• Carried out by Fifteen and Ipsos, the study presents all the keys to building a cycling policy linked to the mobility habits of Spaniards and their preferences regarding cycling and bike-sharing systems.
• The study presents the views of current and potential users, analyses the challenges local councils face to increase the modal share of cycling, and offers the views of experts in the sector.
• EIT Urban Mobility collaborates with the study, that was officially launched last month in October.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE (available in Spanish only)

Barcelona, November 2023 – Spain passed the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law in 2021, which sets out measures to facilitate active mobility in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. Cycling, particularly bike-sharing services, can accelerate the transition and change mobility patterns. But what do Spaniards say?

77% of Spaniards support public bike-sharing service in their city to encourage its use as a sustainable means of transport, according to the monographic study ‘Bicicleta compartida en España: oportunidades y retos para una movilidad urbana más sostenible’ (Bicycle sharing in Spain: opportunities and challenges for a more sustainable urban mobility), carried out by Fifteen and Ipsos.

The report describes that cycling is the preferred means of transport for 19% of citizens, with men being the most frequent users (59%), and explores the perception of cycling as a sustainable and healthy mobility model, with 89% believing it plays an essential role in reducing carbon emissions and 82% believing it plays a vital role in reducing traffic. 1,900 cases were analysed to write the study, concluding that cycling has become a standard means of transport for 19% of the Spanish population, while 51% say they use a bicycle on occasion and 33% cite not owning a bicycle as one of the reasons for not cycling.

Following on from the studies carried out by ConBici and Red de Ciudades por la Bicicleta (RCxB), this study is an essential tool to inform the decisions of policymakers and enable technicians and associations to convince them of the potential of bike sharing in their cities.

In this article, you will understand:
– how we have the ability to address urban mobility professionals’ upskill needs and to guide them every step of the way, from discovering specific mobility challenges to overcoming them with industry experts and peers.
– how the pandemic taught us to tailor our online and on-site learning to fully benefit urban mobility professionals
– how we developed an extensive and diverse portfolio of courses and methodologies suitable for a variety of audiences.
– how we developed courses on a wide array of other urban mobility-related subjects, with perspectives ranging from social and tech to environmental. View our full catalogue here.

A high percentage of the urban mobility jobs we’ll do in 2030 haven’t been invented yet – does that fact excite and inspire you? Do you want to be a trailblazer, leading the way towards a better future in a career you love? Do you have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge?  We can help.

Now more than ever, we are changing the way our cities and transport are planned: think breakthroughs in new technologies, digitalisation of the industry and championing zero-emission cities. Mobility professionals know the importance of delivering thriving and attractive living environments to citizens of the cities they work in. They also know that their line of work demands learning and implementing new skills and gaining a better understanding of the swift and sometimes abrupt changes this sector faces.

Here at EIT Urban Mobility, we want to be at the forefront of knowledge sharing for urban mobility professionals every step of the way. We are constantly developing state-of-the-art applied training courses that empower sector professionals, decision makers and businesses at every level across Europe to upskill in a way that suits them.

We offer courses perfect for a variety of different people, from local authorities and transport providers to those in the mobility industry, academia and beyond – so if you are looking to upskill, chances are we can help.

As Jim Moran once said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it” – are you ready to own the future?

From Micro-Mobility and Electric Vehicles to Last Mile Logistics: What Will Become Your Specialisation?

We believe learning should happen in three steps:

1. Discovering – Your introduction to urban mobility, helping you to uncover the different aspects of this field and discover what you find most interesting
2. Understanding – Delving deeper into the topics you enjoy the most and developing an in-depth understanding
3. Overcoming – This final step takes your learning to the next level, bringing you together with experts and other industry peers to overcome specific mobility challenges

We have the ability to guide urban mobility professionals every step of the way, from discovery to implementation. Our Urban Mobility Explained initiative and our online courses facilitate keen students to learn at their own pace, allowing them to properly solidify their knowledge of urban mobility – they are the ideal for the discovery and understanding steps.

The overcoming step is where our applied courses come into play. They are a fantastic way to empower urban mobility professionals to overcome mobility challenges together with industry experts and peers. These courses bring people together, both online and on-site, allowing learners to take the knowledge they’ve gleaned and put it into action.

