A question that might come to mind: What has Europe to do with cycling? More than you might think. By 2050, the European Commission wishes to phase out the use of conventionally fueled cars.  ECF sees the niche for replacing cars by bicycles in the process of achieving this target - and that is only one of the many European policies that cycling can be a part of!

A strong European voice on urban mobility, among others, is the simplest reason why elections for the next European Parliament matter for the cycling community.  Therefore, ECF together with its members, will be asking all candidate Members of European Parliament (MEP) to answer ten basic but important questions on cycling policies and their interrelation with other policy fields of the EU. This questionnaire has the form of an interactive online survey translated in -most of- the languages of national candidates.

What does the ECF ask from MEP candidates? As cycling relates to many different policy fields, so does our survey. Our proposals range from claiming more European resources for cycle infrastructure and tourism development to regulating safer/cleaner motorized vehicles, higher air quality standards and fiscal measures to a full integration of cycling into the transport system and into health appraisal. A cohesive system of data collection and statistics on cycle use should be put in place in order to monitor development and help evaluate the effectiveness of different measures taken. Following the lead of many Member States, the European Commission should develop and adopt a European Master Plan for the Promotion of Cycling to bring these various policy fields together into one coherent strategy.

The ECF survey will close May 4th. ECF will publish the individual results before the elections in the week of May 5 – 9, giving all MEP candidates ample visibility towards their electorate.  About 250 million people already do cycle – supporting ECF’s position would add a great deal in increasing this already impressive figure even further.

The survey is to be answered only by MEP candidates. If you are a MEP candidate and want to answer the survey, please contact us +32 2 880 92 74 or c.mispelon@ecf.com.

About the Author

Fabian Küster is a Senior Policy Officer at the European Cyclists’ Federation. He has previously worked in Brussels for a German Member of European Parliament and the German Embassy. He has wealth of experience in and around the EU institutions, and is an expert in the EU policy field of bicycles