Tag: Cycling Infrastructure

A review of statistics related to the number of bicyclists either killed by or who’ve had accidents with motor vehicles over the years is alarmingly high. For instance, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) states that 2% of motor vehicle accidents are with bicyclists, and that in 2021, 961 bicyclists were killed when they crashed with motor vehicles.

Why do these accidents between bicyclists and motor vehicles happen so frequently? It comes down to the fact these cyclists do not have a safe place to ride, so the simplest answer is to blame lack of good city infrastructure for bikes. That is why the Bloomberg Cities Network launched its Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure around the world, which will provide, as it says, “more innovative, connected, and expansive cycling infrastructure that serves as many residents as possible.“

What is Bloomberg Cities Network?

Bloomberg Cities Network is an extension of Bloomberg Philanthropies. It’s spearheaded by Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013. His goal with Bloom Philanthropies is to help “cities and city leaders reach their fullest potential by strengthening their leadership, innovation, data, and collaboration skills.“

Goal of the Bloomberg Cycling Initiative

Bloomberg states that many cities around the world have unsafe places for people to ride their bikes. And since bicycling has been proven to be one of the “healthiest, most efficient, environmentally friendly, and financially accessible modes of transportation available,” according to Global Designing Cities Initiative , Bloomberg awarded support to ten cities around the world.

The goal of Bloomberg’s initiative is for cities “to build innovative cycling infrastructure and sustainable mobility options for residents.” With these gifts, each city will get technical assistance for “on project development, cycling facility design, data collection, and resident engagement.” These cities are in 10 countries spread over five continents. Grouped together, the population of these places reaches over 15 million residents.

The 10 Cities Chosen for Cycling Infrastructure Improvement

Trying to choose a city to receive cycling infrastructure funding is probably not an easy thing to decide, especially when so many places around the world lack or have limited infrastructure to begin with. So, one of the main parameters was that the city had to have over 100,000 residents and be an international city.

After the 275 applications were studied, 10 cities were decided upon. No specific reasons are given for these choices. However, these cities obviously expressed their need for cycling infrastructure in a poignant way. What follows are the 10 cities and their plans on how to use the funding.

• Fortaleza, Brazil – 180 kilometers of cycling infrastructure.
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Double the amount of protected bicycle lanes.
• Bogota, Colombia – Revitalize low-income areas and engage young residents to participate in cycling.
• Lisbon, Portugal – Increase diversity of residents that bike the city.
• Milan, Italy – Build green bicycle lanes connected to over 400 schools.
• Mombassa, Kenya – Protect and connect bicycle network in places with a high number of cyclists.
• Pimpri-Chinchwad, India – “Launch a neighborhood model for a 15-minute city, starting with cycling.”
• Quelimane, Mozambique – All new cycling infrastructure with protected bike lanes and bicycle taxi parking to cut down on cars and other motorized vehicles.
• Tirana, Albania – All ages cycling network.
• Wellington, New Zealand – Increase the number of bike lanes 160%

Last Thoughts

An initiative to fund cycling infrasturucture is a brilliant idea. Maybe more cities and elected officials will see this and plan their own improvements. More bikes and less motorized vehicles on the road means less CO2 released into the air. And hopefully, in the long run, that could be the impetus for an environmental healing to begin of our already damaged climate.

Have a good weekend everyone!!! Hope you can find some good cycling infrastructure near you.