BYCS

Start Cycling Together is a cycling and life skills programme for children who recently arrived in the Netherlands as refugees and impacted by humanitarian crises. The programme is run by BYCS and is supported by SportUtrecht. In 2025, City of Amsterdam, Gemeente Utrecht, Alkmaar, Heerhugowaard, and Harderwijk will join the project! https://lnkd.in/eSpevXc7 #DCEnetwork

We couldn’t be happier with the immense progress of this project in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, led by our colleague Simon Alvarez Belon! Through the Cycling Promotion Lab, initiatives like women-led training and free bike repair sessions are creating opportunities for everyone to cycle confidently and safely. This project is an exciting step towards reducing car dependency and carbon emissions in the region. We’re also excited to share that the call for new projects is now open! Climate-KIC and FedEx Express Europe are looking for innovative projects that promote clean, sustainable, and inclusive mobility. If you’re working on a project that improves active mobility and greening in European cities, this is a great opportunity to gain support. 🌱 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/euTfWW9c

How can we make cycling the easiest and safest choice for caregivers and children in Barcelona? 🌍 🚴 💡 Some info on this challenge: In the metropolitan region of Barcelona, 93% of all journeys are under 10 kilometers, making bicycles the perfect sustainable alternative to cars. Yet, due to safety concerns and infrastructure gaps, this sustainable mode of transport remains underused, especially among caregivers and children. ✨ How do we aim to make a difference? As behavioral science experts at Nudgd, we’re thrilled to be part of the #TotesEnBici project to help tackle this challenge along with amazing partners like BYCS, @Biciclot, La CIBA. Espai de recursos per a dones, Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), the Ajuntament Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and Climate-KIC, and help create environments where everyone can confidently choose healthier and more sustainable transport options and make them a part of their everyday lives 🎉 🤝 📣 Stay tuned for more project updates! Photo credit: @Biciclot (originally shared on their Instagram). #CyclingForAll #TotesEnBici #UrbanMobility #NudgingSustainability #EITClimateKIC #BYCS #Nudge #Nudging

Five new cities are joining the Start Cycling Together programme! ✨ In 2025, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Alkmaar, Heerhugowaard, and Harderwijk will implement the programme, made possible through our partnership with Stichting Life Goals Nederland and the support of SportUtrecht. Kicking off in March, we’ll work with local partners in these cities to inspire and empower youth through cycling. We’re excited to see this initiative come to life and can’t wait to welcome the first participants on this journey!

Another successful Bicycle Heroes finale in Zwolle! 🚲 🇳🇱 Last Saturday, Tijn and Koen (9) were announced as winners of the Bicycle Heroes Challenge in Zwolle. This second edition of Bicycle Heroes in Zwolle engaged primary school children from all across the city, inviting them to come up with ideas to make cycling in Zwolle more fun, safer, and easier. Thirty finalist Cycling Heroes were guided by the team of Designathon Works and BYCS colleague Nienke Sluimer to develop their ideas into prototypes. They presented their ideas to a professional jury with amongst others Bicycle Mayor Marijn de Vries and last year's winner Subhan Hakimi, led by councilor Gerdien Rots. Bicycle Hero of the Year Tijn won a beautiful bicycle for his invention of a glowing fluorescent glove that makes hand signals highly visible in the dark. 💡 Koen won the audience prize, chosen by all the other finalists. He came up with an app that awards points for every kilometer cycled, and these points can be redeemed for products at local shops. Finalists who enjoyed the experience have been invited to join the Bicycle Heroes Council of Zwolle, which will advise the municipality on how to make cycling in the city safer and more fun. Ina Conkic, Corina van Doodewaard, Gooitske Zijlstra, Erna Jansen - van der Meer #ZwolleWereldfietsstad #ZwolleFietst #Fietshelden #BicycleHeroes

Wil je in jouw gemeente ook meer kinderen op de fiets en wist je dat het aantal kinderen dat fietst al jaren daalt? Dat moet anders! Daarom is **START fietsen** ontwikkeld en CROW gecertificeerd: een programma dat peuters en kleuters (2-6 jaar) spelenderwijs leert fietsen op de opvang en in de onderbouw van het basisonderwijs. START Fietsen heeft een sterke component ouderbetrokkenheid (i.s.m. BYCS) om zo de fietscultuur een boost te geven. Bij Hero Kindercentra hebben we afgelopen halfjaar met trots het programma **START fietsen** uitgevoerd – en wat een geweldig succes was het! 💪 Kinderen, ouders én de medewerkers genoten en leerden samen.  Benieuwd naar de impact van dit programma? Bekijk de video hieronder! 🎥   #Start #Bewegen #Peuteropvang #HeroKindercentra #Groeifiets #BYCS

