Brought to you by our sponsors Arup, Eco-Counter, Geveko Markings and JobRad, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) is proud to introduce this year’s inaugural ECF Awards! Taking place at Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana, the awards will honour a selection of top achievers in European cycling, rewarding four contenders from across the continent based on best practices and impressive commitments to ensuring more cycling.

Over the last number of years we have witnessed a notable boom in cycling throughout Europe. From pop-up cycle lanes to innovative traffic-calming measures, new bicycle-friendly changes in European societies have helped to improve mobility patterns by encouraging more people to choose cycling as a regular mode of transport and leisure.

As the world’s largest and best-known cyclists’ advocacy agency, ECF and our sponsors wish to celebrate the most significant success stories that have featured across four distinct categories of bicycling excellence. These are:

• Cycle-Friendly Employer Award, sponsored by JobRad
• Cycling Improvement Award, sponsored by Eco-Counter
• Cycling Infrastructure Award, sponsored by Arup
• Road Safety Award, sponsored by Geveko Markings.

By amplifying key success stories in each of these classes, the ECF Awards aims to inspire future progress within the world of cycling, showcasing the pivotal role the bicycle must play in achieving climate targets, such as those set out in the European Green Deal, as well as improving road safety, public health and making our towns and cities more liveable and easier to commute through by bike.

Each of the categories will have one winner selected by ECF’s jury of cycling experts. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at each of our awards categories!

Cycle-Friendly Employer Award – sponsored by JobRad

The Cycle-Friendly Employer (CFE) Certification Framework establishes a standard for bicycle-friendliness in the European workplace. Since its launch in 2018, the CFE Consortium has expanded its representation across Europe and is currently being implemented in fourteen countries across Europe, with well over 300 employers already certified as Cycle-Friendly.

This year’s Cycle-Friendly Employer Award is proudly sponsored by JobRad, one of Europe’s leading organisations for getting more people on bikes by enabling employees in Germany to have a company bicycle. The award will celebrate Europe’s top Cycle-Friendly Employer based on their commitment to encourage workers to choose cycling as their go-to mode of transport for commuting.

Judged criteria range from cycling infrastructure implemented at the workplace, such as bicycle parking and changing rooms, to promotional initiatives that create a cycling culture and encourage employees to get on their bikes.

Cycling Improvement Award – sponsored by Eco-Counter

It is fair to say that cycling culture already exists in certain parts of Europe. However, these cycling strongholds were not-so-easily established. Even in well-renowned cycling countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, it took a lot of effort, support and political will from decisionmakers-past to go against the grain by rejecting car-centric urban planning and establishing cycling cultures that we now take as a given.

Today, European towns, cities and rural areas that are not already-associated with cycling culture face similar challenges in promoting cycling over widespread car-usage. In recognition of these challenges, the Cycling Improvement Award aims to showcase the best example of how a cycling culture can be manifested in an area that was not previously considered as bicycle friendly.

This year’s Cycling Improvement Award is sponsored by Eco-Counter, experts in establishing where cycling levels are growing the fastest. Eco-Counter is a human-sized company that specialises in pedestrian and bicycle counting solutions, offering a complete range of products from sensors to data analysis software. Based on data collected by Eco-Counter products, our jury panel is able to recognise and select the top place in Europe for successfully achieving improved cycling statistics!

Cycling Infrastructure Award – sponsored by Arup

At ECF, our mantra is simple when it comes to cycling infrastructure – if you build it, they will come. For example, by our calculations, nearly 1,500 km of cycling infrastructure was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure which corresponded with a massive increase in cycling levels across Europe.

Building infrastructure that caters for more cycling induces a number of significant benefits, ranging from economic boosts, to fewer road deaths, to improved health. To celebrate this, the Cycling Infrastructure Award will honour the best example of cycling infrastructure that has been implemented in Europe in recent years.

This year’s Cycling Infrastructure Award is sponsored by Arup, experts in planning consultancy. For over 75 years, Arup has been recognised for its vision, talent and tenacity when it comes to dedicated sustainable development. Arup’s values and purpose is to develop a truly sustainable built environment. A true advocate of decarbonisation, Arup recognises that improving cycling infrastructure is one of the best methods for reducing harmful emissions within the transport sector.

Road Safety Award – sponsored by Geveko Markings

As part of our Vision 2030, ECF is working hard to reduce the rate of cyclists killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 50% by 2030. Road measures that favour cycling, such as 30 km/h speed restrictions and low-traffic neighbourhoods, have proven to dramatically decrease the number of road deaths.

Recently, the European Parliament signed off on a report that recommends more cycling in order to improve road safety by 2030, a significant milestone in attempting to reduce road deaths across the EU. The Road Safety Award celebrates the most effective measures that have been recently implemented to promote cycling as a key component of improving road safety in Europe.

This year's Road Safety Award is proudly sponsored by Geveko Markings, the top provider for world class road marking solutions. Geveko Markings heightens road safety with clearly marked areas for cyclists and other micromobility users, which in turn makes it easier for all vehicle users to reach their destination safely. Such markings are critical for ensuring that pro-cycling measures can be implemented effectively, helping to reduce road deaths across the continent.

Buy your tickets now!

The ECF Awards are set to take place on Thursday 16 June during the Velo-city networking dinner party at Ljubljana Castle. Interested in attending? It’s not too late to purchase your tickets, available here!