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Walking and cycling bring economic, environmental, health and social benefits to communities globally, but remain grossly underfunded. A new paper explores how investment in active mobility can be achieved and improved.

The German city of Münster has once again confirmed its dedication to sustainable transit and climate action. Mayor of Münster Markus Lewe attended the opening ceremony of the e-bus line 8 which now consists almost entirely of electric buses. Mayor Lewe stated on social media: “Electric buses are a win-win for everyone involved, so every …

It will remove bicycle lanes from the sidewalks of 150 streets
On 21 October, the Finnish City of Helsinki reported that it will remove bicycle lanes from the sidewalks of several streets in the suburbs. In other words, it will give pedestrians more space to walk safely and freely, without fearing that they may end up colliding with a cyclist.

An assessment report on the effectiveness of Low Emission Zones between 2018 and 2020 found a sustained and significant reduction in emissions in the city
On Monday, the environment and energy administration in the Brussels-Capital region published the results of an assessment report on the effects of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) on the city’s air quality and the types of vehicles citizens prefer to operate.
Researchers link the zones to sustained improvements in the air quality, especially when it comes to pollutants like nitrogen, soot and fine dust particles, detrimental to physical and mental health. Furthermore, the zones prove an effective tool for reshaping the car habits of private citizens, promoting the usage of more efficient vehicles.

Paris wants to become one of the most bike-friendly cities in Europe with plans to turn itself into a “cycling city” by 2026.

The French capital is investing €250 million into significant upgrades to cycling infrastructure and maintenance within the next four years. Thousands of new bicycle stands and an increased number of protected cycleways will be introduced as part of ‘Plan Velo: Act 2’.

Promesse de campagne en 2020 de Michèle Lutz, maire de Mulhouse depuis 2017, le concept imaginé par Carlos Moreno est en cours de déploiement. Jean Rottner, adjoint de la maire en charge du projet de la « Ville du quart d’heure », fait le point sur le processus et dresse un premier bilan.

Travel behaviour has evolved in unexpected ways in urbanised areas in the early 21st century. This report examines how significant breaks with past trends happened - and why these shifts were not foreseen. The Covid-19 pandemic adds to uncertainty about future demand to travel. Forecast-led transport planning is not well equipped to handle uncertainty. The report presents new approaches which explicitly address uncertainty, are vision-led and enable the development of resilient plans. It also considers how governance and institutions can be adapted to support such a paradigm shift.

Développer la culture vélo dans les territoires. Tel est l'objet d'un guide proposé par l'Agence de la transition énergétique (Ademe), qui s'articule avec son cahier de ressources « Développer le système vélo dans les territoires ». Et ce, alors que la part modale du vélo n'est que de 2,7 % en France contre 7 % dans l'Union européenne.
Réalisé avec plusieurs acteurs du terrain, ce document présente une stratégie en dix étapes, nourri d'exemples d'actions et accompagné d'un kit de communication, afin d'augmenter durablement la part modale du vélo sur tous les territoires. Il offre également des supports personnalisables conçus dans le cadre de la campagne "À vélo, on a toutes et tous à y gagner !" », explique l'Ademe.

A new app, Dublin Cycling Buddy, was launched by City council with the aim of helping cyclists identify bike-friendly routes around the capital. Thanks to data logged by bike users, the app will also be of great use for the local authority because it will help them to identify which cycle routes around the city …

Les réductions des émissions de gaz à effet de serre et des particules résultant du remplacement de tous les moteurs thermiques par des alternatives sobres en carbone ne seront pas assez rapides pour faire la différence dans les quelques années qui nous restent.
Pour s’attaquer aux crises du climat et de la pollution atmosphérique, il faut réduire au plus vite tous les transports motorisés, voitures particulières en tête.
Or, en se concentrant uniquement sur les véhicules électriques, on ralentit la course vers une baisse drastique des émissions.

