Dear readers!

Strategies and methodologies are the basis, but in the end their implementation always depends on the enthusiasm and work of specific people. Therefore, in this period, in addition to working on the outputs, we also focused intensively on communication with stakeholders, meetings within the National Cycling Working Groups and the preparation of interviews with ambassadors.

And the efforts of all partners were appreciated. The project “Danube Cycle Plans - More people on the bike in the Danube region!” received the VCÖ Mobility Award 2021, Austria’s biggest competition for sustainable mobility projects. 

We are also pleased to present the joint outputs of two projects - SABRINA and Danube Cycle Plans. These two projects have joined forces and prepared a series of interviews with people working in the mobility and transport field, with the focus on cycling. You have received this joint newsletter in your mailboxes earlier this week.

Progress has also been made in direction of “Danuvelo” - a Danube wide cycle route network covering nine countries in the Danube region. DCP project partners have used the last month to assess their existing networks or to define a national cycle route network for their country. The currently running task is to link those national networks and create the “Danuvelo” network. In parallel the partners are finalizing their work on a catalogue of cycling-friendly infrastructure standards which should be applied when creating the “Danuvelo” network.

Last but not least, we had the opportunity to meet and interview great people, Danube Cycling Ambassadors, who are motivated to engage in the process of improving cycling and active mobility in their countries. 

We wish you a pleasant reading and all the best for the new year!

Agnes KURZWEIL and Willy RAIMUND 

Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt GmbH)

JAROSLAV VYMAZAL, JIHLAVA CITY: HOW TO REDUCE CAR TRAFFIC FOR 14 %?

Jihlava, a centre of the Vysocina Region in the Czech Republic has long been involved in the development of sustainable transport. Thanks to many measures in the field of transport, individual car traffic in Jihlava was reduced by 14%.

“We have significantly improved the conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport,” says Jaroslav Vymazal, City councilor for transport and a Danube Cycling Ambassador.

Read more > here <

GUIDELINE FOR ASSESSMENT OF CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT NECESSITIES

One of the goals of Danube Cycle Plans project is creating a Danube Cycle Route Network (DCRN) or “DanuVelo” which will be a macro-regional network of cycle routes connecting (participating) countries in the Danube region. It will integrate EuroVelo routes and the highest level of the national cycle routes (NCRN) into one comprehensive transnational network. The guideline is intended to help each project partner prepare an assessment of the current status of cycling infrastructure in their country and calculate an estimate of investment needed for improvements and/or construction of new one.

From this data, we will get a good grasp of the investment needs for the whole infrastructure, from which the investment plans and funding options will be created by the national working groups.

IONUT MAFTEI, ROMANIA: I MADE A CHOICE TO BE A DANUBE CYCLING AMBASSADOR

“The most appealing regions are Transylvania, Danube Delta, Danube is an attraction well known, Maramureș, Bucovina and of course, Bucharest,” says Ionuț Maftei from Bike in Time about best regions for cycling in Romania.

He oversees promoting cycling tourism in Romania and organizes bike-trips in different historical regions of the country. In 2021, he decided to become one of the Danube Cycling Ambassadors.

DANUBE CYCLE PLANS PROJECT AWARDED BY VCÖ MOBILITY PRIZE

 The VCÖ Mobility Award is Austria’s biggest competition for sustainable mobility projects. It is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action and the Austrian Federal Railways. The 30th edition of the award 2021 is dedicated to the topic of “Mobility Awakening” and is looking for exemplary projects and concepts on sustainable transport. Danube Cycle Plans project is the winner of this Mobility Award 2021 in the category “active mobility”. 

LUKASZ WYROWSKI, UNITED NATIONS: hOW TO DOUBLE THE SHARE OF CYCLING?  

The first-ever Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion was adopted at the Fifth High-Level Meeting on Transport, Health and Environment (THE PEP) in May 2021.

One of the key tasks is to create Trans-European cycling network and minimum infrastructure quality standards, for which the collective designation “infrastructure module” is used. 

Lukasz Wyrowski works at UNECE, where he, amongst other, oversees development of sustainable urban transport with focus on cycling. What goals does he sees ahead, and how he evaluates the cooperation with the Danube Cycle Plans project consortium?

THE PEP STEERING COMMITTEE WELCOMES THE ACTIVITIES OF THE DANUBE CYCLE PLANS PROJECT

During this year’s meeting of THE PEP Steering Committee which took place in Geneva on October 27th and 28th. 2021, the progress in implementing the Danube Cycle Plans project was presented. The members of the steering committee welcomed the project and its activities as a crucial support for the implementation of the pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion in the Danube region.

Photo: VCÖ - Mobilität mit Zukunft/APA-Fotoservice/Hautzinger, Peter Hautzinger, personal archive of Lukasz Wyrowski, archive of the Jihlava City, Adrian Toma