Today, 3 June, ISCA is celebrating World Bicycle Day and once again putting the spotlight on the cycling as a simple, reliable and sustainable mode of transport. To carry the message of creating safe spaces to #BeActive even further, ISCA is also beginning its new campaign leading up to Open Streets Day, which will take place in cities across Europe on 22 September 2019.

ISCA’s NowWeMOVE campaign began to put active transport in the spotlight with the NowWeBike initiative in 2015. The events that have followed (All Routes Lead to Brussels, Journey of Hope and Bike for Europe) have all focused on using the bicycle and other sustainable modes of transport and encouraging people to think beyond their cars when it comes to commuting.

Open Streets Day will serve as a bridge between EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK (16-22 September) and the European Week of Sport (23-30 September), promoting both environmentally-friendly modes of transport, as well as encouraging citizens to celebrate the joy of being active. The day will involve the temporary closure of public roads to traffic and opening of them as safe venues to play, cycle and be physically active. Event registration will open soon and it will be free to register any event, big or small, that involves opening streets to the public for various activities.

Active transport for all is UCI's goal this World Bicycle Day

The “Cycling for All” department of UCI, one of ISCA’s partners in the EU-supported Bike for Europe project, is currently hosting a range of fun and engaging cycling activities for World Bicycle Day in the Swiss town Aigle, where the company’s headquarters is located. It is also gathering kilometres from local cyclists to buy bikes for World Bicycle Relief. ISCA spoke to Isabella Burczak from UCI about the day.

“We are delighted to celebrate this historical moment at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle today with a full programme of activities for local schoolchildren and members of the public. In addition to allowing participants to discover various types of bicycles and cycling disciplines, as well as test their skills with fun and interactive activities, the event will also bring together several organisations such as UN Environment, World Bicycle Relief, Vélafrica and Pro Vélo Suisse to promote the benefits of the bicycle, and raise awareness for local and global initiatives which these organisations are currently leading. If you want to get active on June 3rd and help promote urban mobility in Africa, do not hesitate to take part in our World Bicycle Day Strava Challenge!” she says.

World Bicycle Day was officially adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2018 and encourages UN Member States to raise awareness on the benefits of cycling as well as to improve road safety and infrastructure.

“Cycling is a fundamentally safe, healthy and convenient way to move about within cities, as long as we keep working to continuously improve road safety and ensure that cycling is perceived as a safe activity. This will come about through strategies focused on infrastructures, new technologies, urban planning and the behaviour of all road users. One key concern is guaranteeing space for active mobility in new infrastructure projects and urban planning; as cities continue to grow, cycling, walking and public transport should be seen as a priority in transport planning, allowing for the development of urban environments which are healthier, more active and socially inclusive,” Burczak says.

Find out more about World Bicycle Day

Open Streets Day is supported by the EU Erasmus+ Sport programme as a flagship event of the 2019 European Week of Sport promoting the #BeActive message. If you would like to know more or organise an event for the Open Streets Day, get in touch with ISCA’s Project Coordinator Laura-Maria Tiidla