This award was given for the first time ever in New York by Bloomberg Philanthropies in celebration of World Bike Day which took place on June 3.

As a result, Lisbon has now been awarded $400,000. This amount of money is planned to be used to help build high quality cycling infrastructure and better sustainable options for Lisbon residents and visitors. The aim of (BICI) is to help Lisbon increase the rate of cycling and promote well-being within the community by designing lanes in a way that could facilitate this. The award also includes the help of the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) who are experts on project development, designing cycling frameworks, data collection, and resident research.

Lisbon’s beautiful architecture comes with many pros but also cons especially for the cycling community, with its tight and steep cobbled streets, which aren’t the best for a cyclist commuting or a tourist exploring Lisbon. The help of the GDCI is really needed to be able to design bike lanes that will be accessible to all types of people.

In a press release, Skye Duncan, Executive Director of (GDCI) told The Portugal News: “Building safe, connected cycling networks is a universal need that benefits people’s physical health, mental health and well-being, just as much as it benefits the environment and economy.”

Studies have shown that a city with high end cycling development creates social and environmental benefits which in turn give the public a happier and healthier lifestyle. This has become more apparent than ever to the residents of Lisbon since coming out of the Covid-19 lockdowns a few years back.

Bloomberg Philanthropies / GDCI will meet with Lisbon and the nine cities representatives in London from the 26th to the 29th of June to start the planning process and discuss ideas between the ten destinations.

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP told The Portugal News in a press release: “These proposals to make cycling safer and more accessible will require robust technical assistance. The progress that these ten cities make will help clean the air, protect the environment, and drive economic growth, too.”

It is hoped that this initiative, created by Bloomberg for the first time this year, will be a success as it would help not just Lisbon but also other cities that have much smaller economies and need the funds to be able to build modern infrastructure for cycling and sustainable living.

Author

A passionate Irish journalist with a love for cycling, politics and of course Portugal especially their sausage rolls.

Rory Mc Ginn