Promotion

The Policy Guide on Cycling Promotion
The guide offers a comprehensive overview of all reasons why to promote cycling culture in cities nowadays.The core topics are: events, training and education, information, competitions, local partnerships, lobbying, marketing and promotion planning, cycling and large-scale events.

Find here the Policy guide and the Table of contents. These materials are available for free download.
Policy guide Promotion of cycling [English] Français Italiano Hrvatski Polski Magyar
Policy Guide Promotion Table of contents [English]

The 9 Fact sheets
The 9 Fact sheets on promotion of cycling in urban areas focus on 3 topics:

1. Awareness raising
2. Information
3. Training and programmes

1. Awareness raising
Broad Promotional campaigns
In the same way that car manufacturers use emotion-based marketing to sell the idea of a lifestyle connected with buying a given car, the idea of cycling can be “sold” to the general public. A broadly-focused promotional campaign for cycling puts – or keeps – cycling in the public eye in a positive way. A campaign is us ually associated with a particular slogan or image (or both), although the specific messages conveyed by your campaign depend on your target audience.
Broad promotional campaigns [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL] [Magyar]

Safe cycling campaigns
Some aspects of cycling safety are addressed through infrastructure or other improvements while others are the responsibility of cyclists themselves. Particularly (but not only) in areas with relatively low cycling numbers, some cyclists may see their bike as a form of recreation rather than as a mode of transportation, and may therefore not understand their responsibility in traffic situations. Safe cycling campaigns involve education, encouragement, and support of safe behaviour on a bicycle.
Safe cycling campaigns [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

Targeted campaigns
A study in the UK showed that nearly half of children wanted to cycle to school but their parents or schools were opposed for safety reasons. In areas where very few adults cycle, children aren’t able to learn the habit – and the necessary skills – of cycling from their parents. In such cases, a school cycling campaign can help children develop skills and habits to make them life-long cyclists, and perhaps even to influence their parents’ transportation choices.
Targeted campaigns [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL] [Magyar]]]>

Bicycle barometers
Show cyclists that they count. Bicycle “barometers,” or counters, can serve as a promotional tool to raise awareness of cycling for transportation in an urban context. Bike barometers display the number of cyclists that pass by per day and per year. Highly-visible barometers create a focal point for cycling in a city and lead to a higher identification of the citizens with, and acceptance of, the bicycle as a daily mode of transport. People are often surprised by the number of cyclists in their city and fast-growing numbers are impressive.
Bicycle barometers [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

Bike events and festivals
Since everybody loves a party, a bike festival is a good way to attract positive attention to bicycling. Bike events and festivals serve as a fun way to get people interested in cycling and to give them a hands-on experience with bikes and bicycling. Festivals and events – whether small or large scale – should be fun, participatory events that allow you to connect with potential cyclists and to educate them at the same time as they’re being entertained.
Bike events and festivals [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

2. Information
Bicycle maps
Bicycle maps are a “must have” component for promoting cycling. A bicycle map is more than simply a depiction of the local bicycle lane network. It gives recommendations for routes, informs about the quality of paths, the volume of traffic, bicycle parking or bike access. A high-quality bicycle map also provides information about various cycling-related topics such as cycling in the urban context or bicycle signage. It also serves as a concrete indication of a city’s support for cycling.
Bicycle maps [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL] [Ukrainian]

Cycling information centres
It’s not always obvious to people who are becoming interested in cycling where they should go to find out more. A cycling information centre is a physical office or centre (as opposed to an online resource) which serves as a “face” for cycling and whose purpose is to provide information on all aspects of cycling in a town or city. A mobility centre serves a similar purpose but has a wider mandate to provide information on all sustainable mobility options.
Cycling information centres [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

3. Training and programmes
Targeted adult training programmes
Many adults would welcome the opportunity to cycle for transportation if they felt able to do so. A significant barrier for some European cities to overcome is a lack of cycling skills among their adult populations (or particular sub-groups thereof). While some never learnt the basics of balancing on two wheels, others simply need to learn the skills needed to cycle safely and confidently in traffic. Targeted training addresses both of these needs.
Tageted adult training programmes [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

Bike testing events
People whose last experience on a bike was as a child on a single-speed bike or people with physical limitations that don’t allow them to ride a standard bike might be surprised at the range of bikes today that are comfortable and enjoyable to ride. While information on bikes can be gained through other means, the hands-on experience of a bike testing event is much more likely to help people find the most appropriate bike for them and thus to create a lasting enthusiasm for cycling.
Bike testing events [EN] [FR] [IT] [DE] [HR] [PL]

Back to top