Press release | 01.12.2022
More than 920,000 people log kilometres cycled for the climate
Saarland Minister for Environment and Mobility honours winning municipalities of the City Cycling campaign
Joint press release of the Saarland Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Mobility; the state capital Saarbrücken; and Climate Alliance.
Saarbrücken/Frankfurt am Main, 1 December 2022. Over 920,000 participants from 2,557 municipalities in five countries – that is the tally for this year's international City Cycling camapign by Climate Alliance. Between May and September, participants cycled almost 180 million kilometres in a climate-friendly way, thereby avoiding more than 27,000 tonnes of CO2. Yesterday, the award ceremony for this year's most successful City Cycling municipalities took place in Saarbrücken (DE). Saarland's Minister for the Environment, Climate and Mobility, Petra Berg as well as Saarbrücken's Lord Mayor Uwe Conradt and Climate Alliance's André Muno awarded the winning municipalities.
"Year for year, the great response to City Cycling sends a clear message in support of climate action and cycling. If we want to make cycling more attractive, we need role models. I am sure that many of those who took part in the campaign will not only use their bikes more often themselves, but will also influence friends and family. This is how we can promote everyday cycling, bit by bit," stressed Minister Berg. In many municipalities, the campaign has been a fixed date in the calendar for years and is a welcome occasion to pay special attention to cycling. "The expansion of the cycling infrastructure, which we are promoting, plays a very important role when it comes to getting people excited about cycling. But certain everday routines must also change. City Cycling is a helpful campaign to stimulate such processes. More and more people in Saarbrücken and the State of Saarland are joining in and getting on their bikes," explained Mayor Conradt regarding the campaign in Saarbrücken.
When it comes to encouraging people to switch to cycling in the longterm, more progressis on expanding the necessary cycling infrastructure is needed. "People will only become convinced cyclists if they feel safe and can reach their destination quickly and flexibly," points out campaign director André Muno. "Many municipalities have realised that the infrastructure is essential for this. Now it's time to put the necessary changes in place."
City Cycling is an international campaign of Climate Alliance and is supported by the partners Ortlieb, ABUS, stadthelm.de, DB Call a Bike, ROSE Bikes, Busch + Müller, Paul Lange & Co, WSM and Schwalbe.
In the federal state of Saarland, the campaign is supported by the Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
Further information
Contacts
Sebastian Reisch
Communications City Cycling
Climate Alliance
T. +49 69 7171 39 -76
s.reisch(at)climatealliance.org
Sarah Mekjian
Communications Director
Climate Alliance
T. +49 69 7171 39 -20
communications@climatealliance.org
Saarland Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
Press Office
T. +49 681 501 -4710/4792
presse(at)umwelt.saarland.de
Thomas Blug
Head of Marketing and Communication
State Capital Saarbrücken
T. +49 681 905-1350
medien(at)saarbruecken.de
CITY CYCLING
With its international City Cycling campaign, Climate Alliance invites all citizens and members of local parliaments to pedal and set an example for increased promotion of cycling. In teams, they are to collect as many bicycle kilometres as possible for their municipality on 21 consecutive days between May and September. The campaign aims to sensitise citizens to cycling in everyday life and to bring the issues of bicycle use and cycling planning more strongly into local parliaments. With the reporting platform RADar! and the project RiDE - Radverkehr in Deutschland (Cycling in Germany), which provides scientifically prepared cycling data to the participating municipalities, the campaign also includes two elements with which the cycling infrastructure can be improved in a very concrete way including the involvement of citizens. city-cycling.org
CLIMATE ALLIANCE
For over 30 years, Climate Alliance member municipalities have been acting in partnership with indigenous rainforest peoples for the benefit of the global climate. With nearly 2,000 members spread across more than 25 European countries, Climate Alliance is Europe's largest city network dedicated to comprehensive and equitable climate action. Each member city, town and district has committed itself to continually cut greenhouse gas emissions, aiming for a 95% reduction by 2050 (as compared to 1990 levels) in line with IPCC recommendations. Recognising the impact our lifestyles can have on the world's most vulnerable people and places, Climate Alliance pairs local action with global responsibility. climatealliance.org
