2018 has so far proved to be a busy year for the Cities & Regions for Cyclists (CRC) network, with our members across Europe holding events, receiving awards, planning strategies and of course cycling! Here is a half-year highlights run down of the last six months.

The year started off with welcoming six new members. The Network now consists of over 30 municipalities who are committed to putting cycling at the center of urban planning and political thinking. Introducing: Valencia (ES), Poznan (PL), Gipuzkoa (San Sebastian, ES), Lemoa (ES), the Province of South Holland (NL) and Ljubljana (SL). 

In March, two CRC members were selected as finalists for the European Mobility Week Award, which recognizes the achievements of cities that are creating a more sustainable Europe. Congratulations to Granada and Prague, and the winner Vienna, for their outstanding commitment to sustainable mobility and success in helping residents move in a cleaner and healthier way.

In the same month, the accomplishments of CRC members was also acknowledged by the Index for the Quality of Living, the well-known study by Mercer that ranks global cities on their living standards. Good mobility conditions is absolutely key to a high standard of living, and therefore it is no surprise to see several of our bicycle friendly member cities securing top places in the ranking. Munich, who has invested in an extensive network of cycle highways came fourth. Copenhagen who boasts 62% of its commuters cycling to work took ninth place. Vienna who has been investing in a modern and integrated bike sharing system – along with a full set of innovative measures and campaigns promoting sustainable mobility – was ranked in first place.

As April came to an end, so did the FLOW H2020 project. This collaborative initiative composed of city officials, companies and universities successfully demonstrated how walking and cycling reduce congestion in urban areas. The project’s wrap up report and recommendations is an extremely useful tool for city planners to promote sustainable active mobility, as it contains urban measures that have been successfully implemented to encourage walking and cycling.

In May, the #VisionaryCities Series added to its collection of best practices for improving cycling in Europe, with a success story from the Serbian city of Kruševac, shared by the city’s Adviser for Sustainable Urban Mobility, Jelena Nikolić. The city’s innovative Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan includes successful initiatives that reclaim public spaces from cars. These include pedestrianizing the city center and removing on-street parking.

Many CRC members headed to Rio de Janeiro in June for Velo-city 2018, the premier global cycling conference. A multitude of speakers across four days addressed pertinent topics for cities and regions that are committed to promoting bicycle use. These ranged from how cycling can resolve urban problems, how cities can get more people cycling, and hot topics intermodality and cyclogistics. CRC member Ninna Hedeager Olsen, the Technical and Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, was one such speaker, and stated during the Technology plenary: "Bicycle culture creates liveable cities. This has been a main focus for Copenhagen, but the idea of access to life is an area where we need to learn from the rest of the world".

Before the conference kicked off, Cities & Regions for Cyclists members from around the world convened at Rio’s bike sharing operation center for the usual networking day and a nice ride to experience the vibe of the city. The group cycled along the waterfront to the ferry station, learning along the way how this megacity’s local authority manages its daily challenges, which includes ferrying 2000 cyclists across the bay for jobs and education every day.  

In August, another episode of the #VisionaryCities Series was published, telling how the City of Copenhagen is deploying cutting-edge technologies specifically designed for cyclists. But also shedding a light on the City's approach to cycling and the importance of proper evaluation for any new initiative, measure or campaign implemented.