European Cyclists' Federation

European Cyclists' Federation

Motto	The Voice of European Cyclists for Over 25 Years
Formation	1983
Type	NGO
Purpose	"More people cycling, more often"
Location	Brussels, Belgium
Key people	Manfred Neun, President Bernhard Ensink, Secretary General
Website	http://www.ecf.com

European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) is an umbrella federation for national cycling organizations (organizations that promote bike for urban mobility) throughout Europe.

ECF was founded in 1983 by 12 bicycle user associations. It has now 74 member organizations representing over half a million individual European citizens in 39 countries. ECF actively promotes and encourages cycling worldwide while trying to enforce cycling policy at European level. One of its goals is to promote cycle tourism as a sustainable economic factor and environment-friendly mobility. It also focuses on the security of cyclists and safety for vulnerable road users. It also runs the Velo-city Conference Series, the EuroVelo cycle route project and lobbies European and international institutions.

Mission

The European Cyclists' Federation is pledged to ensure that bicycle use achieves its fullest potential so as to bring about sustainable mobility and public well-being. To achieve these aims, the ECF seeks to change attitudes, policies and budget allocations at the European level. The ECF will stimulate and organize the exchange of information and expertise on bicycle related transport policies and strategies as well as the work of the cyclists' movement.

The European Cyclists' Federation has set a number of goals for 2020 in a project entitled "2020 Objectives."^[1] Their goals are:

Cycling has at least doubled to 15% modal share on an average in Europe
International and national institutions in Europe recognise the value of cycling and incorporate it in all relevant policies
Investment in cycling at European and national level is at least 10% of transport budgets
Investment in recreational cycling and tourism is comparable to transport investments
The rate of 'cyclists killed or seriously injured per km' in Europe decreased by 50

Organization

ECF is a legal entity registered under Belgian law as an ASBL (non profit organization). Its statutes are published in the Moniteur Belge of April 24, 1997.

Picture of the 2013 ECF Board

General Meetings

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the highest body of the ECF. The AGM traditionally takes place in May and is organized by one member organization. The AGM approves the yearly work plan and budget and new board members. The previous AGMs have taken place in various locations in Europe, the 2009 AGM was in Brussels, 2010 in Gdansk, 2011 in Seville, 2012 in Vienna, 2013 in Brussels and 2014 in Dublin. The 2015 AGM will be held in Nantes.

Board

Board members are elected for 2 years and half of the board has to be voted on every year. The latest board members were elected in 2012 in Vienna. As of June 2013 the ECF president is Manfred Neun.^[2]

Projects & Networks

Velo-city

Velo-city is widely respected as the premier international cycling planning conference series in the world.

Velo-city began in 1980, and has played a part in the promotion of cycling ever since. The Velo-city conferences bring together all those who are involved in the policy, promotion and provision of cycling. This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the events' success. Since 2010, Velo-city has taken place every year internationally. The first Velo-city Global took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2010. Since then conferences have taken place in numerous locations, such as in Seville in 2011, in Vancouver, Canada, in 2012 and Vienna in 2013.^[3] The next conferences will be held in Adelaide in 2014^[4] and in Nantes in 2015.

EuroVelo – A cycle route network for Europe

The EuroVelo network has 14 routes with well over 40,000 km of bike paths in use. Thousands more are planned and when completed, it will total over 70,000 km. The network includes existing and planned regional and national cycle routes, crossing and uniting the whole European continent.^[5]

Cities for cyclists

The objective of the Cities for Cyclists network is to promote the bicycle as a means of transport. This will be achieved by spotlighting the policies and practices of a number of "cycle-friendly" cities across Europe and thereby encourage others to follow suit. The purpose of "Cities for Cyclists" is to establish a global ECF network of cities working to promote bicycle use in urban areas and encourage the exchange of knowledge. The Cities for Cyclist network tries to promote a change in urban planning and political thinking and cycle-friendly perspectives in planning and policy practices.^[6]

SLoCAT

SLoCAT is the Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport seeking to promote low carbon transport and environmentally-friendly policies. The overarching goal of the Partnership is to mobilize global support to reduce the growth of GHG emissions generated by land transport in developing countries by promoting more sustainable, low carbon transport. It is composed of a number of organizations like NGOs and research organisations.^[7]

Scientists for Cycling

The Scientists for Cycling network, launched at the Velo-city Global 2010 conference in Copenhagen, arises from the recognition that there are many experts in both natural and social sciences worldwide who are able and ready to contribute to ECF's mission: to improve and to increase cycling.^[8]

Cycling Industry Club

The CIC was created at EuroBike in 2011, and has since become the biggest player on Europe's advocacy scene. Funding and support from the bicycle industry's leading companies, it has created big changes across Europe, unlocking million in funding and getting more people cycling.^[9]

