Santa Coloma, Spain: Promoting cycling to reduce carbon emissions and tackle gender inequality

Sixty-two per cent of all journeys in Barcelona’s metropolitan region are under two kilometres, making bicycles and e-bikes a more sustainable alternative to cars. But in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a neighbourhood of 118,000 residents located northwest of the city, private car use remains high. It’s the leading cause of air pollution and the source of 73 per cent of Santa Coloma’s daily carbon emissions.

“A lot of residents work outside of the neighbourhood which increases their dependency on private cars. Plus, they take up a lot of public space. This further exacerbates transport poverty and inequalities, which is why active mobility is so important for Santa Coloma,” says Barcelona native Simón Álvarez Belón, a Program Manager at Bicycle Mayor Network (BYCS).

Hoping to reduce private car use, the municipality has been expanding its cycling infrastructure since 2017, including investing in more cycle lanes, increasing bike parking facilities and creating a shared public bike system. To make cycling even more attractive, accessible and inclusive – especially for residents such as women and children – Santa Coloma recently established the ‘Cycling Promotion Lab’ project.

The municipality of Santa Colomba has partnered with the Dutch cycling non-profit BYCS to aid the success of the Cycling Promotion Lab. This is one of five projects selected for the Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge, a programme coordinated by EIT Climate-KIC and funded for the second year through the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) America via a grant from FedEx.

The Cycling Promotion Lab aims to tackle some long-standing barriers to cycling participation, including a large gender discrepancy. Eighty-two per cent of bicycle users in Barcelona are men – and a survey by the local transport authority found that 72 per cent of women reported a lack of confidence and a negative perception of safety which prevented them from cycling. On the other hand, 20 per cent of those non-cyclists said that access to adapted bicycles, such as those with child seats, would motivate them to take up this alternative mode of transportation.

“Increasing cycling participation among residents, especially women and children, has a range of social and environmental benefits, including a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions,” explains Simón.

Young cyclists learning how to ride in Santa Coloma.

The project also wants to address ‘soft’ barriers such as a lack of cycling skills, confidence, and education. Practical initiatives such as women-led training workshops, free bike repair sessions and intermodal workshops advising residents how to combine biking with other public transport modes, aim to further boost an uptake in cycling.

Simón hopes this approach will help improve access to bikes, boost cycling skills and build confidence: “This project has so much potential. The bicycle has been a really freeing tool my whole life and it’s such a joy to see people enjoying riding a bike for the first time. I hope this community-based approach will create a window of opportunity for Barcelona,” he adds.

EIT Climate-KIC is committed to helping transform over 400 cities into thriving, climate-resilient communities. Our collaboration with FedEx shows what is possible when corporations, city officials and citizens come together to unite for a common purpose. The success of the Challenge demonstrates the transformative power of public-private partnerships in reimagining urban mobility.

To learn more about the other participating cities, click the button below. 

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