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Photo: Laura Nickel/ Climate Alliance

Press release | 29.11.2021

Over 800,000 cycle worldwide for a better climate

Berlin's Transport Senator Regine Günther recognises the winning municipalities of the City Cycling campaign

Joint press release of the Berlin Senate Department for Environment, Transport and Climate Protection and Climate Alliance.

Berlin/ Frankfurt am Main, 29 November 2021. Today, the winning municipalities of the Climate Alliance’s international City Cycling campaign received accolades during a ceremony in Berlin. Berlin's Senator for Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, Regine Günther, honoured the winners both onsite with a limited number of guests in attendance due to the Corona pandemic as well as via live stream from the “Malzfabrik”. The City Cycling campaign set new records this year with 804,077 participants from 2,172 municipalities in Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Romania and the US. Between May and September, participants cycled some 160 million kilometres, avoiding over 23,000 tonnes of CO2 compared to travel by car and sending a clear signal for more climate action, cycling promotion and liveable communities.

"Year after year, the City Cycling campaign manages to motivate thousands of people to cycle – including those who may have not cycled for a long time but tend to stick with it after the campaign. This is just wonderful,” exclaimed Gün-ther. “The teams cycle with each other in friendly competition – and all cycle for a common goal: for a form of transport that is compatible with the city, protects the climate and promotes health."

André Muno, City Cycling campaign manager, stressed the importance of continuing to put the bicycle at the centre of urban planning activities: "The newly achieved records clearly show that people across the world have had enough of the status quo and are demanding a bicycle-oriented infrastructure."

Since 2008, City Cycling has been inviting municipalities, citizens and local politi-cians to get on their bikes and cover as many kilometres as possible during the campaign period. The campaign is an offer brought to the public by Climate Alli-ance, Europe’s largest city network dedicated to comprehensive and equitable climate action.

City Cycling is an international campaign of the Climate Alliance and is supported by the partners Ortlieb, ABUS, Busch + Müller, Stevens Bikes, MYBIKE, Paul Lange & Co, WSM and Schwalbe.

FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACTS

Jan Thomsen
Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protec-tion Berlin
T. +49 30 9025-1090
jan.thomsen(at)senuvk.berlin.de

Sarah Mekjian
Communications Director,
Climate Alliance
T. +49 69 717139 -20
communications(at)climatealliance.org

André Muno
City Cycling Coordination,
Climate Alliance
T. +49 69 7171 39 -11
a.muno(at)climatealliance.org


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 more than 1,800 members spread across 27 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 (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. www.climatealliance.org