There are 35 million daily cyclists in Europe and more than 100 million Europeans that cycle regularly. Yet the European institutions are failing to take cycling seriously as a mode of transport. Strategic EU documents keep failing to mention cycling and it is at risk of being sidelined by more powerful lobby interests. It’s time for this to change.
Important budgets are being decided between now and 2014, and we need to remind the European Parliament, a democratically elected body, that cyclists have a voice and a place in European policy. By putting pressure on them, we try to make sure that cycling is recognised as an important mode of transport.
The First Big Battle: Including Cycling in the Strategic European Transport Networks.
We need to remind the Parliament to take cycling seriously. On December 18, the European Transport Committee will vote on funding rules for major infrastructure projects in the strategic European networks (called Ten-T). The exclusion of cycling would mean that cycling provision would be excluded. Last year, the Parliament’s official opinion was to include Eurovelo, the European wide cycle network in this. Being included in this network would open up the path for billions of euros of investments in cycling infrastructure across Europe. Since then, the European Commission and the Transport Committee in the European Parliament have been preparing these guidelines, but have excluded cycling, despite the earlier recommendation.
With your help, we can try to change this. It's not too late.
Action to Take: Send Jim Higgins MEP, the Irish member of the EU Transport Committe an Email before Tuesday, December 18 - jim.higgins@europarl.europa.eu
A DRAFT letter is shown below for use, but feel free to use your own.
If you have time please also email the most influential MEPs on Transport Committee listed below.
· Georgios Koumoutsakos (Greece) georgios.koumoutsakos@europarl.europa.eu
· Ismail Ertug (Germany) ismail.ertug@europarl.europa.eu
· Gesine Meissner (Germany) gesine.meissner@europarl.europa.eu
· Mathieu Grosch (Belgium) mathieu.grosch@europarl.europa.eu
· Saïd El Khadraoui (Belgium) said.elkhadraoui@europarl.europa.eu
· Roberts Zīle (Latvia) roberts.zile@europarl.europa.eu
· Jaromír Kohlíček (Czech Republic) jaromir.kohlicek@europarl.europa.eu
· Magdi Cristiano Allam (Italy) magdicristiano.allam@europarl.europa.eu
· Brian Simpson (United Kingdom) brian.simpson@europarl.europa.eu
Any further questions, don't hesitate to contact ECF's Regional Policy Officer, Ed Lancaster. (e.lancaster[at]ecf.com)
