The new car is a bike at the Veloforum

At the Veloforum in September, everything revolved around the mobility of the future

OBERRIED - Bicycle, bike, pedelec: at the Veloforum, was the focus on Switzerland. The Swiss Bike Park Foundation had invited more than 150 guests from all over Switzerland to the clubhouse: politicians, representatives from the bicycle industry, mobility experts, health professionals and athletes.

Switzerland is one of the countries with the highest density of bicycles. 3.9 million bikes are in use in this country, and 2.7 billion kilometers are driven with them every year. The federal government would like to see this number double in ten years. This is essential if only because of population growth.

Bike paths should be made safer, more continuous and more frequently separated from highways. In addition, efforts are being made to simplify combined bicycle and public transportation. “We want to make Switzerland a little better by bicycle,” said host Thomas Binggeli in his welcome address. However, the bicycle needs a voice, and it was given that voice this afternoon: twenty speakers provided a platform for topics related to two-wheelers.

Fear of “bike face” “The bicycle has always been highly political,” stated Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. Thanks to it, the general population was suddenly mobile at affordable prices. In particular, female cyclists caused red faces, the magistrate said: husbands and doctors feared crooked backs, a loss of domestic peace and an unappealing “bike face”. But soon the streets belonged to the bicycles, until they were increasingly pushed out by cars from the Second World War onwards. “Today we are planning a restoration. The bicycle is an ingenious invention that offers so many advantages,” she said. “You would almost accept a bicycle face for it.”

Coexistence instead of street fighting Who does public space belong to? Marieke Kruit, a member of the Bern municipal council, and Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini, a member of the Geneva National Council, spoke about the importance of infrastructure. Matthias Küng, head of the Neufeld Grammar School, put it succinctly: “A car weighs upwards of 3.5 tons and is operated with a small accelerator pedal. Often, a cyclist is seen merely as an object to be overtaken, not as a serious road user.” Karin M?ssenlechner is the Dutch ambassador and is therefore well placed to compare the model of the Netherlands with Switzerland. She praised the fact that a lot has already improved here. In her home country, peaceful coexistence instead of street fighting is the top priority, and in fact there are more cycle paths than roads. This has not always been the case and is also thanks to the courageous intervention of politicians.

Solving the impossible “There are still many ideas that no one has yet invented.” The former NASA science director and current ETH professor spoke out clearly in favor of the bicycle. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement. How about if information about construction sites and traffic were available to cyclists in real time? Or if every bicycle were detected by every car long before the drivers see it, thanks to the appropriate technology? “Tomorrow's bicycle is an environmentally friendly platform that moves us. With technology that makes us safer.” The goal of doubling the number of kilometers traveled by bicycle by 2035 is ambitious and no single entity can achieve it alone. However, ‘most of the time, it doesn't take a spectacular solution, but constant improvement. Consistency wins over sprinting.’> Most importantly, young people need to have hope. ”Only people with hope change the future. They see difficulties and say: “It's worth tackling.” His tip for teachers and trainers: “Give young people time to solve the impossible, but don't tell them it's impossible.”

A comeback of the century Other speakers focused on the under-represented women in cycling and in industry. This is reflected, for example, in the suitability of bicycles for everyday use and in safety aspects. Beat Zaugg, long-standing Scott CEO and co-owner, explained the complex relationships in the development, manufacturing and supply chain. Stromer co-CEO Tomi Viiala praised the fast e-bikes, the speed pedelec, as “the new car”. They provide free wellness, you arrive on time and without the stress of finding a parking space. Once you've sat on an S-pedelec, you don't want to go back. They are the only sustainable alternative for commuter routes between 8 and 30 km. Battery recycling, health aspects and tourism issues were also discussed. The credo was always: a turnaround for bicycles is possible. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider sounded almost combative when she said at the end of her speech: “The comeback of the bicycle will succeed, and it will be the comeback of the century. On y arrivera.”