The new cycling yearbook shows the growing trend of bicycle traffic
In addition to numerous infrastructural innovations and improvements for cyclists, Ljubljana introduced this year, when we hosted the largest international cycling conference Velo-city 2022, we also published a new, already fifth cycling yearbook.
The yearbook for the years 2020 and 2021 summarizes the most significant achievements, projects, measures, statistical data, activities and findings about cycling in the City of Ljubljana during this time period.
It is an important publication the City of Ljubljana has been putting out every two years since 2012 as with it we present and record the state and progress in the field of cycling. The collected data transparently show that the growing trend of bicycle traffic is stable.
The benefits of cycling
Deputy Mayor Prof. Janez Koželj. Photo: Sandi Fišer
The introduction in the Cycling Yearbook 2020-2021 was again written by Deputy Mayor Prof. Janez Koželj, who rides a bicycle practically every day and knows the area well both from the point of view of a city planner and from the point of view of the user – cyclist. He highlighted some of the advantages of cycling: »In doing so, we cyclists constantly wonder how it is that so many people are still trying to drive short distances with their cars, because by all accessibility criteria, the bicycle is demonstrably the most effective means of relaxed transportation around the city, and that on the shortest routes and at different distances from door to door. Unlike in cars, when riding bicycles, we are constantly in direct contact with the city, its architecture, nature, activities and people. In addition, urban cycling also brings the most benefits to the community, the environment and the economy.«
The epidemic impact on cycling
The COVID-19 epidemic and related measures had a significant impact on traffic habits. This is evident above all in the number of journeys by bicycle in March and April 2020, while in 2021, despite the still declared epidemic, there were 50 to 70 percent more cyclists than in the same months in 2020.
Many interesting cycling topics
In the yearbook, we present even more visible improvements for cyclists, statistical data on the cycling infrastructure, data from bicycle traffic counters, the expansion of the BicikeLJ system and rentals of these popular bikes.
Cycling also affects air quality, and the graphs in the yearbook show a clear trend of improvement in air quality both over a longer period of time when sulphur dioxide was used as the measure for air pollution, as well as in the last two decades when more attention has been focused on air pollution with particles PM10.
At the same time, we discuss topics such as new arrangements in forests for cyclists, delivery by bicycle, and the safety and education of cyclists in traffic. We describe how we in the city administration encourage cycling in the workplace and how we promote cycling in Ljubljana, both through promotional and awareness-raising campaigns and events, as well as through co-financing various organizations. We also highlight sport and recreational cycling and well-maintained cycling paths and parks where you can relax.
Photo: Žiga Intihar
This time, we also published the Cycling Yearbook 2020-2021 in English, as we distributed it to over 1,200 participants of the Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana conference.
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The new Ljubljana cycling yearbook (pdf, 22 MB)