Cycling in the Era of COVID-19: Lessons Learnt and Best Practice Policy Recommendations for a More Bike-Centric Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our cities in monumental ways with no sector likely being more severely impacted than transport. Lockdowns, physical spacing, transport restrictions and stay-at-home guidelines have transformed personal mobility highlighted the mistakes of an unbalanced pro-car culture that defined a century urban planning. One immediate effect virus relation to travel demand supply was emergence active modes because their unique ability provide socially distanced way Cycling is one enjoyed significant attention. Numerous reallocated street public space cyclists introduced pro-bike interventions like pop-up cycle lanes, e-bike subsidies, free bike-share use traffic calming measures. This newly found outbreak-induced momentum creates opportunity establish new ethos allows promotion potentially permanent strategies may help cycling be (re-)established as robust, mainstream resilient mode for inner city trips not second-class alternative operating under automobile’s giant shadow. paper provides state-of-the-art description anti-COVID cycling-friendly initiatives been globally, successes failures these initiatives, lessons learnt can us redefine bicycle’s role local societies today best practice policy guide planning bike-centric future.