In many contexts, the weather can be less than ideal for learning to cycle for up to half of the year. Cold, heat, rain, and snow often mean that learn-to-cycle programmes stop activities for 5-6 months, resulting in reduced retention of skills and knowledge, reduced interest and stimulation to cycle, and reduced connection to the cycling community. As a result, programmes often experience higher dropout rates and longer delays before new cyclists can start cycling regularly. In this blog, co-written by BYCS' Alex Baum and Esther W. from Outride, we highlight a few organisations who, with a range of creative solutions, have figured out how to maintain engagement with new cyclists. We hope this will stimulate other organisations to continue their engagement with participants throughout periods of inclement weather, hopefully leading to higher uptake of cycling! 💡 What strategies have you used to encourage cycling during extreme weather? Leave a comment or send us an email! Thank you to Bike Bridge, Waterloo Bike Bus, and the school teachers and Outride staff who contributed to this blog. ✍ Check out the blog here: https://lnkd.in/dme7BkhK Arcy Canumay, Bike Bridge, Outride, BYCS

BYCS' Alex Baum is thrilled to have been one of over 100 experts from 45 cities that contributed to the creation of Global Designing Cities Initiative's two most recent Streets for Kids resources, “How to Engage Kids in Street Design” and “How to Evaluate Streets Near Schools”. Additionally, we were excited to see a number of our knowledge products referenced in the guides, including 'Strengthening the human infrastructure of cycling' 'Cycling Cities for Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers'; 'School Streets to shape child-friendly cities', and 'The Power of School Streets'. Finally, two of our projects - 'Bicycle Heroes - Prioritising Youth Voices' and 'Youth Bicycle Mayor' - were used as case studies to demonstrate the value of encouraging kids to advocate for better streets. These two resources supplement the award-winning “Designing Streets for Kids” guide. Together, they offer cities extensive evidence, inspiring and diverse case studies, and practical tools to support long-term and meaningful change in kids' ability to move and enjoy their city. 👉Download here: https://lnkd.in/d7aaX8aX Hyperlinks: 1. https://lnkd.in/d7aaX8aX (Streets for Kids resources) 2. https://lnkd.in/eMeqC2Zf ('Strengthening the human infrastructure of cycling' report) 3. https://lnkd.in/ebhSyEBV ('Cycling Cities for Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers' report) 4. https://lnkd.in/erQj6geB ('School Streets to shape child-friendly cities' report) 5. https://lnkd.in/e38FAu5T ('The Power of School Streets' blog) 6. https://lnkd.in/dh4R4m5 (“Designing Streets for Kids” guide) FIA Foundation, Fondation Botnar, Van Leer Foundation

🌍🚴♂️ Next stop: Bratislava! We’re delighted to announce the kick-off of Cycle for Better Health in our second pilot city! 🎉🇸🇰 With the incredible support of our local partners, Tomas Peciar, Bicycle Mayor of Bratislava, Cyklokoalícia, and Cyklokuchyňa, activities are now underway. Workshops for bike repair and practicing cycling skills were held in collaboration with local NGO Ulitá. Together, we’re working to inspire more children in vulnerable communities in the Slovak capital to embrace cycling as a path to better health, increased physical activity, and brighter futures. 💪 This global journey is rolling forward, and we couldn’t be more excited! Novo Nordisk #CycleForBetterHealth #Bratislava #BYCS #CitiesForBetterHealth #NovoNordisk #YouthCycling #OurCityOurHealth #ActiveCommunities https://lnkd.in/eWtjnxkv

🌟 Exciting news from Almere! 🌟 START, a collaborative initiative by BYCS and Groeifiets, is proving to be a game-changer in fostering early cycling culture. This November, the second round of the programme launched at childcare centres in Almere, engaging toddlers and their parents in a meaningful way. The results? Above and beyond our expectations! 🚴♀️🚴♂️ START is not just another initiative—it’s a programme that truly works. We’re seeing firsthand how early cycling contributes to positive childhood development and lays the foundation for a lifelong love of cycling. Together, we’re building a cycling culture from the very beginning. Let’s keep the momentum going! 💪 #CyclingCulture #EarlyCycling #SustainableFuture #PositiveChange #BYCS #Groeifiets