Our applied courses can take place on location (ideal for experiencing local infrastructure, workshops, networking), online (good for theory or to get together without having to travel) or a mixture of the two. They are the final step in truly and deeply understanding urban mobility while addressing your challenges at work.

The impact of the pandemic

We took away three key lessons from the pandemic:

1. The understanding part of learning can be done at home, at your own pace
2. Some of the overcoming step will always need to be done on-site, especially when we are looking at infrastructure and transportation – for example, each specific city will have its own unique features to discover
3. Parts of on-site courses can also be moved online, but they have to be completely re-thought to achieve the benefits and impact our students deserve – a ‘copy and paste’ approach just won’t work

All this means that we have been able to tailor our online and on-site learning to fully benefit urban mobility professionals like you. No matter where you are in the learning process, we understand exactly what you need – and how to give it to you.

Bridging an Educational Gap with Our Cycling Courses

One great example of how we’ve taken a learning opportunity from discovery to implementation is our cycling courses.

We know that there has been a rapid increase in cycling as of late, as individuals move towards more active mobility post-pandemic. Now is the time for cities to update their infrastructure to make it more inclusive and accessible for all types of travellers.

Cycling is of the utmost importance in urban mobility for a variety of economic, social and environmental reasons, and is changing cities and lives. By collaborating with leading European experts and organisations to develop impact-oriented courses, we are empowering a new generation of ambitious professionals to find the solutions we need to make our mobility greener and our cities more sustainable.

By researching what is important in the world of urban mobility today and discovering and bridging an educational gap, we’ve been able to give learners what they want and need: a proper understanding of cycling in relation to urban mobility.

The lifecycle of our cycling courses

We identified a need for cycling-friendly cities, which was exacerbated during the COVID pandemic. We wanted to empower urban mobility professionals of all levels, as well as spark a change in society, so we developed an extensive and diverse portfolio of courses and methodologies suitable for a variety of audiences.

Our goal? Easy – to make cycling a bigger part of city mobility.

Some of our cycling courses include:

• An online MOOC on cycling, disseminating the unique cycling experience and expertises of The Netherlands and Denmark; good for beginners
• A custom blended course for Transport Malta, taking the local infrastructure, mindset and current capabilities into careful consideration to ensure it was as beneficial for this city as possible; ideal for local professionals
• An open course on designing the cycling city in Rotterdam, based on the content from the original MOOC; excellent for design professionals and mobility students
• Two courses developed by other providers on the topic of cyclologistics: one in Belgium (next held in April 2023) and one in Italy (2023 date to be confirmed); great for urban mobility professionals
• A course based on the Danish experience/school of cycling, designed and run by the provider Copenhagenize: held in Copenhagen in English and Paris in French; generally for design and engineering professionals, graduate students and those with a personal or professional interest in bicycles
• The original MOOC on the cycling city offered to a Slovakian audience with online workshops, held over the summer; good for local professionals

And cycling is just the beginning! We’ve also developed courses on a wide array of other urban mobility-related subjects, with perspectives ranging from social and tech to environmental, such as:

• Planning for Autonomous Vehicles – Delving deep into how to plant or autonomous vehicles
• Mobility and Digitalisation – It’s key to understand the role new technologies play in an urban environment
• Virtual Reality – How does virtual reality fit into the world of urban mobility?
• And much, much more!

View our full catalogue here.

Take Learning to the Next Level with EIT Urban Mobility

Are you ready to take on the future and carve out the perfect role for yourself in the world of urban mobility? Take the first step today with EIT Urban Mobility.

If you are an individual looking to upskill, why not view our full selection of educational opportunities here? If you are looking for tailored training for your corporation or city, please get in touch with us to discuss how we can create the ideal course for you.

During the Velo-city conference 2022, that took place from the 14 until the 17 June, Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was fully garnished with butterflies. Those represented the visual identity of the annual flagship event organised by our partner, the European Cyclist’s Federation, and that symbolises change, development and metamorphosis. Indeed, the Slovenian capital made a drastic shift in the last 10 years regarding cycling.

EIT Urban Mobility was fully present in Velo-city with a booth, that attracted those interested in our programmes and that could learn more about our mission, specially regarding Active Mobility.

