A Cycling City is a Sustainable City. So What’s Stopping us? [thisbigcity]

Here at This Big City, we think the bicycle is a key component in creating sustainable cities. In fact, encouraging bicycle use seems like a total no-brainer to many of those whose work, studies, or just general interest points them in the direction of sustainable urbanism. But something is stopping the bicycle from becoming a mainstream mode of transport in many cities, and we want to know why. So This Big City and Future Cape Town are devoting this wednesday’s#citytalk tweetchat to the topic of cycling and cities.

We’re lucky enough to have the European Cyclist’s Federation (ECF) joining us for the chat. Here’s what they had to say about why cities should become cycling cities:

By 2050, we’re going to see 3-4 times more global passenger mobility and we’re going to have to accommodate the transport needs of more than 9 billion citizens. Mass urbanization presents an amazing opportunity to get more people cycling: 30% of urban trips are less than 3km (1.86 miles) and more than half of all trips are less than 5km (3.1 miles).

[keep reading at This Big City]