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The number of cyclists and bike rides in Europe is set to double by 2030. This is the opinion of representatives of 56 countries that have signed the Pan-European Plan to Promote Cycling. A two-day high-level meeting on transport, health and the environment ends in Vienna on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important mobility is in our lives. However, the dependence on cars, the limited open public space, the lack of safety for cyclists and pedestrians – all this contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, which is fraught with many diseases. And air pollution, traffic noise and accidents on the roads lead to diseases,injuries and deaths. In the European region, 110,00 people die in road accidents every year. Road accidents are the leading cause of death for children and young people between the ages of five and 29. And half a million people die from the effects of air pollution.

Austria initiated the development of a Pan-European plan to promote cycling, and experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) participated in the work on it. The Austrian Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, Wolfgang Mueckstein, said that his country takes into account health issues in urban planning – Austria intends to restructure the transport system and shift the focus to cycling and walking, since " these modes of transportation reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve the overall human condition."

According to the plan, the signatory countries by 2030 should:
- develop national policies and national cycling plans,
- strengthen safety in this area so as to halve the number of injuries and deaths as a result of road accidents involving cyclists,
- integrate cycling into urban planning and national health plans.

The experts of the ECE and WHO emphasize that the Pan-European Plan to Promote cycling, in particular, will create 400 thousand new jobs. Today, in the European region, 750 thousand people are employed in work related to bicycles in one way or another.

The measures envisaged in the plan will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 million tons, eliminate traffic jams and make more efficient use of urban space. For example, parking a bicycle requires eight times less space than parking a car. The EEC estimates that the economic benefits of reducing the number of traffic jams alone will amount to about $ 4.9 billion.

The participants of the meeting adopted a joint declaration designed to accelerate the transition to the use of environmentally friendly, safe, accessible transport for all, which also promotes health.

"In a region where non – communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and respiratory diseases account for 70 per cent of deaths, transport and urban planning policies can have a major impact on public health – for better or for worse," says Hans Kluge, Director of the WHO Office for Europe.
According to him, the Declaration affirms the interdependence of the state of the environment and human health and aims to promote an active lifestyle that will help prevent non-communicable diseases and reduce pollution.

"By adopting the Vienna Declaration," added Leonora Gewessler, Minister for Climate, Environment, Energy and Mobility – " we are committed to creating an eco-friendly, clean, safe transport system that will promote public health."

Photo-UN / About 50 percent of students and working residents of Copenhagen get to their place of study or work by bicycle

news.un.org