The European Commission has published its latest road safety figures for 2020. According to the report, there were around 3,900 fewer road deaths in the European Union in 2020 compared to 2019.

Following amendments in 2018, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) provided more than just a symbolic link between the European Union’s two most energy consuming sectors – transport and housing.

Minister and Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) Patrick Harvie gave a keynote speech, on Thursday 4 November, live from the sidelines of COP26, taking place in his native Glasgow. This year’s Cycling Scotland conference once again took place online with prominent members of the Scottish cycling scene, public authorities and government all beaming in to share the latest developments in national cycling and active travel policy.

Protesting the near-exclusive focus on electric cars and total absence of active mobility in the official Transport Day agenda and the draft transport declaration, a global coalition of civil society organisations led by ECF called on world leaders and governments to recognise the importance of cycling to reach climate goals.

Since it was published on 2 November, over 190 civil society organisations have added their signature to the letter, which now counts more than 250 signatories from all over the world, including ECF, Greenpeace and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The letter calls on governments at COP26 to commit to significantly increasing the number of people who cycle in their countries in order to reach climate goals quickly and effectively.

The new Plan Velo 2021-2026 is set to capitalize on the COVID-19 pandemic cycling boom that has seen a seismic shift towards active mobility by Parisians. The increased funding will be channelled along several different lines with the common objective of reducing motorised traffic in the city and encouraging cycling, walking and public transport as the new normal.

The world needs much more cycling if we are to combat climate change. Without quicker and more determined action by governments worldwide to cut transport carbon emissions, we will be dooming present and future generations to a world that is more hostile and much less inhabitable.

On 6 October 2021, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to sign off on a report that set out their long-term vision for road safety in Europe.

On 28 September 2021, the European Commission published new guidelines for the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle, with favourable mentions towards cycling.

We will need much more cycling if we are to combat climate change. Without faster and more determined collective action by governments to cut global transport CO₂ emissions, present and future generations will be doomed to a world that is more hostile and less inhabitable.

Many existing policy guidelines cover the principles of planning and designing cycling infrastructure. However, most of them have been developed with a focus on urban areas and at the municipal level. With the arrival of electrically-assisted bicycles and the cycle tourism boom, there is now a clear need for planning cycling networks at the regional level as well.