The signatories of this declaration ask all Ministers of Transport to acknowledge the following advantages of cycling as a daily mode of transport and for leisure activities:

1. Cycling offers affordable access to transport for most people, ensuring equitable inclusion.
2. More cycling helps meet society’s demand to cater for tighter budgets.
3. More cycling improves the impact of transport on the environment and on people’s physical and mental health.
4. Cycling (like walking) is a zero-emission mode of transport which avoids the by-products of individual motorised transport: air pollution, noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
5. Cycling reduces the human costs of transport as it causes less danger on the roads than individual motorised transport.
6. More cycling reduces traffic congestion and leads to a more efficient use of space for transport. Cycling cities have higher quality public space in general.
7. Modern public bicycle sharing systems improve the quality of public transport in cities.
8. Cycling in cities, towns, villages and other urban areas, in combination with public transport for long distances (between cities, towns, villages and other urban areas) is a sustainable way to meet people's mobility needs.
9. Safe and comfortable infrastructure for cycling enables young and elderly people to be mobile by using a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport.
10. Electrically assisted bicycles (variously known as pedelecs, e-bicycles, e-velos) give more people access to sustainable e-mobility than any other means of transport;
11. The potential of bicycles for transporting goods within cities and towns is often underestimated; a huge range of transport bikes could be used much more if the authorities were to create better conditions for this mode of transport.
12. Cycling is a resilient and robust mode of transport. This is an advantage in the event of breakdowns in energy supply networks and oil supply shortages; more cycling makes society less dependent on oil.
13. It is cheaper to invest in cycling infrastructure than in infrastructure for individual motorised transport. Integral cost calculations (including the health, environmental, social and economic costs and benefits) show that there is a high return on investments in cycling.
14. Bicycle user associations are ready to organise and to improve the role of individuals in the transport planning process.
15. Nowadays many cities are moving away from car-oriented transport policies and towards the concept of ‘cities for people’ by prioritising walking, cycling and public transport. Now they need the support of their national authorities.

The undersigned therefore call on all Ministers of Transport to promote cycling at international level and to invest substantially in cycling in their own countries during the years to come.

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