World Bicycle Day: reasons to celebrate it on 3 june

One person wakes up in his still dark room. It’s Monday morning and he is starting his work week. A quick shower to stretch, a fleeting breakfast. Keys, wallet, cellular. He is ready to confront the day. He leaves home and when he gets to the doorway walks towards a bike, still chained, just to set it free and ride his way through the city streets.

Which city? Anyone. The silhouette of our protagonist, man or woman, may well be decorating the foreground of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Pink House in Buenos Aires, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing or Antwerp’s Cathedral. He might be wearing a warm coat to fight against the wind that’s blowing in his face, or maybe he is wearing summer clothing, keeping a slow pace because the sun is starting to warm up. Either way, this person is part of a one billion member community that, with this simple ritual, are helping to save the Planet in a way they maybe cannot imagine.

World Bicycle Day is being held with this in mind, and the UN has marked the date on the calendar as 3 June. 

World Bicycle Day, day for sustainable transport

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 June as World Bicycle Day, a date marked on the sustainability calendar to underline the importance of this means of transport given its contribution to the health of people and the planet.

With the celebration of World Bicycle Day, the UN encourages member countries to promote the use of bicycles to boost sustainable development, promote physical exercise, prevent pollution- or sedentary lifestyle-related diseases and make them a viable alternative to polluting modes of transport. In order to do this, we need to develop infrastructures and road safety plans to enable travel around cities using this clean, sustainable, economical and healthy mode of transport.

More than 100 million bikes

The use of two wheels instead of four is the best alternative to congested traffic in every city all over the world. Did you know that every year more than 100 million bikes are sold globally? It’s a figure that multiplies by four the numbers in the 70s decade, and for sure proves that the concern about the Planet is growing. Besides, it is nothing new if we explain that it is the most economical, ecological, sustainable and healthy mean of transport.

Each pedalling of a cyclist somewhere in the world means a puff of air for the Planet. Each meter travelled with no other help than the lungs involves one car less emitting CO₂ to the atmosphere. Each kilometer of bike lane built is a mobility barrier torn.

The bike is here to stay

Electric bikes, public bikes services, cyclotourism routes… Being healthy and respectful with the environment is part of our responsibility as citizens. The freedom, quickness and sense of wellbeing that this type of locomotion brings us is unparalleled to any other. Whether it is used as a mean of transport for work or as a recreative activity, the bike is present in hundreds of millions’ people way of life.

So, do you like to ride? Are you going to celebrate this massive party? Tell us about it and participate in our poll

Sources: RTVE, International Bicycle Fund, Expansión