The Network of Cities and Territories for Bicycles () already brings together 150 public administrations (municipalities, consortia and councils) to promote urban cycling mobility and has just held its annual assembly in Madrid. Silvia Casorrán (Barcelona, 45 years old) has been chosen as the first woman to head the General Secretariat of the entity, a position from which she coordinates the technical team, chooses priorities and urgent issues, and is in charge of communication. “It is very important to feminize these decision-making spaces,” she summarizes. In the coming months they plan to focus them and promote a European bicycle registry to find stolen ones.
Ask. ¿?
Answer. The previous edition [2022] It was post-pandemic, people avoided public transportation and walking and pedaling were on the rise. Now we return to the data from before. There has been a competition for the mobility of young people, who are not switching to cars or motorcycles, but to public transport, because it is the most economical system. In terms of positive data, the bike is used 10 points more than in 2008 (when the survey began), and thefts and accidents have decreased. The association of the bicycle with mobility has also increased, especially with the electric bicycle, which has tremendous potential.
P. Why is there a gender gap in cycling mobility?
R. According to several surveys, , and in many cities it still does not exist. We are still the main caregivers for our children and when we bike with them we also want a safe space. Segregated infrastructure should be on 20% of the streets, the main roads. In the other 80% it is necessary to guarantee that the speed limits are met; There it is more a matter of sharing public space safely and that if the limit is 30 kilometers per hour, it is respected.
P. Is it necessary to make women visible in this area?
R. We need more women in the world of cycling. The main users of sustainable mobility are women, both walking and using public transport; Not on the bike yet. It makes no sense that the main users are women and the decision makers continue to be men.
P. Is Spain a cycling country?
R. Spain is a sports, road, and cycling country. mountain bikebut in mobility it is becoming little by little and it is difficult, because the bicycle has to find its space in the cities and it is not easy because there is a lot of traffic. One of the barriers to cycling is the danger, which will continue as long as there is this amount of traffic and we do not invest enough in bike lanes.
P. Why is it so difficult to change urban mobility?
R. The rejection of change is inherent to human beings and we have become accustomed to having cities with a lot of public space dedicated to cars. Although Spanish cities are working hard and have more and more pedestrian centers, very walkable compared to Europe. The thing is that we don’t want cyclists to go through pedestrian areas, so we need the road to be calm for them as well.
P. Why are there cities that hardly build bike lanes?
R. I prefer to see it positively: thanks to public bicycle systems, many cities are offering an alternative for urban mobility, and municipalities have to provide spaces for cycling mobility. Removing space from the car is controversial because those who have ruled the city have moved by car. If we think about who designed the cities, they would be middle-aged white men, who worked from A to B and wanted to go quickly between those points, and they did not take care of children or adults.
P. ¿?
R. Some politicians have repented. It makes no sense: the new European air quality directive requires us to reduce polluting emissions (NOx and particles) by half and this forces us to take more radical measures regarding the distribution of public space. We are used to guaranteeing road capacity on the streets for cars and that has to change: we have to plan putting the pedestrian and the bicycle at the center. The electric bicycle has enormous potential for both personal and last mile use; In Germany, more electric cargo bikes are sold (200,000) than electric cars. It facilitates family mobility, shopping, delivery…
P. What do you plan for him?
R. The BiciRegistro is a tool to register the bike (the registration online It’s free, if you want stickers they cost seven euros) and help it appear in case of theft. We are working with the French Ministry of Transport to progress towards a European registration system. In France it is already mandatory, in Belgium and Spain it is voluntary. There is a lot of interest in the sector.
P. Is the bike political?
R. Party politics, no. The bike is health and I understand that all political parties want to defend health. It is not an issue of the left riding a bike: in Holland, the extreme right moves by bike. Yes, it is a political issue as to what we allocate public space to, and there the parties have to agree.
P. What role does public bicycles play?
R. Public cycling began in Spain about 20 years ago and has forced public administrations to create space for bicycles, has helped people who did not have bicycles to be encouraged to use them, and has democratized their use, especially electric ones. Because electricity is an important expense, and if you have not used it you do not know if it will be useful for your mobility; so it is a first step before buying an electric one. , you just need to specify them.
P. How to attract young people to cycling?
R. Public bike services are a very useful tool because today’s young people do not want to buy a car (and worry about parking it and maintaining it), but rather enjoy mobility. Young people want to get around cheaply, so public transport fare policies have greatly favored the use of public transport, and that is why they prefer it to the bike. By providing them with free access to the bike, perhaps some would sign up. And then there is a lack of road safety education on the use of bicycles in schools: the DGT says that it is already being organized and wants to do it with the Physical Education teachers.
P. Why is Barcelona more cyclist than Madrid?
R. Barcelona is more compact and its network of bike lanes is denser; Most of the basic streets have cycling infrastructure and you can move safely throughout almost the entire city. And the public bicycle, the , is very successful, a third of the city’s bike users ride public bikes. Valencia, Seville and Murcia have also opted for bike lanes on basic streets. The terrain of Madrid is complicated, but with the electric bicycle it should not be a problem.
P. Will the next battle be over sidewalks?
R. Let’s hope not, because in Spain we are basically pedestrians and we have to get any type of vehicle to go on the road. On pedestrian streets, if loading and unloading is allowed, bikes should also be allowed to pass.
P. What role can cycle tourism play?
R. In Spain we know a lot about tourism, we have incredible landscapes, very unpopulated territories and cycle tourism could really be a good economic activity for those areas. We want to promote three cycle routes: from Seville to Gijón, from Santander to Valencia, and the European route. We need Renfe and Adif to make it easier to carry bicycles on the train.
