The coronavirus crisis has hit our lives forcing us to see, in a crystal-clear way, the impact our current mobility model has on health, environment, equity and safety. The impact of climate change is even bigger… The bicycle is the key to build up resilience, break wicked travel behaviour patterns and fight for healthier lifestyles and better air quality.
Main keywords
climate resilience, climate change, covid-19 impact, air quality, health, travel behaviour, travel patterns, active mobility, noise pollution, recovery
"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
"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."
"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
"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
"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."
"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."
"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