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Our 10 proposals at COPs to leverage cycling for climate protection

A disregarded leverage for transition

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NDCs are comprehensive climate plans that countries are adopting as pledges to achieve the Paris climate agreement. Their next revision will be in 2030. Even if half of the latest countries NDCs mention cycling, only a tiny portion describes an array of objectives, actions, budgets, governance, evaluation frameworks… For instance only 11% have objectives among the latest NDCs (*) While the combination of a realistic shift to walking/cycling/public transport could lead to 50% reduction in transport emission (**) this is clearly a disregarded leverage at the COP level !

(*data from PATH - Partnership for Active Travel and Health)
(**see research from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) )

Our 10 proposals for the COP 31
(June 2026 version)

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1/ Complete a basic structural network of bike lanes until 2030, especially with inter-town AND multimodal connectivity for daily journeys. If the base is already in place, make it ambitious !

2/ Decrease car traffic by limiting both speed and volume.

3/ Design dedicated plans going to 2030 and covering all the possible leverages to develop cycling (with appropriate, dedicated funding and implementation reviews that include the bike associations).

4/ Increase exclusive bike/walk areas significantly until 2030 near schools, public transport hubs, local shops, green areas.

5/ Generalize appropriate bike storage capacity in transport hubs, shopping area (!), schools, offices, homes until 2030 (incl cargo-bikes).

6/ Develop a time and a place for cycling : one mass yearly cycling event, for all ages to advocate to a wide audience + one "house of the bike" to repair, train, meet, host...

7/ Train and inform : training, especially below 12 and women, for better cycling and empowerment; promote financial benefits (cost is ten times higher per year for a car!).

8/ Develop the associated economic sector ( manufacturing, repairing, cycle tourism, leasing, sharing...) via specific tax incentives/subsidies.

9/ Develop cargo-bike logistics for "last mile" delivery (a recent study shows that 42% of utility van deliveries could be made with cargo-bikes).

10/ Implement and share very regularly indicators to measure and monitor (satisfaction, accidents, dedicated network size, modal share...).

Hard facts: how much carbon emissions can be saved with those proposals ?

Swapping one daily car trip for a bike ride for 200 days a year saves about half a tonne of CO2 per person annually​ Cycling UK - ECF


Transport emissions can reduce by 8% if one in five urban residents shift from cars to bikes​ Cycling UK


If short car journeys under 6km are replaced with cycling, emissions could decrease by 0.12 million tonnes annually​ RTE​


In cities, 75% of the journeys are under 3km, for cities where bike transport is only 3% of the modal split that is up to 72% of the transports that could be done by bicycle and thus reduce carbon emissions compared to cars or public transport !


The ultimate goal ? Contribute to
"80% walking, cycling and public transport
share in trips, to deliver 50% less transport emissions by 2030"
(credit : PATH - Partnership for Active Travel and Health)