This year the conference was held in Dublin and brought together 1,500 delegates from 65 countries. The Minsk Cycling Society was first represented at the conference by bicycle adviser Pavel Nishchenko.
The point of contact for bicycle activists, businessmen, designers and scientists. And this is just the beginning of the list!
The Velo-City conference is the world's largest a conference on cycling infrastructure, cycling innovation, cycling safety and the social and cultural change brought about by cycling globally.
Bicycle City is a forum where those who promote and popularize cycling, politics at the local, regional and national levels exchange experience and knowledge. As well as those who are involved in design - engineers, architects and transport planners, professionals from the health, tourism, academic education, environmentalists, business representatives and those who just love to ride a bike.
For the first time Velo-city passed in 1980 in Bremen and over time became the largest and most influential event in the world of cycling.
Initially, the guests and speakers of the conference were mainly cycling activists, but today Velo City is well known for gathering specialists from very different areas... This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the event's success. The city where the conference is taking place usually provides the associated infrastructure, which stimulates an increase in the number of cycling trips.
New cities and continents. How the conference helps the development of cycling
Cycling City is being organized ECF (European Cycling Federation) and host city. The principle is this: every even year, the forum is held in a European city, and then on another continent, in order to constantly expand the international composition of participants.
The main goals Cycling City:
- Dissemination of knowledge, the latest information and innovations in the field of cycling on a global level.
- Exchange experiences with cities where cycling is developed to show the benefits they provide to their residents.
- Recognizing the bicycle as an efficient, environmentally friendly mode of transport and promoting its wider use.
- Integration of cycling infrastructure into the transport system, urban planning and other areas.
- Supporting local cycling organizations and civil society communities.
- Representation and interaction of all parties.
300 lectures, bike parade and infrastructure "excursions"
This year the conference was held in Dublin and brought together 1,500 delegates from 65 countries. For Dublin this was the second conference, so it was possible to compare how conditions for cyclists have improved in the city during this time. Read about the development of cycling in Dublin here.
The conference lasted four days, during which time more than 300 lectures were held in 80 sections in the main areas:
- Technology and innovation
- Health and society
- Environment and infrastructure
- Science and cycling
One of the main events of the conference was the bike parade and a holiday for participants and residents of the city.
Also during the conference it was possible to get acquainted with the cycling infrastructure of the city together with local specialists.
This year, the Minsk Cycling Society was represented at the conference for the first time by a bicycle advisor Pavel Nishchenko. The trip was organized within the framework of the project “Urban Cycling in Belarus”, funded by the European Union.
“I think that everyone who is somehow connected with cycling should visit the Cycling City at least once. This is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the latest research on the topic of cycling and to establish professional contacts. It is very inspiring to see examples of cities changing in favor of pedestrians and cyclists. "
All presentations from the conference can be found here.
Text: Pavel Nishchenko, Daria Kosko
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/181878686@N07, Pavel Nishchenko
