Support from British Cycling members has helped to influence a crucial EU transport infrastructure vote, which will help to integrate cycling into European transport policy and potentially unlock billions of Euros of funding for infrastructure improvements.
The European Parliament’s Tourism and Transport Committee has voted on crucial guidelines for EU transport infrastructure. For the first time, MEPs have decided to include cycling within the Trans-European Transport Network ('TEN-T') guidelines, opening the door for billions of Euro in cycling investments.
Earlier in December, British Cycling urged its members to write to Brian Simpson, MEP for the North West of England, asking him to restore cycling to its appropriate place in the Ten-T guidelines.
"It’s great news that the European Parliament have listened to the views of millions of cyclists across Europe and voted to include cycling in strategic transport policies. We need to see leadership from Europe on cycling, if the UK and other countries are to become real cycling nations."
Martin Gibbs, British Cycling Policy and Legal Affairs Director
Today thanks to pressure from a number of groups, it has been announced that the Committee has voted for the following amendments:
"Synergies with other policies should be exploited, for instance with tourism aspects by including on civil engineering structures such as bridges or tunnels bicycle infrastructure for long distance cycling paths like the EuroVelo routes."
Martin Gibbs, British Cycling Policy and Legal Affairs Director welcomed the news and thanked members for their support:
“It’s great news that the European Parliament have listened to the views of millions of cyclists across Europe and voted to include cycling in strategic transport policies. We need to see leadership from Europe on cycling, if the UK and other countries are to become real cycling nations.
"Key to that is putting cycling at the heart of transport policy. We especially want to thank our members for responding to our call and writing to MEPs on the issue. The efforts of members and other organisations have paid off.”
The vote will now go to the Parliament’s full plenary before the details are discussed and negotiated with EU Member States at the Council of the European Union later next year.
