The diversity of social responses and opportunities that cycling provides to current urban and regional challenges, for better inclusion and people’s empowerment, is remarkable.
The role of grassroots movements and cyclists’ advocates to build community programmes related to bike to school or to work, walkability, sports initiatives, gender issues, culture and the fight for social equality is key.
Main keywords
social inclusion, equity, empowerment, bike to school, bike to work, community building, co-creation
"At Velo-city 2012 in Vancouver, I understood that it is not about representing people that cycle, it's about representing and inviting people to cycle, that do not dare to cycle (…) That changed a lot for me and for other organisations. It was really worth the trip."
- Burkhard Stork, Director at German Cyclists' Association
"It's not an easy task to prepare a huge bike parade in a city during a weekday, but in Nantes, in 2015, it was really amazing. All the streets were gridlocked, with a huge bike parade, (…) drivers were honking their horns unstoppably, (…) they were cheering to us."
"Riding a bike is feeling the wind in your face, feeling the air, listening to the birds, feeling the city, feeling the movement of the city, getting to see better houses, people, walks and trees. All of it. A person has another perception when he is on a bicycle."
"What I think really boosted the use of bicycles in Lisbon was the shared bikes Gira. A person takes a bicycle at one station, leaves it at another, does not have to worry about it anymore and is very cheap, not least because you can combine it much better with other public transport."
- Filipa Peres, Bicycle user in Lisbon for 3 years
"For my first Velo-city conference, I heard a very inspiring sentence: “If women ride bicycles in a city, men and children will try too”. I went back to my country and created one of the biggest cycling movements: Fancy Women Bike Ride."
"What really attracts me most to cycling is the efficiency of mobility, because I know that if I leave home or work and get on the bike I can always count on a fixed time that will not be disturbed by traffic or anything else."
- Luis Marques, Bicycle user in Lisbon for 4 years
"When I have more time, I usually ride calmly by the river. it's much more peaceful and I end up taking time for myself. I use my bicycle to be able to take time for myself, to do what I want with myself and to have time to think and to relax."
- Alberto Rosa, Bicycle user in Lisbon for 3 years