EU Cycling Declaration Signed

On April 2nd, the European Council, Commission, and Parliament signed the European Declaration on Cycling, marking the official adoption of the first inter-institutional cycling policy at the European level. It is the most ambitious EU initiative on cycling to date, recognizing cycling as a fully-fledged mode of transport. With eight core principles and 36 commitments, this landmark declaration describes cycling as one of the “most sustainable, accessible, and inclusive, low-cost, and healthy forms of transport and recreation, and its key importance for European society and the economy.”

Besides its call for the provision of safe and secure bike parking spaces at railway/bus stations and mobility hubs (paragraphs 15 and 22), in Chapter VII, the declaration includes a commitment to:

• promoting and implementing multimodal solutions in urban, suburban, and rural areas, as well as for long-distance trips, by creating more synergies between cycling and other modes of transport, such as enabling the transport of more bicycles on buses and trains, and providing safer and more secure parking areas for bikes at stations and mobility hubs (paragraph 30);
• supporting bike-sharing schemes as a solution to first and last-mile access to public transport services (paragraph 31);

With that, the declaration acknowledges that cycling should play a key role in improving multimodal connectivity and tourism, especially in combination with trains, buses, and other modes, both in urban and rural areas.