The Czech capital will build 21 kilometres of cycle trails
Warmer days are coming, and people are eager to go out once again. As the cycling season is rapidly approaching, the Municipality of Prague has announced that it is planning on investing over 14 million euros (247 million Czech koruna) in cycling infrastructure, design work, and studies aimed at improving the quality of life of cyclists in the Czech capital.

ECF’s new article series shines the spotlight on the cargo bike, a rising star in the sustainable transition of our cities, by taking a closer look at what roles cargo bikes play in Brussels and Lisbon, two major European cities.
Without a doubt, cargo bikes show great potential to increasingly shift away from motorised vehicles. In Europe, it is estimated that 50% of all motorised trips that involve the transport of goods in cities could be shifted to cargo bikes and bicycles. Private trips represent the biggest potential with two-thirds of all motorised trips being convertible to cargo bikes, an estimation that foreshadows a bright future for cargo bikes and families.

Pour enrayer la pollution, la cité italienne limite le trafic automobile sur les trois-quarts de son territoire. Un record. Détail du fonctionnement à l’occasion de la matinée de conférence « Qu’est-ce qu’une ville à taille humaine ? » organisée par « Le Monde Cities » le 16 décembre.

Scotland's new National Planning Framework has good climate policies but also backs a polluting Peterhead power station

Les premières Assises de la marche, la première des mobilités actives, ont été organisées le 17 septembre par le collectif Place aux piétons, consacrant l'attention portée par les collectivités et le public à ce mode de déplacement incontournable. Le Cerema, acteur de la mobilité et de l'aménagement de la voirie auprès des collectivités, a présenté des études et participé aux ateliers.

The French city wants to open sustainable transport to everybody, regardless of their means
Lyon is making available 10,000 shared bicycles for free to be used by 10,000 young people. From November, the French metropolis is launching a new service called Free Vélo’v, aiming to increase the number of sustainable transport rides, in particular among its young residents. As part of it, students who meet certain criteria will benefit from up to one year of free bicycle rent.

City of Prague has launched a pilot project for all those who possess Lítačka transport pass. They will be able to use shared bikes for 15-minute time periods up to four times a day. Mayor of Prague Zdeněk Hřib said: “The connection of shared bicycles with a public transport pass works in many foreign cities, …

The Trollino 24 MetroStyle, a new public transport vehicle with two bellows will be tested on Tallinn trolleybus lines. It can run as a trolley, but can also disconnect from the wires and run on battery power, the same way as an electric bus. It can capacitate approximately two hundred passengers, which is four times …

In some cities, people are not travelling as far and as often as they did in the pre-COVID era. Philipp Rode (LSE) looks at the new patterns of movement and the challenges that will emerge as hyper-localisation becomes more common.

On average, participants can earn around EUR 2 per kilometre
From Saturday 10 July, cyclists in Helsinki will be able to earn money doing what they love whilst simultaneously helping the municipality repair damaged streets. This was announced on 28 June when the City of Helsinki shared that all residents are invited to take part in a game to map out 300 kilometres of cycling paths in the capital.

This report assesses the potential of zero carbon supply chains via a case study of the freight transport chain linked to the port of Hamburg. It analyses the initiatives taken by selected main stakeholders to decarbonise freight transport. In addition, it offers recommendations on how the move towards zero carbon supply chains could be accelerated.

European cycling groups have criticised EU countries for neglecting cycling in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans, saying the low levels of funding allocated by most member states will see them miss out on billions in economic and health benefits.

Europe will apply its emissions trading scheme to buildings and transport, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a summit of world leaders on Thursday (22 April), setting the stage for the EU’s planned overhaul of its carbon market.

The EU’s carbon market is the backbone of its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme forces power plants and industry to buy permits when they emit CO2, effectively putting a price on pollution. Companies can buy and sell these CO2 permits on the carbon market, known as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The upcoming review of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) transport policy provides an opportunity to shift public spending away from high-carbon and polluting projects to more sustainable transport modes such as trains, public transport, and cycling, writes Clara Bourgin.

An analysis published today by Counter Balance examines EIB transport investments and proposes a real change of course.