The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) is an agency of the European Union. By means of a long-range plan this agency aims at accomplishing the European objective for sustainable development and for the continuity of energy supplies. That long-range plan includes 4 action fields, one of which is relevant for the bicycle sector, namely STEER. This programme promotes the support of alternative and sustainable energy sources in the transport sector.

 

In April 2008, EACI has launched a call for proposals for actions in the framework of STEER. ETRA and ECF, together with Timenco (a Belgian consultant specialised in bicycle infrastructure) submitted a proposal for STEER under the title PRESTO. The administrative and procedural follow-up was handled by Rupprecht Consult (consultant specialised in subsidy applications in the field of sustainability and mobility).

 

For STEER, EACI asked explicitly for action proposals aimed at: “increasing the role of cycling, e.g. by promoting modal shift or appropriate adaptations or bicycles, including supporting green devices (e.g. electric bicycles)”. This is a summary of the ECF-ETRA PRESTO proposal.

 

The share of the bicycle in urban transport in Europe is very diverse. For example in the Netherlands and in Denmark it is rather high, whereas it is still particularly low in the new Member States and in Southern Europe. The problem of low cycle usage in urban transport should be tackled on 2 fronts:

1) the European cities must facilitate cycling and stimulate it by providing sound infrastructure and promote cycling

2) the road users must be made aware of the advantages of cycling in urban areas

A growing number of cities is becoming aware of the potential of cycling in urban transport and as a result, seek

advice and support for the development of their cycling policy. Therefore, it is useful to strive for knowledge transfer between on the one hand cities which have progressed already far in cycling policy and on the other hand cities that are only at the beginning. That is exactly what ETRA and ECF try to achieve with their proposed action.

 

In the preparation phase, the PRESTO consortium has selected 5 European cities to take part in this project:

Bremen (forerunner), Grenoble (middle group), Venice (middle group), Zagreb (beginner) and Tchew (beginner). With those cities, the consortium aims at organising an action based on 3 pillars: infrastructure, promotion and electric bicycles. The consortium wants to organise knowledge transfer related to those 3 topics as well as implementation of the transferred knowledge in association with the local administrations, with the users and also with the bicycle dealers.

 

This project is intended as a test case for an initiative, which in the long term will be expanded to many more European cities. Early 2009, the consortium should know whether its project has been accepted. Upon that, the project, which is planned over 3 years, could be launched in March/April 2009.

 

The Accell Group, Giant and Ultramotor have agreed to sponsor the project should EACI accept it.

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