During the 3 days event, different conferences brought together those involved in the policy, promotion and the provision of cycling facilities and programmes. Edwin Heesakkers, EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub West director, took part of the Focus on citizens, stakeholders and community plenary session on Wednesday. Heesakkers highlighted the importance to engage with youth, women and marginalised groups.

“We’re breaking the silos to make the changes together. Why? Because cities are for you, for us, for the people who live in them. And it is of utmost importance that each of you can have your say in designing the city you will live in” Edwin Heesakkers, EIT UM Innovation Hub West director

On Thursday, Anja Ilenič, EIT Urban Mobility RIS Hub Slovenia representative, took part of the Engaging citizens and building the cycling community session. Ilenič introduced EIT Urban Mobility, some of the RIS Hub Slovenia initiatives, and same as Heessakkers, also stressed the importance of involving the youth in the decision making process. The same morning, EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Lifecycle officer, Manuel Crespo Yáñez, attended the conference The latest innovations from bike-sharing and micromobility, where he presented one of our projects that was also present at Velo-city, Bicification.

“The future of urban mobility is active mobility” Manuel Crespo Yáñez, EIT UM Innovation Lifecycle officer

In order to preach by example, the EIT Urban Mobility team present in Ljubljana took part in the traditional Velo-city Bike Parade, together with hundreds of other enthusiastic bike lovers.

Indeed, the conferences are designed to encourage cycling as part of daily transport and recreation. Velo-city began in 1980 in Bremen (Germany) with deep ties in the founding of the European Cyclists’ Federation. The next world cycling summit will take place in May 2023 in Liepzig. More info here

Have you ever wondered how cycling is contributing to the improvement of the local air quality, the public health and the level of liveability of the cities? If this is a topic appealing to you, our next Mobility Talks is for you!

If before COVID-19, cycling was a high priority for the policy authorities due to its benefits towards the environment, the virus has additionally reinforced the importance of cycling for the overall transport system resilience at all levels. As a result, a growing number of European cities start to supply their citizens with temporarily bicycling infrastructures (pop-up cycling lanes), providing short-term adaptations to their mobility policies.

Will these pop-up bicycle lanes be the “new normal” once the COVID-19 crisis is over? Do cities aim to develop those in the long-term cycling strategies? What do cities need to do to ensure a solid, long-term cycling policy, addressing local mobility challenges and opportunities, and how? 

To answer these questions, EIT Urban Mobility will host a webinar to discuss on the COVID-19 cycling policy and conduct, specially focusing on how to turn a temporary pop-up cycling lanes’ approach into a successful long-term cycling policy.

Programme (preliminary)

Welcome & introduction

Introduction by the event moderator, Jean Paul Judson, Founder and Managing Director of Nowmore.

Part 1: Visions

• Christophe Najdovski, Deputy Mayor of Transportation and Public Space, Paris
• Joost de Kruijf, Cycling Data Intelligence Specialist”, Breda University of Applied Sciences
• Miquette Vossen, Marketeer, Achmea- Interpolis.

Part 2: End-users, policies and practices

• Daniel Torma, Innovation Officer” at BKK, Centre for Budapest Transport.
• Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General, Polis Network
• Henk Swarttouw, Vice-President, European Cyclists’ Federation
• Kevin Mayne, Chief Executive, Cycling Industries Europe, Cycling Industries Europe

Wrap-up and conclusions

Edwin Heesakkers, Manging Director, Innovation Hub West B.V. EIT Urban Mobility

WHEN: 27 August 2020, 16.00-17.30 CET
WHERE: Online
REGISTRATION: Closed

Learn more about EIT Urban Mobility Talks here.

Presentations and recordings of Mobility Talks 4#

• Presentation ”Reshaping the city for cycling: perspectives from Paris”, by Christophe Najdovski, Deputy Mayor of Transportation and Public Space, Paris
• Presentation ”Customer oriented Cycling”, by Joost de Kruijf, Cycling Data Intelligence Specialist”, Breda University of Applied Sciences
• Presentation ”Cycling and Behavioral change”, by Miquette Vossen, Marketeer, Achmea- Interpolis.
• Recordings of the Mobility Talks Episode 4 available on our YouTube channel here.

Watch the session now!