ECF

The PRO-BYKE project enables participating municipalities in the regions of Tyrol (Austria), South Tyrol, Veneto and Friuli (Italy) to develop a local action plan for cycling promotion in a 9-month participatory process. PRO-BYKE aims to initiate a long-term process of promoting cycling by implementing bicycle-friendly measures in order to convince even more citizens in Italy and Austria of the advantages of the bicycle as an everyday means of transport. As a result of the standardised and harmonised promotion of cycling, cooperation between Italy and Austria will be intensified and common procedures, measures and quality standards will be defined.

The local action plans are divided into the fields of organisation, infrastructure and communication. They also include minimum measures in order to create structures for a long-term process in the municipalities. The minimum measures include, for example, the appointment of a contact person for municipal cycling, the provision of information on cycling on the municipality's website or participation in European Mobility Week.

While the project is running until July 2020, the results are impressive already now. As of May 2019, amongst others:

• 8 cycling consultations have already been completed, while 30 more are currently underway;
• 230 bike-friendly measures have been adopted;
• 5 bicycle counting stations have been installed.

Around 75% of the project are funded by the European Union through the INTERREG programme V-A Italy-Austria. The project partners are the municipality of Vicenza (lead partner), the district community Burggrafenamt/Burgraviato (South Tyrol), the Climate Alliance Tyrol and the UTI (Unione Territoriale Intercomunale delle Valli e delle Dolomiti Friulane). Associated partners are the province of Vicenza, the province of Treviso, the Austrian state of Tyrol and STA Südtiroler Transportstrukturen AG/Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige SPA.