Raising awareness and building infrastructure: the wheel moves ahead in Cádiz

The city of Cádiz has made great progress in the implementation of new cycling infrastructure, specifically a planned network of bicycle lanes. Thus far, 90% of the planned lanes have been installed. Following the recommendations of Munich, a Handshake Cycling Capital and a mentor city for Cádiz, the lanes have been designed so that they are segregated as much as possible from traffic. They have also been painted to promote further visibility.

Another cycling-related advancement is an awareness-raising campaign that focuses on the use of bicycles by schoolchildren, which is planned to be launched in the second quarter of the 2021-2022 school year in January. The campaign will be implemented with the support of the Department of Teaching Physical Education of the University of Cádiz. There is a high level of anticipation and excitement locally, with the hope that the campaign will contribute to the promotion of cycling.

One particularly notable milestone in the advancement of cycling in Cádiz is the conclusion of a census study in 2020, which, for the first time since 2013, counted all modes of transport used in the city. The city was able to verify an uptick in the use of non-motorized modes, such as walking and cycling, amounting to a total of 13% of trips in some areas of the city. 

In addition, the city has put into place a new low-emission zone in the historic city centre, which implies a reduction of traffic speed and general support for the EU's Green Deal plan, which aspires to no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

Finally, the sustainable mobility advancements taking place in Cádiz were featured in the magazine Ciudad Sostenible, which drew further attention to the progress made by the city, as well as some areas for future advancement.