Spain’s best cities for bicycles revealed

They will get awards in different categories during an upcoming event in Malaga

On 8 July, Malaga will play host to the second edition of the Encuentro de la Bicicleta Urbana – a large meet-up event of the Spanish network of bicycle-friendly cities RCxB. One of the most exciting features of the event will be the handing out of awards to the cities and regions that have implemented the most creative and inventive solutions in terms of making their territories great for cycling.

The ceremony is yet to take place, however, the winners in the separate categories for the Bikefriendlies 2021 were already announced on 1 July.

Showing different ways of adapting the urban environment to micro-mobility

The Province of Pontevedra has obtained the Bikefriendly 2021 Award in the 'Leadership and commitment' category thanks to its efforts to design and develop instruments aimed at promoting the use of bicycles on its territory. A total of ten public entities submitted their candidacy for this category. 

Gipuzkoa Province got the Bikefriendly 2021 Award in the category of ‘Cycling infrastructure’ for having designed and promoted new infrastructure and services needed to ensure bike traffic circulation that is fast, safe, convenient, consistent and intuitive. Thirteen public entities opted for recognition in this category in this edition. 

In the category of 'Education and Promotion', the City Council of Pamplona earned the Award. The council has demonstrated its commitment to cycling mobility through actions aimed at combating the barriers that hinder the daily use of the bike through education, encouragement and communication to citizens. In this category, a total of 15 applications were received.

In the fourth and last category, that of 'Bikeconomy', the Torrent City Council stands as the winner for having promoted economic activities related to the bicycle sector that affect local economic development. Five administrations submitted their applications in this category.

In addition, the 2021 Bikefriendly Awards jury has decided to award the following prizes among the nominations received:

• Accésit Innova to the City Council of A Coruñafor its actions in the modification of traffic in a way that increases the cycling infrastructure.
• Accésit Sprinter to the Valladolid City Council for its Green City Strategy and the rapid implementation of the Sustainable Corridors Network through low-cost technical actions.
• Accésit '30 Days by Bike' to the Logroño City Council for its involvement in the dissemination and promotion of the 30 Days by Bike 2021 campaign among its citizens.
• Accésit 'Bike to Work' to the Fuenlabrada City Council for its Commuting Clean Fuenlabrada project and its comprehensive commitment to intermodality that favours going to work by bicycle.

In the evaluation of the nominees, the innovative component of the projects, their real and measurable impact and tangible results have been taken into account, as well as their replicability and the level of involvement of local agents, citizens and stakeholders.