The Baltics are currently the most dynamic region in Europe when it comes to developing new national cycling policies. After 2024, when Lithuania was the only country in the entire pan-European region to have adopted for the first time a national cycling strategy, the same honour went to Estonia this year, 2025.
Estonian authorities adopted the “Eesti rattastrateegia 2040” (Estonian Cycling Strategy 2040) complemented by a 2025-2029 Implementation Plan.
The strategy sets out a series of measurable 2040 cycling targets, including:
- Increase the cycling mode share to 13%, up from 5% in 2021;
- Increase the percentage of commuters travelling to work primarily by bicycle to 10% (2.5%);
- Increase the Nº of bicycle trips per year to 120 million (49 million);
- Increase the average length of a bicycle trip by 20% (3.66km);
- Increase the total km cycled per year to 500 million (157 million).
Another noteworthy target is a 26% more energy-efficient mobility output, with transport GHG emissions reducing from 1,159 kt CO2e/annum to 727 kt CO2e/annum. It can only be applauded that the CO2 savings potential through more cycling is explicitly recognised and calculated in the strategy.
Intervention areas
In order to achieve these targets over the next 15 years, the strategy identifies 8 broad intervention areas where it wants to take action. These areas are:
- Empowering the public sector in implementing the cycling strategy
- Planning and building a convenient and accessible cycling infrastructure
- Supporting the seamless combination of cycling and public transport and so-called last mile solutions
- Developing road maintenance principles that promote year-round bicycle use
- Improving equal and fair treatment and safety for cyclists
- Developing and securing long-term and sustainable financing measures
- Creating a positive image of cycling
- Supporting cycling tourism and entrepreneurship
While the strategy itself remains vague on detail, the specifics are provided by the 2025-2029 Implementation plan, which lists sub-activities in each intervention area, describes the expected result/impact, allocates responsibilities, sets a deadline and defines the need for additional public sector resources. A total of 45 activities are described in more detail in that way.
Among these 45 activities are those that typically could also be found in other national cycling strategies, including 2.8 “Expanding and improving the existing cycle path network”, 3.3 “Enabling bicycle transportation on public transport, marking bicycle transportation options in timetables” and 8.1 “Updating Estonian EuroVelo routes”.
An activity that could be explained by Estonia's specific geo-political context would be 5.7, which says: “Including the bicycle as a crisis-proof means of transportation in the guidelines for conduct in crisis situations.”
As the EU is increasing its budget to about €15 billion for “military mobility” in the 2028-2034 Connecting Europe Facility Fund, it should be looked at to what extent cycling can be incorporated into the financing of projects of such nature.
The implementation plan concludes with the message that the total additional resource requirement for the 4-year cycling strategy would be to the tune of €96 million, or €24 million/year. Put against expected savings of about 250-300M€/year, the investment yields a return of 4-8 euros for every Euro invested.
With Lithuania and Estonia now having explicit national cycling policy frameworks in place, attention turns to Latvia, whose “Bicycle Development Plan” 2018-2020 has long expired. Will Latvia’s cycling policy see a comeback?
Sources: https://kliimaministeerium.ee/liikuvus/eriprojektid/rattastrateegia
