We continue our mini-interview series with the Velo-city 2019 Keynote Speakers! #VC19Keynote #MeetTheSpeakers #CyclingForTheAges

Bronwen Thornton is an advocate and expert on walking and walkable communities. She brings a voice for walking to the international stage, working with global agencies, (e.g. WHO, ITF, UN Environment, and World Bank) and within local communities, cities and professional arenas. 

She leads on the annual International Walk21 Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities and its growing legacy events and initiatives, such as the International Charter for Walking. She is a board member of the SLoCaT Foundation, International Federation of Pedestrians (IFP) and Program Director with the Outdoor Trust. She has more than 20 years experience in strategic transport planning, community and political engagement and creative policy and project delivery with a focus on sustainable and equitable transport. And even after spending all day talking about walking, Bronwen enjoys nothing more than a long walk with her family and dog.

• What does cycling for the ages mean to you?

I spent a year in Sweden when I was eleven years old (I grew up in Australia) in a university town that had great bike lanes on and off road and you could ride everywhere. So I have never really  understood why cities and towns think it's so hard to provide for cycling or why folks are so blind to the joy of going by bike.  I have always ridden a bike and always want to - living in London I couldn’t wait until my young son was old enough to carry in a seat on the handlebars, from where he used to wave at people like the Queen. This was followed by the joy of teaching him to ride and the road-skills needed to be safe and independent on his own bike.   As the years go by, I continue to get around town on my bicycle - it's the fastest, easiest to park and best dodge of peak hour traffic I could choose. My plan is to keep riding and to keep enjoying it but as I get older, and traffic gets heavier, I wonder if I will still be as bold as I need to be to ride in such poor conditions for cyclists. 

How will the city of the future look like taking into consideration the gaps in the developing and developed world?

Nobody knows but what I do know is that people will always walk. No matter what comes with drones, AVs, EVs, shared mobility, new mobility, old mobility new again, whatever the technology or the jargon that comes with it - people walk and people will continue to walk. And we have a choice - be seduced by the technology and lose our humanity or remember to build in spaces for people on foot and on bicycle and stay connected with each other and the world around us. And in those countries where people currently don’t have a choice but to walk, let's make it nicer, safer and more comfortable for them to continue to walk. Let's value walking and keep it as the viable, valuable, vibrant mode it is.

What do you expect from Velo-city 2019 Dublin?

I haven’t been to Velo-city since it was in Paris in 2003, so I am expecting great things!  When I left my work for bicycles to work for walking, I let go of staying in touch with the daily developments, so I am looking forward to an update! And to reconnecting with this community and sharing ideas and approaches for advancing our shared agendas as well as exploring our differences and how these can also work in harmony to create more people-centric, safe, happy communities for people - on foot and on bicycles.

Ms. Bronwen Thornton is a speaker in the first plenary session of Velo-city 2019 Dublin, entitled “The City of the Future” to take place on Tuesday June 25th 2019 at 09.15-10.15. 
More info on the Velo-city 2019 Programme, Speakers and Sessions at: https://www.velo-city2019.com
Early Bird Deadline 1st April 2019 – don’t miss it! https://www.velo-city2019.com/registration