European countries want to expand the use of bicycles

THERE ARE 23 MILLION BIKES IN THE NETHERLANDS

The bicycle, which is part of everyday life in the Netherlands, is used by everyone from 7 to 70 years old. There are 23 million bicycles in the country with a population of 17 million. The Netherlands owns 2.3 percent of the world’s 1 billion bicycles, according to data from the Dutch Cyclists Union.
About 1 million new bicycles are sold in the country every year, most of the people use second-hand bicycles. In the Netherlands, 31 percent of bicycles are used for entertainment, 22 percent for work, 18 percent for going to school and 14 percent for shopping.

In the country where the bicycle sharing application is active, approximately 22 thousand bicycles are parked at more than 300 different points. In the Netherlands, where half a million bicycles are stolen every year, the damage from this theft amounts to 600 million dollars annually. The most bicycle-friendly cities in the world are Utrecht in the Netherlands, Münster in Germany, Antwerp in Belgium, Copenhagen in Denmark and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

CYCLING IS COMPATIBLE WITH SPORTS IN FRANCE

According to data from the French government, 4.5 percent of the French in the country will use a bicycle on a daily basis in 2021. Three-quarters of the bicycles in the country are preferred for sport and travel. France provided 67 million euros for its citizens to buy bicycles in 2017-2022. As of 2017, 17 million bicycles have been sold in the country.
The government has earmarked 2 billion euros for the Cycling and Walking Plan 2027-2030 to encourage cycling. The aim is to achieve the objective of 100,000 kilometers of bicycle paths and 90,000 safe bicycle parking spaces in the Netherlands by 2030.
The cabinet wants the bicycle to become an alternative vehicle for short distances and that the use of this vehicle becomes widespread among children.

While shared bicycles relieve public transport in Paris, it will be possible to reach the sports fields for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by bicycle. This year’s Tour de France, which has been organized since 1903, will start on July 1 in Bilbao, Spain.

CYCLING ROUTES IN BELGIUM WITH NATURE

There are many cycle paths intertwined with nature in Belgium. The bicycle, which is more preferred for travelling, is used as a means of transportation by half of the public. Because the Flemish Region is flatter and more developed in terms of infrastructure, it is more suitable for cycling. Eight times more bicycles are used in this region than in the rest of the country.
In Belgium, about 15 percent of people commute to work by bicycle. The government is carrying out projects to stimulate cycling in Brussels by expanding the number of cycle paths. Every year, on the third Sunday of September, the roads in Brussels are closed to traffic and the use of bicycles is encouraged.

BIKE IS ESSENTIAL FOR 55 PERCENT OF GERMAN

According to the German Ministry of Transport, bicycles are used in the country as a means of transport during leisure time, during holidays, to work and to school. While the number of bicycle users increased in Germany during the Kovid-19 period, interest continued to increase after the epidemic. 80 percent of Germans use the bicycle and 55 percent of the public see the bicycle as an indispensable means of transport. About 80 percent of households own at least one bicycle and 30 percent own 3 or more bicycles. There are 78 million bicycles in the country. While the German government and local authorities are encouraging the use of bicycles, metropolitan cities are also building wide cycle paths. The government supports the use of bicycles, which it believes will significantly contribute to achieving climate protection goals, through various programs it has set up for local governments.

“City and Country” As part of the programme, the government will allocate a total of more than 1 billion euros until 2024 to improve the cycling infrastructure of municipalities.