Danube Cycle Plans

Priority

Better connected and energy responsible Danube region

Specific objective

Support environmentally-friendly and safe transport systems and balanced accessibility of urban and rural areas

Project Description

Cycling has become more and more popular in recent years. However, conditions for cycling in the Danube region differ a lot. Some countries already have significant share of its population cycling, whereas in other countries the importance of cycling for transport, health, environment and/or the economy is barely recognized so far. Cycling is often treated as a side topic – in transport policies as well as for most official professional education where future planners, etc. don’t get sufficient training on cycling. Cycling infrastructure development especially at national and transnational level lacks coordinated planning, funding and implementation.

The project Danube Cycle Plans addresses these challenges by setting actions to strengthen the three main pillars of cycling promotion:

1. Facilitate the development of cycling policies at national and transnational level supported by National Cycling Plans based on a common transnational Danube Cycling Strategy;
2. Support the provision of adequate cycling infrastructure by defining the Danube Cycle Route Network, developing common standards and deriving an investment plan to upgrade current conditions;
3. Increase the awareness of relevant stakeholders for the needs of cyclists and increase their capacity to promote cycling in the whole Danube region by implementing a mentoring system, inspiration events and national cycling conferences.

At the end of the project, relevant stakeholders will have more capacity and find improved framework conditions to promote cycling as an integral part of an environmentally-friendly transport system which contributes to the EUSDR aim to improve inter-modality and the DTP aim to support environmentally-friendly and safe transport systems. The project is embedded in THE PEP Partnership on Cycling (UNECE/WHO) who´s masterplan gives valuable input for the project and vice versa, the project´s outputs will backflow to the pan-European level.

Project partners

Environment Agency Austria, Lead partner
Partnership for Urban Mobility, Czech Republic, ERDF partner
KTI Institute for Transport Sciences Non Profit Ltd., Hungary, ERDF partner
Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic, ERDF partner
Ministry of Infrastructure, Slovenia, ERDF partner
Ministry of the sea, transport and infrastructure, Croatia, ERDF partner
National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism, Romania, ERDF partner
Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism, ERDF partner
Danube Competence Center (DCC), Serbia, IPA partner
Austrian Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism, Associated partner
Czech Ministry of Transport, Associated partner
Ministry of Regional Development, Czech Republic, Associated partner
Ministry for Innovation and Technology, Hungary, Associated partner
Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Associated partner
Association of regional development agencies of Slovenia, Associated partner
Slovenian Cyclists’ Network, Associated partner
Organization for Promoting Alternative Transport in Romania, Associated partner
Ministry of Tourism of Romania, Associated partner
Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Romania, Associated partner
Active- and Ecotourism Development Centre, Hungary, Associated partner
Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Republic of Serbia, Associated partner

Documents

National Cycling Strategy 2022-2026 – draft version (in Serbian)