Green Deal Bicycle

Transportation by bicycle has many advantages: cycling is good for the environment and it is good for one’s health. For a sustainable, healthy Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, with vital residents and employees, it is therefore important to encourage the use of bicycles.

We do this by connecting organisations to the Green Deal Bicycle in order to develop innovations to increase bicycle use and reduce or remove barriers for cyclists. The Amsterdam Economic Board is an initiator, as are the MRA Bureau, the Vervoerregio Amsterdam and BYCS. Together with businesses, governments and knowledge institutions, we are en route to motivate more businesses and residents in choosing cycling as a mode of transportation.

Read more about Green Deal Bicycle in our publications and event reports.

Councillor Marja Ruigrok talks about Green Deal Bicycle. Continue reading below the video.

What does Green Deal Bicycle do?

We want 100,000 additional cyclists by 2025 within the Amsterdam region. Together with partners, we are working on four themes:

1. Regional network of innovative bicycle service points

The goal is three to five bicycle service points in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area by 2025, preferably distributed regionally and varied by target groups of cyclists (commuter, sport cyclist, recreational cyclist, etc.).
The bicycle is a very good and fast means of getting from A to B – even over slightly longer distances. However, precisely then a need for more service on the road arises; repairs, sheltering from a rain shower, buying refreshments or charging the battery. Therefore, in 2023 the regional authorities – together with the Green Deal partners – will further examine which locations along the region’s main bicycle routes are suitable for a bicycle service point.
A first bicycle service point will open in 2023 in Schiphol-North. We will apply the lessons learned from this pilot when designing new bike service points.

2. Bicycle-friendly working conditions for employers

The goal is to have as many employers and employees as possible using bicycle-friendly working conditions by 2025; such as a bicycle mileage allowance, facilities at work such as a changing room, secure bicycle parking or help with minor repairs, so that commuting by bike increases, CO2 emissions are reduced and employers can have more vital employees.
Regional governments and Green Deal partners continue a focused lobby for simple, understandable laws and regulations for bicycle use, so that as many people as possible will choose to cycle.
Governments and partners also agree to work to improve information on existing laws and regulations. This simplifies complex arrangements and helps organisations and employees take advantage of bicycle arrangements.

3. Understanding impact of increased bicycle use

To make cycling attractive to a wide audience, knowledge and data is made available to organisations, companies and researchers inside and outside the region. Based on this, we can offer better insight into what the impact is of increased bicycle use in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. The Waardecreatiemodel (Value Creation Model Green Deal Bicycle, in Dutch) which we have developed with the Impact Hub, provides a good basis for this.

4. Children and youth on bicycles (ages 2-20)

The goal by 2025 is to help as many children and youth as possible start pedaling. Fewer and fewer children and youth are using bicycles to get home, to school, sports or friends.
One way we do this is by investigating the impact of having a bicycle for (young) children and what interventions would help young people choose a bicycle. We make attractive offers for the cost of public transport and cycling and we develop an app to encourage bicycle use. We also involve strong partners, such as top cyclists from Team Jumbo-Visma, and we support the junior Bicycle Mayor’s petition.

Watch the video about Green Deal Bicycle, or read on below.

What do residents gain from this?

With Green Deal Bicycle we contribute to less CO2 emissions, better accessibility, more healthy residents and vital employees in the region.

Role of the Amsterdam Economic Board

In the Green Deal Bicycle initiative, the Amsterdam Economic Board has taken a coordinating role. In 2023, we’ll be working on:

• New collaborations, acceleration and innovations for the four themes, by driving and connecting parties. Among other things, through at least three Green Deal Bicycle Meetups.
• Broader appreciation, support and implementation of the Green Deal Bicycle approach and actions. By connecting with initiatives around stimulating active mobility, both at the EU, the state and the provinces. For example, at the Actieprogramma Actieve Mobiliteit 2022-2027 of the Province of Noord-Holland (pdf in Dutch).
• A dashboard for administrators and decision makers that provides insight into the impact of bicycle use. To that end, we will continue working on the Waardecreatiemodel Green Deal Bicycle (pdf in Dutch).