Advocacy

In order to influence the position of European authorities, ECF is working on several issues:

Health and Environment

ECF underlines the fact that cycling generates also positive externalities in the field of health. Therefore it supports a number of projects that ECF Member organizations have set up like the "Bike to Work" and "Bike to School" plans. ECF rejects the assumption that the necessary CO₂-reductions in the transport sector will be achieved by "greening" the private car. Thus ECF has published a declaration that states: "We call on all politicians and officials now to recognize the important contribution that cycling can, and must, make in tackling climate change. Please work with us to realize that potential and to guarantee a better quality of life now and in the future.^[10]

Road Safety

ECF is against mandatory bicycle helmet wearing and even refrains from promoting helmets. Helmets create the image that daily cycling in an urban environment is a dangerous activity whereas it is clearly not.^[11] The most efficient way to increase safety is to promote cycling: statistics show that the more cyclists are on the road, the safer it is to cycle in the city. The ECF also advocates more 30 km/h zones in residential zones to decrease the likelihood and frequency of accidents in urban areas.^[12]

Members

Membership of the ECF is open to organizations having an interest in the bicycle as an everyday form of transport or a means of recreation. Membership is subject to agreement by the majority of the existing members.^[13]

Full membership is open to European groups of cycle users who primarily aim at promoting the bicycle as an everyday means of transport or recreation, and who have paid the agreed subscription. This entitles them to vote at ECF AGMs.

Associate membership is open to: European groups who do not meet the criteria for full membership but who support the aims of the ECF, cycling organizations from outside Europe or other bodies with an interest in cycling.

They pay the agreed subscription, receive material and may attend the AGM or working groups meetings, but do not have voting rights at meetings.

Full members

Organisation	Country	Members
Go 2 Albania	Albania
Radlobby Österreich	Austria
Fietsersbond	Belgium	16,000
GRACQ	Belgium
Brest Cycling Community	Belarus
Minsk Cycling Community	Belarus
Green Tour Bosnia & Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgarian Cycling Association	Bulgaria
NGO – Moj Bicikl / My Bike	Croatia
Dansk Cyklist Forbund (DCF)	Denmark	16,000
Foreningen Frie Fugle	Denmark
Vänta Aga	Estonia
HePo (Helsingin Polkupyöräilijät)	Finland
AF3V (Association Française des Véloroutes et Voies Vertes)	France
FUBicy (Fédération Française des Usagers de la Bicyclette)	France
ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club)	Germany	140,000
HPV Deutschland	Germany
Filoi tou podèlatou (Friends of the Bicycle)	Greece
Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki	Greece
Cycling Club Orthopetalia	Greece
Magyar Kerékpárosklub (Hungarian Cyclists' Club)	Hungary
Landssamtök hjólreiðamanna - Icelandic Cyclists' Federation (LHM)	Iceland
Cyclist.ie	Ireland
FIAB (Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta)	Italy
Latvijas Velocelojumu Informacijas Centre	Latvia
Lithuanian Cyclists' Community	Lithuania
Cycle Luxembourg	Luxembourg
LVI (Lëtzebuerger Velos-Initiativ)	Luxembourg
Fietsersbond	Netherlands	35,000
Stichting Landelijk Fietsplatform (Dutch National Cycling Platform)	Netherlands
North Cyprus Bike Lovers Association	Northern Cyprus
SLF (Syklistenes Landsforening)	Norway
Miasta Dla Rowerów (Cities for Bicycles)	Poland
Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation	Poland
FPCUB (Federação Portuguesa de Cicloturismo e Utilizadores de Bicicleta)	Portugal
MUBi – Association for the Urban Mobility on Bicycle	Portugal
FBR	Romania
Bicycle Transportation Union (Велотранспортный союз)	Russia
Russian Cycle Touring Club	Russia
Jugo cikling kampanja	Serbia
Cycling World Serbia	Serbia
Ekopolis Foundation	Slovakia
Slovenský Cykloklub	Slovakia
Slovenska Kolesarska mreza (Slovenian Cyclists´ Network)	Slovenia
Biciutat de Mallorca (Cyclist City of Mallorca)	Spain
A Contramano: Cyclist Association of Sevilla	Spain
Cykelfrämjandet, The Cycling Promotion in Sweden	Sweden
Future Bike CH	Switzerland
Pro Velo Schweiz	Switzerland
Izmir Bicycle Association	Turkey
Bisikletliler Dernegi	Turkey
Kyiv Cyclists' Association	Ukraine
Cyclenation	United Kingdom
CTC (Cyclists' Touring Club)	United Kingdom