#BikeIsBest Goes International, #151

What’s happening for cycling around the world, you may ask? Here at #BikeIsBest we have you covered.

This week we’ve collected tales from across the globe; from Spain to Australia, the US to Portugal please welcome the good, the even better and, yes, the ugly.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

SPAIN PUTS ITS MONEY WHERE ITS BIKES ARE. The Spanish government last month announced funding for bike sharing in a bid to help more people access the wonders of pedal power. Money will go towards discounted fares, and funding for more bike share infrastructure. The government wants to tap into cycling’s huge potential for journeys under 10km, Cycling Industry News reports.

🚗 TRAPPED IN A CAR-FIRST MINDSET? With data from over 2,000 participants across the UK, USA, and the Netherlands, researchers Dr Ian Walker and Marco Te Brömmelstroet confirmed the power of motonormativity: the tendency to apply double standards that favour car dominance, even when walking, cycling, or public transport could be better options. If we want to make walking, cycling, and public transport the norm, we need to reshape our streets and challenge these ingrained ideas.

The good news? Change is possible. By realigning our environments and questioning old assumptions, we can break free from car-first thinking and build a greener, more liveable future.

UTAH SAINTS? It may or may not surprise you that it’s legal to park in or block a bike lane in Utah, USA. Happily, a new bill received unanimous backing to change the law. As one campaigner put it, a safe, unobstructed bike lane can reduce traffic collisions substantially. "I thought this was already a law," a local official said. "I’m surprised we need a bill to do the logical thing."

AUSTRALIA STILL BACKING CARS. Australia’s University of New South Wales has looked into the nation’s transport funding and while the national government spends $714 per person per year on roads, just 90 cents goes on walking and cycling. With traffic danger claiming 1300 lives a year, as well as the high cost of forced car ownership, this piece argues for the UN recommended 20% of transport spend per year on active travel.

ONE MAN’S GREENING MISSION. Lisbon native Nuno Prates has spent the last 25 years (illegally) planting up previously unloved public spaces on Sunday evenings. Gradually, his efforts have transformed certain corners of the Portuguese city into oases, and now an official regulation has legalised his efforts. Prates has paved the way for others to ‘renaturalise the city’ - and since November that’s what people have been doing.

CYCLE TOURISM IN EUROPE. Tourism contributes 8% of global emissions, and cycling can be a part of the solution, helping people switch from polluting transport to pedal power, as well as boosting rural economies by encouraging visits away from honeypot destinations. The European Cyclists’ Federation suggests ways to capitalise on the benefits, from safe, well-signed routes, to services supporting holidaying cyclists.

OTHER HEADLINES

DEBUNKING NORDIC CYCLING MYTHS. Cycling can bring with it huge benefits - if we let it. A research team has investigated what’s holding Nordic countries back from realising those benefits and outlined the realities, as well as the benefits of thinking - and acting - differently. From ‘cycle routes are too expensive’, to ‘bikes are only for leisure’, to ‘no-one cycles in winter’, myth debunking is all there, for your enjoyment.

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK:

The huge contribution of road transport to overall transport emissions in Nordic countries. Source.

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Ownership vs access: car access may be important - or even vital - for some journeys, but ownership isn't. People who don’t own a car drive less, and can save a lot of money.

Until next time,

Adam

Adam Tranter

Founder, #BikeIsBest