Cycling is changing the face of cities across the World

4 May 2020

As the world works to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 3.9 billion people are under full or partial lockdown orders, as of mid-April. Cities have curtailed many public transit operations because of declining ridership and health concerns. While these measures are essential for preventing the spread of the disease, they present challenges for the many people who still need to get around cities for essential tasks like buying food or caring for a loved one. And mobility for essential workers like health care providers is more important than ever.

In an article published by The World Resources Institute Alejandro Schwedhelm, Wei Li, Lucas Harms and Claudia Adriazola-Steil explain that some evidence suggests many people are turning to cycling as a resilient and reliable option to fill the gap.

The full article which can be read here shows that many urban cycling networks have seen a surge in traffic, including in China, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In Philadelphia, cycling has increased by more than 150% during the COVID-19 outbreak. Some governments are responding to the spike in demand by opening emergency bike lanes and giving essential workers personal access to their own bikes from shared fleets