Highly responsive to the Leadership Programme, the Slovenian Cyclists' Network improved its influence at the national level. The SCN was selected to represent all NGOs in the interministerial working group for cycle friendly laws and it has been collaborating regularly with governmental agencies.

The Network grew impressively, last year, both in terms of members and capacity. The Network welcomed five new member organisations, which now takes its membership to 8 members, representing over 480 activists – an increase of 171% from 2014!

In order to increase the capacity of the network, they stepped up their organisational development activities by organising workshops for members, including one on e-bike mobility and another on the development of local cycling organisations. In conjunction with this, they developed educational programmes for different audiences. These included e-handbooks on urban cycling as a system, and proposals for improvements for cycling in Slovene cities – two very important resources for helping spread cycling at a systemic level in Slovenia. They also ran education programmes for regional and local coordinators, as well as for volunteers.

In order to strengthen the organisation, they developed four expert working groups related to cycling: an Advocacy Working Group, a Cycling Tourism Working Group, a Cyclists Traffic Safety Working Group, and a Cycling Infrastructure Working Group. The establishment of these groups will allow SNC to become an important resource within Slovenia, for anyone looking for cycling related information!                

The next steps

This expert knowledge was put on display in the creation of position papers, as well as in consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure: currently the Network is cooperating in the process of updating the Masterplan for Cycling Infrastructure and the National Cycling Strategy. These are both key documents for the development of cycling policies in the country, and will be prepared throughout 2016. Further to this, SCN will be monitoring and active in the development of the National Transport Strategy, and hope to give a cycling a strong voice, and a real presence within the document.

SCN has really proved to be an invaluable voice to Slovenian national authorities, and as proof of this was selected to be the representative NGO in the Interministerial Working Group for Cycling Friendly Legislation, as well as a member of SCN representing Slovenia at the PEP talks.