image2 13.05.2017

Economical Benefits from Cycling will be Counted in Belarus

At first Cycling conference of Belarusian cities experts from Europe presented science researches about economical benefits from using bicycle as a transport. Such research will be also conducted  in our country.

 – Each kilometer by bike has it’s costs both to cyclist and society, however moving by car costs six times more  than by bike, – explains Anton Nikitin, Bicycle officer of Vilnius, municipality of Vilnius.

These numbers are from Copenhagen and the research  includes all the costs (road maintenance, accidents, climate change, health, time, congestions). Another scientific research says that those who commute by car are on average 4 kilos heavier than those who chose bikes. 

So, we see that cycling it’s not only health but also economical benefits.

Someone can say that it’s not Belorussian numbers and foreign experience is not always suitable for another country. Practice shows that problems and decisions can be similar, but our experts also have some plans:

 – We will make this first large-scale national research and count how many people in our country use bicycle as transport and how to increase this number,  – says  Darya Chumakova, deputy director of Center for Environmental solutions, manager of the project   “Urban Cycling in Belarus” that will be implemented in Belarus in 2017-2019 by Minsk Cycling Community and Center for Environmental Solutions.

This data then will be used in advocacy and informational companies to develop bicycle movement in Belorussian cities and towns.

The aim of the project "Urban cycling in Belarus" contributes to the development of urban cycling in Belarus through improvements in legislative and regulatory acts for cycling infrastructure at the national and regional levels; Increasing the capacity of organizations in the promotion and development of the bicycle transport system; Ensuring active participation of local citizens in attracting the attention of city authorities to the rights and opportunities of cyclists. The project will be implemented in Belarus in 2017-2019 by the Center for Environmental Solutions and the Minsk Cycling Community with the financial support of the European Union.