NANTES, France (BRAIN) — Some 1,500 delegates from more than 160 countries are gathered in Nantes, France, this week to discuss the future of cycling. More than 200 speakers are set to speak over the next three days at the event, which has been around for more than 30 years and is presented as the world summit on cycling.
Velo-city kicked off Tuesday night and continues through Friday. The opening plenary included an address by the EU commissioner for transport, Violetta Bulc, and the French Secretary of State for Transport, Alain Vidalies.
During the opening reception Tuesday, the European Cyclists’ Federation president and Nantes Mayor signed the Charter of Nantes, addressing the global climate change stakeholders and the COP21 summit in Paris later this year. The Charter will be presented to the congress participants during the conference this week.
Velo-city was born of a vision by ECF, whose aim is to bring together associations and organizations involved in the promotion of cycling in Europe and across the world. The conference series boosts the integration of urban cycling planning into public policy sectors including transport planning, land development, public health, education, environment, economy, energy and citizenship.
After Vienna (2013) and Adelaide (2014) and before Taipei in 2016, Nantes Metropole was chosen by ECF to host Velo-city 2015, at La Cité, Nantes Events Center.
Nantes has been named the world’s fifth most bike-friendly city and it’s situated at the crossroads of major cycling routes in Europe. The city was selected to host the conference for its exemplary commitment to cycling and sustainable policies.
A session on Wednesday will discuss the role of the industry in developing cycling and how businesses, cities and advocates can work together to grow the market. Speakers on the panel include Jerôme Valentin, CEO of Cycleurope Industries / UNIVELO; Klaus Bondam, CEO of the Danish Cyclists’ Federation; Tony Grimaldi, CEO of Cycleurope Group; Jeroen Snijders Blok, director, Accell Group; and Vicky Yang, CEO of Cycling Life Style Foundation.