatives of UNECE, OECD, THE PEP and the Italian students that also participated, Dr. Ensink closed his presentation with a strong plea for international collaboration, stating: “Cycling delivers on the Global Goals - in Rimini, in Italy, in Europe, worldwide! International collaboration and exchange of knowledge works and inspires!"

Roberta Frisoni, Councilor for Urban Planning and Mobility of the Municipality of Rimini, released the following statement via LinkedIn on the ECF’s participation in the PEP workshop: “A special mention to ECF, represented by its secretary Bernhard Ensink, for joining us in the event held within the Ecomondo well known fair on green solutions. Rimini is climbing as a cycling city and we are proud of being part of the PEP Relay Race... looking forward to pass the relay to another city engaged in boosting active mobility.”

THE PEP (Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme) Relay race workshops is a series of national workshops on sustainable transport policies hosted by different cities in the UNECE (United Nation Economic Committee for Europe) region. Hosted by the PEP in conjunction with the international Ecomondo conference, the workshop held in Rimini focused on the subject of “Active mobility – Making the change towards a green and healthy urban transport environment”. The objective of the workshop was to discuss best practices in active mobility and to display innovations in this sector that improve the overall health of citizens in urban environments. The event also focused on ways that stakeholders can help cities and countries achieve the benchmarks set out by the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ECF has further discussed the impact of cycling mobility on the achievement of the 2030 SDGs in our report: Cycling Delivers on the Global Goals – Shifting toward a better economy, society and planet for all.