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 t ...

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 An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

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 (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 An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

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 In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two cen ...

, 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 A body of knowledge (BOK or BoK) is the complete set of concepts, terms and activities that make up a professional domain, as defined by the relevant learned society or professional association.Oliver, G.R. (2012). ''Foundations of the Assumed B ...

concerning cycling infrastructure, 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 Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

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 d ...

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 Strøget () is a pedestrian, car free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe at 1.1 km. Located at the centre of the old city o ...
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,

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 around ...

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 and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

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 (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

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 I BIKE Dublin is an advocacy group founded in Dublin, Ireland in 2017 and is focused on improving conditions for cycling in Dublin city. The group carries out direct actions to raise awareness of the issues facing people who cycle in Dublin a ...

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 c ...

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

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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 = Country , subdivision_name ...

being the largest.

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

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 seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

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 ...

also have programs.

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

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 The World Bike Forum (WBF), (FMB), is a yearly cycling activism event in which the topics of bicycle urban mobility and the planning of cities made by and for the people are discussed. According to its creators the WBF began as an answer to an a ...

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 twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

(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 ...

(2014), as well as Medellín, Colombia (2015) and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

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 Richard Ballantine (25 July 1940 – 29 May 2013) was a cycling writer, journalist and cycling advocate. Born in America, the son of Ian and Betty Ballantine of Ballantine Books, and educated at the Browning School in New York and Columbia Univ ...

* David Byrne *

* 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 The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is an independent membership charity lobbying for better conditions for cycling in London. Its vision is to make London "a world-class cycling city". It is one of the largest urban cycling organisations in th ...

, 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''. Bi ...

, 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

Dutch Cyclist Union North Carolina * BikeWalk North Carolina: NC's only statewide advocacy group. http://www.bikewalknc.org/ * Blue Ridge Bicycle Club http://www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/ *BikeCarrboro (Carrboro Bicycle Coalition) bikecarrboro.org * Charlotte Transportation Choices Alliance http://www.movecharlottesmarter.org/bike/ * Bicycling in Greensboro http://bikegso.org/ * Oaks and Spokes (Raleigh) http://oaksandspokes.com/ * Asheville on Bikes http://ashevilleonbikes.com/ * Carolina Thread Trail http://www.carolinathreadtrail.org/ * Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail http://www.ncmst.org/ * North Carolina Rail-Trails http://www.ncrailtrails.org/ * Friends of Ecusta Trail http://www.ecustatrail.org/ * East Coast Greenway http://www.greenway.org/ * Friends of Greenville Greenways (FROGGS) http://www.froggs.org/ * NC Coalition for Bicycle Driving NC Coalition for Bicycle Driving * Bike Durham http://www.bikedurham.org/ * The Carrboro Bicycle Coalition http://bikecarrboro.com/ * Outer Banks Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition https://www.facebook.com/obxbps * Boone Area Cyclists http://booneareacyclists.org/ * Cape Fear Cyclists http://www.capefearcyclists.org/ * Mooresville Area Cyclists https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mooresville-Area-Cyclists/123786517809772 * BicycleHaywoodNC http://bicyclehaywoodnc.org/

Films and other media

Pedaling to Freedom ''Pedaling to Freedom'' ( 2007) is a 28-minute documentary directed by Vijay S. Jodha. The film shows how a simple thing, such as teaching women to ride a bicycle in a deprived part of the world, can have a life-changing impact. The documentary ...

With My Own Two Wheels ''With My Own Two Wheels'' is a 2010 film by brothers Jacob and Isaac Seigel-Boettner about the transformational power of bicycles. It was screened at the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado. Synopsis It focuses on five individuals fro ...

* Bikes vs Cars *

Ovarian Psycos Ovarian Psycos is a bicycle brigade established in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, in 2010. The group was formed to foster sisterhood that could feel comfortable taking up space as well confronting the harassment of women. Rides are organized monthly ...

Bicycle advocacy in the developing world

World Bicycle Relief World Bicycle Relief is an international, non-profit organization based in Chicago, IL that specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle distribution programs to aid poverty relief in developing countries around the world. Their programs focu ...

* World Cycling Alliance

Similar urban design concepts

*New Pedestrianism *

Walkability Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport ...

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 mo ...

, 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 supp ...

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