Taking place at the impressive New Town Hall of Leipzig, this year’s edition of our Cities & Regions for Cyclists (CRC) Network Day was co-organised by ECF together with the City of Leipzig – CRC member and host of Velo-city 2023 - and was kindly sponsored by Arup.   

ECF President Henk Swarttouw opened the day by welcoming all participating members and thanking the City of Leipzig for their gracious hospitality, as well as Arup for their continued support to ECF and its activities. Dr Heiderose Heßke, Deputy Head of Office for International at the City of Leipzig also gave a warm welcome, explaining that Leipzig is one of the fastest growing cities in Germany, and cycling does and will play a role in its ongoing transformation in the coming years.

Arup was represented by Maral Mitilyan, Director at Arup & Cities and Transport Business Leader from the Istanbul office, and Tiago Oliveira, Associate Director & Transport Planning Leader from Arup’s Dublin office. They presented on the challenges cities are experiencing especially on climate change, and how active travel can help cities and regions reach their emission targets. Arup is a global collective of designers, advisors and experts dedicated to sustainable development. Arup’s active travel teams collaborate with clients and partners to develop walking and cycling solutions, which deliver lasting benefits to cities and communities.

ECF CEO Jill Warren also gave an update to the CRC members on ECF’s recent advocacy highlights, in particular regarding the progress towards an EU Cycling Strategy, stemming from the three recent major EU initiatives on cycling, namely

1. European Bicycle Declaration led by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister & Minster for Mobility, Georges Gilkinet – proposed in June 2022 and signed so far by 15 EU Members States,
2. European Parliament resolution on ‘developing an EU cycling strategy’ - began in June 2022 and led by MEP Karima Delli of France (Greens/EFA political group), and adopted in February 2023, and
3. An EU Cycling Declaration – first announced in June 2022, and most recently in March 2023, by European Commission Executive Vice President, Frans Timmermans, to come in summer 2023.

Finally, network members presented their own recent cycling developments in an exchange session to close off the morning agenda. Bart Christiaens, Bicycle Coordinator at City of Rotterdam presented on how the city is progressing towards a city where cycling and walking is only logical, through pilot bike parking projects, new infrastructure, and alliances. Emma Kangas, Project Manager at City of Helsingborg introduced the city’s vision to become the best city for children to cycle in, as well as on campaigns and incentives to engage the public to cycle to work. Katerina Nikolopoulou, Members Manager CIVINET Greece-Cyprus presented on the successes of the first five years of the network’s operation, and in particular on the Sustainable Island Mobility Plans (SIMPs) for which they have developed a practitioner’s briefing. Raffaele Sforza, Cycling Mobility Project Manager at Puglia Region gave an update on the ongoing MIMOSA Project that the region is partner in, including the most recent updates to cycling-friendly measures at Bari Airport. Finally, Henrik Lundorff, Special advisor Mobility Division at City of Copenhagen presented on the recently adopted new target for 20% more cycling by 2030.

The CRC Network Day concluded with a technical tour by the City of Leipzig, which showcased new and well-established cycling infrastructure, as well as some of Leipzig's most popular inner-city recreation areas.

Cities & Regions for Cyclists is a network bringing together local and regional administrations, actively working to promote the bicycle as a mode of transport and leisure. For more information on how to join, visit our Cities & Regions for Cyclists page.