Early signs are showing the European Parliament is starting to listen to the 100 million European citizens that cycle regularly. But the battle’s not over, explains Ed Lancaster.

I’m simply amazed to see how the cycling world has responded to our call to lobby for an important EU vote on infrastructure next Tuesday, which could potentially help unlock billions for cycling. 

We’ve managed to see cyclists from all across Europe writing to their Members of European Parliament (MEPs), to ensure cycling infrastructure and EuroVelo gets the funding it deserves.  

Our members from France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom are but a few of the countries (the list is too long to put here) that have been actively lobbying their MEPS.  

Some Good Signs

There's already been some success stories. Italy, led by FIAB, has managed to convince all 6 of its MEPs to include cycling in the vote, and their lobby efforts have been nothing short of amazing. CTC’s campaign has been generating a lot of pressure on important British MEPS within the Transport Committee. 

Based on the feedback we're receiving, it looks like opinion is changing in favour of cycling. But the battle’s not yet won. Keep up the pressure and remind the Parliament that your voice matters.

There’s 35 million people that choose cycling as their main mode of transport in the EU. That’s larger than the population of all but six of the 27 member states. It’s time for us to flex our combined strength and show the EU that they cannot ignore such an important form of transport.  

What Can I Do? 

You can write to your MEP. Go to this page, and click on the Take Action Button to see what you can do.  

You can also see our Members Campaigns below: 

• If you're from Italy, Fiab has created an online petition here and Paolo Pinzuti from Salvaiciclisti has created an online petition here
• If you're from the United Kingdom, the CTC has created an online petition available to sign here. 
• If you're from France, the "Departements and Regions Cyclable" (DRC) have created an online petition here
• If you're from Belgium, GRACQ has created an online petition here
• If you're from Portugal, FPCUB have created created an online petition here
• If you're from Ireland, Dublin Cycling Campaign have created an online petition here

The vote is next Tuesday (December 18), so start emailing. 

About the Author

Ed Lancaster, ECF Policy Officer for Regional Policy & Cycling Tourism -For the past 7 years, Ed has worked as a Town Planner for various local authorities in South East England and he has a Master’s degree in Town Planning from the University of Westminster. 

You’ll be able to watch the