Funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Cycle Power Network is a 2-year project running from February 2023 until January 2025. The key aim of the project is to activate a knowledge-sharing network among municipal and regional planners working to improve conditions for cycling. Through a series of workshops and study visits, the network will identify measures that can be implemented in Nordic cities and regions to facilitate and enable a significant increase in trips made by bike to replace car use and reduce carbon emissions from the land-based transport sector.
By engaging in various topics—such as collecting and using cycling data, integrating cycling into multi-modal forms of transport, prioritising cycling work within political frameworks, and planning and maintaining cycling infra-structure in winter conditions—the project addresses the discrepancy that exists between current cycling aims and their implementation. Many measures have been put into practice by Nordic regions and municipalities. However, according to local partner organisations who focus on cycling, there is a need to qualify and strengthen these measures in planning and decision-making processes.
By facilitating Nordic collaboration on a range of critical topics, the project will lead to enabling residents in the Nordic Region to use the bicycle as a preferred mean of transportation.
The network provides planners with tangible input for concrete actions and measurable outcomes to facilitate the development of actions that boost cycling in their own contexts, as well as inspire other European cities and regions with similar challenges. Several findings from the workshops have been summarised into this policy brief, developed based on the discussions among the participating network of municipal and regional authorities and agencies. The policy brief aims to inform decision-makers about what can be done at local, national, and Nordic levels of policymaking to improve cycling conditions in the Nordic Region.
The long-term impact of the Nordic Cycle Power Network is to encourage a significant decrease of carbon emissions from the land-based transport sector. As more people choose to cycle, we will witness more positive effects on the climate, environment, and public health in Nordic cities and communities. Thus, the project produces a variety of social, environmental, and economic benefits that contribute to achieving the Nordic Vision.
Project coordinator: Nordregio
Knowledge-sharing facilitation: European Cyclists’ Federation
Participating cities and regions: Cycle Superhighways of the Capital Region, Cycle Superhighways of the Central Region, and City of Copenhagen (Denmark); Helsinki Region Transport and City of Helsinki (Finland); Icelandic Road and Coast Management Agency and City of Reykjavík (Iceland); City of Oslo (Norway); Region Stockholm, Region Skåne, and City of Stockholm (Sweden).