The bicycle wave has also reached the corridors of the EU institutions. A large group of cross-party MEPs led Olivér Kozàk, President of the EU Cycling Group called on European Parliament President David Sassoli and Secretary-General Klaus Welle to prioritise walking and cycling in the European Quarter mobility schemes. Commuting to work by bicycle is not only a major tool in helping the EU reach it’s climate goals, but is now also the optimum way to achieve it during the COVID19 crisis.

Thousands of staff working for the EU institutions commute daily through the streets of Brussels to reach their workplace. During peak hours, the European Quarter is a collection of car jams, crowded subway wagons and stuck buses. The new reality of living with covid19 turns this mobility scheme into a serious public health hazard. MEPs therefore urge the European Parliament to redesign the current transport system and once again cycling emerges as the best solution.

51 MEPs co-signed a letter addressed to the Parliament President David Sassoli and Secretary-General Klaus Welle stressing that walking and cycling need to be prioritised as safer modes of transport to move between the buildings of the institutions. “In this crisis, the European institutions should lead by example in the field of sustainable and safe active mobility” says the letter. In line with the European Green Deal and the Commission’s recent statements on the need to promote active mobility within the EU, ECF believes that this is indeed a great opportunity for the European Parliament to lead by example.

Boosting the bicycle in the heart of the European decision-making area seems to be a great way to prove first-hand from the EU authorities how many benefits cycling has in terms of disease prevention, air pollution reduction, individual wellbeing, etc. In fact, all the arguments of the letter, transmitted to the President and Secretary-General by Greens MEP Ciarán Cuffe, are gathered in our 'Economic Benefits Report'.

EuroVelo 5, the cycling artery of the European quarter

One of the most relevant points of this petition for the ECF concerns the request to expand and make permanent the temporary bicycle lanes on Rue Belliard and Rue de la Loi, two famous and congested arteries in the heart of the European quarter. Moreover, EuroVelo 5 - Via Romea (Francigena), one of the 17 long-distance cycle routes forming the EuroVelo network, goes along Rue de la Loi and has not been signed in Brussels yet. Given that a 3,200-km long cycle route going all the way from England to Rome and symbolising the pilgrimage history of Europe is passing so close to the European institutions, the ECF also asks MEPs to support the signing of this part of the European cycle route network with EuroVelo route information panels.

In collaboration with local institutions, the letter also suggests the possibility of banning personal car traffic on the iconic Place du Luxembourg and identifies the main axes that require safe and continuous bike lanes. MEPs also push for financing an architectural study for the cyclo-pedestrian passage connecting the Esplanade with Place Schuman.

In order to motivate staff to commute by bike, the MEPs also request the installation of good quality bicycle parking infrastructure (catering for electric, foldable and cargo bicycles), the implementation of a fair system of incentives and the creation of bicycle repair services in each of the three European seats (Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg). In sum, they call for an intensification of the efforts to qualify as a certified bicycle-friendly employer in all three seats.

ECF strongly encourages the European Parliament to listen to these demands from the Sustainable and Safe Active Mobility Intergroup of the EP. It is time to put the European institutions ahead of the transition to greener and healthier bike-friendly cities!