CONEBI Speaks At the 2024 Inland Transport Committee of UNECE on Climate Action Partnerships and Commends UNECE’s Efforts to Develop a Global Definition of a Cycle
Switzerland, 20 February 2024 – Manuel Marsilio, General Manager of CONEBI was invited to speak at the United Nations’ 86th Inland Transport Committee (ITC) in a panel about International Cooperation, Intergovernmental Support and Partnerships for Climate Action. In his speech to Transport Ministers and governmental attachés as well as to United Nations agencies from all over the world, he highlighted the contribution of Cycling and the Cycling Industry to the fight against climate change and its pivotal contribution to green jobs and the environment in the ongoing mobility and industrial transition.
Manuel Marsilio, CONEBI General Manager, stated: “I always say that Cycling is a complete story: its benefits range from public health to the environment, the economy, the industry and the society, with a substantial impact on the highly worrisome climate change developments too. But without reducing, and stopping casualties and accidents involving
cyclists, cycling cannot express its full potential in contributing to a better climate.
“Transport contributes to about a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions and three-quarters of these come from road transport: bicycles and e-bikes play a central role in the context of the ongoing and future multimodal framework. I hope we will see a specific attention to cycling at the next COP 29.”
On the second day of the 86th Inland Transport Committee (ITC) session, Daniela Leveratto, representing the World Bicycle Industry Association (WBIA) commended the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Working Parties on Transport Trends and Economics (WP.5), and specifically the Group of Experts on Cycling Infrastructure (GE.5) for initiating the development of new cycle definitions. WBIA recognises the need for including e-bikes in these updated definitions, given that the existing definition in the 1968 Conventions do not include them.
WBIA has been actively involved in the deliberations and preparation of the new global definitions of cycles, speed cycles, and wide carrier cycles. The association hopes that these new definitions will be endorsed and used in the work of the United Nations, starting from the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) and included in the 1968 Conventions through the amendment procedure.
WBIA would like to emphasize that these new definitions play a key role in ensuring the safe usage of cycle infrastructure by users in every part of the world. While the WBIA waits for the new definitions to be considered by WP.1 and a process is started to amend the 1968 Conventions, the WBIA calls on the United Nations’ Inland Transport Committee (ITC) to invite its Working Parties to refer to these new definitions and use them once WP.5 endorses the report on the work of GE.5, which is expected to happen at the WP.5 session in September 2024.
WBIA is looking forward to applying the new definitions also within the work of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29).
“Out of all the types of road user, cyclists are the only type where there has been no decline in fatalities since 2010. It’s time to act,” Manuel Marsilio and Daniela Leveratto – CONEBI Technical Director – said at the end of the meeting.
For more information, please contact:
Manuel Marsilio, General Manager – CONEBI
Daniela Leveratto, Technical Director – CONEBI
