Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

and improved safety and convenience for

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

s, usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typically include policy, administrative and legal changes (the consideration of cycling in all governance); advocating and establishing better

cycling infrastructure Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by Motor vehicle, motorists are also cycling infrastructu ...

(including road and junction design and the creation, maintenance of bike lanes and separate bike paths, and bike parking); public education regarding the health, transportational and environmental benefits of cycling for both individuals and communities, cycling and motoring skills; and increasing public and political support for bicycling. There are many organisations worldwide whose primary mission is to advocate these goals. Most are non-profit organisations supported by donations, membership dues, and volunteers.

Cycling advocacy around the world

Internationally

In 2018 the United Nations General Assembly designated 3 June as World Bicycle Day, after it had been proposed by World Cycling Alliance.

Europe

Bicycle embassies

In Europe, Bicycle embassies have been set up to communicate established bodies of knowledge concerning

, bicycle promotion and cycling advocacy techniques to other national, state and municipal governments. Established bicycle embassies include th
Dutch Cycling Embassy
the Cycling Embassy of Denmark and th
Cycling Embassy of Great Britain

Copenhagenization

Copenhagenization is a design strategy in which

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water ...

and

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

are centered on making a city more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians and less car dependent. The term was popularised by Danish

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, cities, and regional spaces, urban de ...

consultant Jan Gehl, who has been instrumental in the promotion and implementation of the policy in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

For more than 40 years, Mr. Gehl has systematically studied public spaces to see how they really work, using Strøget and Copenhagen as a laboratory for his research. He has advised cities around the world, including Melbourne, London and New York, on how to improve the quality of urban life -- in his words, how to "Copenhagenize" their cities.

Independently of Gehl, Danish

consultant

Mikael Colville-Andersen Mikael Colville-Andersen (born 29 January 1968) is a Canadian-Danish urban designer and urban mobility expert. He was the CEO of Copenhagenize Design Company, which he founded in 2009 in Copenhagen, and he works with cities and governments arou ...

coined and popularized the phrase the term in this meaning to a broader audience, starting in 2007 with the ''Copenhagenize.com blog'', that highlights how the bicycle can be an important tool in the creation of liveable cities. The term has since spread to Britain, to Europe, and elsewhere internationally. The ''Copenhagenize.com'' blog has inspired the creation of other blogs with the same focus for cities such as

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Lisbon,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Ireland

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

the direct action group, I BIKE Dublin advocates for improved conditions for cycling in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

through direct action campaigns.

North America

In North America the term ''Bicycle Ambassador'' arose to describe cycling advocates tasked with promoting bicycling in a community. Such advocates can be employed by the national, provincial or city government and their tasks include

networking Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

extensively with other municipal offices whose activities effect cycling. Early ''Bicycle Ambassador'' programs began in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

in the late 1990s. Other cities picked it up over the following decade,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

being the largest.

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county i ...

also have programs.

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Washington, D.C. and New York City began programs most recently. Some programs are entirely youth focused, while others become a de facto part of the city Department of Transportation or other government agency.

Latin America

The World Bike Forum was organized in 2012 after the Critical Mass events in Porto Alegre in which an automobile driver deliberately collided with and injured around 20 cyclists. During the Forum bicycle-based urban mobility is discussed and strategies to spread the use of bicycles in the hosting city are promoted. The Forum has taken place in the Southern Brazil cities of

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

(2012 and 2013),

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area c ...

(2014), as well as

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

, Colombia (2015) and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

in 2017.

Asia

Thailand

Thailand has a plethora of bicycle advocacy groups including
Thai Cycling Club
th

and th
Bangkok Bicycle Campaign
These advocacy groups participate in activities such as campaigning, influencing cycling policy outcomes, leading political discussions, organize events, and conduct cycling related research. The Thailand Bike and Walk Forum was formed by the Thai Cycling Club (TCC) and th
Thailand Walking and Cycling Institute Foundation
(TWCI) in 2013. The forum meets annually to bring attention to cycling and walking as viable solutions to global issues including health-related and environmentally-related issues.

The Philippines

The World Cycling Alliance, a global cycling advocacy group, founded an NGO in 2000 in the Philippines called th
Firefly Brigade
The Firefly Brigade's mission is to promote cycling and to empower to citizens to get involved in cycling advocacy.

Africa

Lebogang Mokwena

Lebogang Mokwena is a Bicycle Mayor for Cape Town. She contributed to an event called 'Co-create My City', an information exchange between South Africa and the Netherlands. She spoke on topics including how cycling can break down racial barriers and offer citizens unique perspectives of their cities.

List of cycling advocacy groups and individuals

Among the world's best known cycling advocates are: * Richard Ballantine *

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

* John Forester * Jan Gehl Major cycle advocacy groups include: *

European Cyclists' Federation The European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) is a non-profit member-based umbrella federation of local, regional and national civil society organizations that promote cycling for both transportation and leisure. ECF has around 70 member organizati ...

, ECF, where most of the European national cyclists' federations and many worldwide are members * Cycling Embassy of Denmark * London Cycling Campaign, based in London (12,000 memberships, 2015) *

Bicycle Network Bicycle Network is an Australian charity, one of the largest cycling membership organisations in the world (45,000 members, 2015), whose mission is to have ''More People Cycling More Often.'' Before 2011 it was known as ''Bicycle Victoria''. B ...

, located in Australia and one of the largest cycling membership organisations in the world (45,000 members, 2015) See

list of United States bicycle advocacy organizations Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for cycling and improved safety and convenience for cyclists, usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typicall ...

References

External links

Chris Boardman compares cycling in Holland and Britain
- video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

, published 17 July 2015.
Copenhagenization in the Danish capital
from CNN's 'Future Cities' series
Jan Gehl's talk (in 4 parts plus introduction) on sustainable Urban Planning
– part of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

' ''International Dialogues, Architecture and Climate Change'' series {{cycling Advocacy groups Cycleways Cycling Cycling safety Urban design Urban planning Cycling advocates