ECF gives a first-ever overview on cycling statistics for the 28 EU countries and their capitals. Starting with data on modal share, bike share and cycling tourism, the map will soon be open for public input and will call upon decision-makers to improve data collection for cycling at all levels of governance.

See the map here: www.ecf.com/cycling-data​

"There is one issue that annoys cycling researchers, advocates and decision-makers alike: the lack of adequate cycling data. For other transport modes, like car transport or public transport, such databases exist; for cycling, data collection is today mostly done at the local level, with little or no harmonisation of collection methods", said Holger Haubold, ECF Fiscal Policy Officer. "A reliable database of cycling data is indispensable for the development of cycling". 

Better data means better investments 

With the launch of the map, ECF wants to show that a lot still needs to be done on the field of data collection for cycling. International and especially European institutions need to harmonise their data collection systems and facilitate a better exchange of good practices.

This is why we call for a EU Cycling Strategy. With the recent publication of a support study on data collection and analysis of active modes use and infrastructure in Europe, the European Commission has made a good first step; now it is up to the EU institutions, the Member States, and regional and local authorities to follow up on the recommendations and intensify their efforts in order to collect better data on cycling. 

More about the map 

The map presents available data on cycling in the following areas:

• Cycling modal share
• Road safety
• Bike market
• Cycle tourism
• Public bike systems/Bike-share
• Cycling advocacy
• Cycling counting

The data is presented at the national, regional, and local level; for the launch, data is provided for the 28 Member States of the EU and their capitals. The map also indicates whether there is enough data available for a certain entity or not, highlighting the current gaps in cycling data collection. It is also possible for stakeholders to send in missing data, provided there is a source mentioned.