European nations boost cycling for sustainability via growing bike paths and national plans.
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Cycling is becoming a central element of sustainable European mobility due to environmental goals like decarbonization and personal health benefits, leading to increased cycling infrastructure investment across EU nations. Portugal’s “It’s good to cycle here!” project aims to promote soft transport among children by implementing safe cycling paths in primary schools. France has seen significant growth in both bike infrastructure (28% increase) and bicycle sales (43%), prompting a national plan allocating €2 billion to become the world’s leading cyclotourism destination by 2030. European investments vary, with countries like Belgium and Denmark dedicating larger portions of their recovery budgets. EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes across Europe, supporting an estimated 2.3 billion annual tourist bike trips in the EU. In Italy, while there are about 5,000 existing routes, plans to connect train stations with universities aim to build 565 km of urban paths, addressing a deficit compared to other European nations. Sardinia is investing €12 million in new cycling paths to promote sustainable multimodal urban mobility. Spain has launched a national bicycle strategy focused on promoting cycling culture and involving various stakeholders; cities like Seville and Valencia prioritize bikes over motorized traffic, with significant EU funds supporting infrastructure development, including cross-border routes like EuroVelo 1 and 8.
