ECF welcomes the City of Helsingborg to Cities & Regions for Cyclists, a network that brings together local and regional administrations actively working to promote cycling as a mode of transport and leisure.
Helsingborg is a coastal city in southern Sweden with a population just over 150,000 people. Following years of investments in cycling and exemplary mobility management practices, Helsingborg was awarded as Sweden’s best city in cycling promotion for 2022 “Mest cykelfrämjande stad” by Swedish ECF Member Cykelfrämjandet. Examples of measures include
- Bicycle Library: the city offers free e-cargo bike and cargo bike rentals for three weeks. More than 400 residents have used this service, with 25% confirming they purchased their own (e-)cargo bike as a result.
- 300 Test Cyclists: this is a project with Lund University to inspire a modal shift away from cars towards cycling as a mode of transport. Up to 80% of participants who test cycling for commuting purposes for six weeks, wish to continue. Currently a guide is being developed based on the project results to further induce behavioural change in neighbouring municipalities.
- Bike-friendly Workplaces: the city encourages local employers to promote cycling to work amongst employees and is also involved in a project on sustainable work travel Hållbara företagsresor 2.0, which aims to support 20 to 30 companies to transition to sustainable mobility management and digital meetings to reduce their CO2 emissions, as part of the pandemic recovery.
New cycling infrastructure
A new bike parking facility is due to be completed this spring, located beside the city’s central station to accommodate 540 bikes. The construction itself is designed with a special focus on user safety, for example the ceiling is made out of mirroring material to maximize visibility. The new facility is necessary to complement existing bike parking capacity in the area.
Source: Helsingborg
Varvsbron, the new walking and cycling bridge in central Helsingborg, is an important link that allows pedestrians and cyclists to reach residences, offices, trains, buses and ferries in a few minutes from the city centre. It was designed by the English architect Stephen James for Ramboll, and took three years to construct (2018-2021).
Between autumn 2021 and spring 2022, the city of Helsingborg has rebuilt and improved two new bicycle streets in the city centre. This means that sidewalks have been widened, cyclists have been granted priority, while overall better lighting and more greenery have been put in place. Specifically, the following rules apply:
- Vehicles may not be driven at a higher speed than 30 kilometres per hour.
- Vehicles may not be parked in any other place than specially arranged parking spaces.
- A driver of a motorized vehicle must adapt the speed to bicycle traffic.
Source: Helsingborg
Cycling for children
Helsingborg has a history of cycling education that dates to the 1950s. The Traffic School for children is attended by every child at the age of seven, at least once. A five-year vision is currently under development to become the best cycling city for children, which is seen as a means to a safe and sustainable city for all citizens.
Source: Helsingborg
Finally, Helsingborg, together with the entire region, offers a large selection for leisure cycling enthusiasts. Sweden’s first national cycle route “Kattegattleden” starts in Helsingborg. This is a 390 km long cycle path that stretches along the coast all the way to Gothenburg. Kattegattleden was named the “Cycle Route of the Year in Europe” in 2018!
Helsingborg joins a network of cities and regions committed to promoting cycling as a mode of transport and leisure, collectively representing over 50 million citizens across Europe and beyond.
For more information on ECF’s CRC network and how to join, visit our Cities & Regions for Cyclists page.
For more information on Helsingborg, click here.
