Flensburg gets pedaling: City cycling starts on June 30th!

Flensburg gets pedaling: City cycling starts on June 30th!

Today, June 30, 2025, the nationwide “City Cycling” campaign began in Flensburg and will last until July 20, 2025. The aim of this initiative is to make cycling more attractive in everyday life while avoiding CO₂ emissions. Marc Geiss from the city of Flensburg speaks with a clear request: “Cycling is not only environmentally friendly, but also arouses enthusiasm.” Individuals, school classes, clubs and companies can take part and collect kilometers together for climate protection. Every route you travel counts, whether to work, to school or for leisure.

However, Flensburg is not alone in its quest to promote cycling. Other cities in Germany are also implementing similar measures. In Düsseldorf, city cycling started on May 29th and runs until June 18th. Groups like the “Hellerhofer and Garather Radelfans” take part here. In Düsseldorf, too, every route you travel in everyday life counts – be it for shopping or to work. In addition, exchanges for better networking between cyclists in groups are promoted. The goal is to be among the top five in the civic engagement category, which further increases the incentive to save CO₂. Registration takes place via www.stadtradeln.de/duesseldorf.

Cycling for the climate

But why is cycling so important for climate protection? An analysis shows that it is a zero-emission mode of transport that does not produce greenhouse gases or air pollutants during use. According to the German Climate Protection Act, emissions must be reduced by 65% ​​by 2030 compared to 1990. This is a challenge, especially since the transport sector in Germany causes over 22% of total greenhouse gas emissions. From 1990 to today, little progress has been made in reducing emissions in the transport sector. Increasing the share of bicycles to 30% could save around 1.7 million tons of CO₂ annually - a number that makes you think.

Interestingly, around 19 million people in Germany commute every day, with only 10% using bicycles regularly. For example, if you cycle 10 kilometers a day, you can save around 365 kilograms of CO₂ annually. For comparison: a car produces between 150 and 200 grams of CO₂ per person-kilometer, while cycling only requires 5 to 10 grams. Over 40% of all car journeys in Germany are shorter than 5 kilometers - routes that are ideal for cycling.

Economic efficiency and quality of life

However, the benefits of cycling go beyond just reducing emissions. Cycling improves the quality of life in urban areas by contributing to low noise. Bicycle parking spaces only require about the space of a car parking space for up to 10 bicycles. This space efficiency is an important argument when it comes to planning cities. In this way, German society is succeeding in promoting the transition to a multimodal transport system in which the bicycle plays a key role.

Cities that already rely on bicycle-friendly planning, such as Copenhagen and Münster, impressively show how the quality of life is improving. It is clear that promoting cycling is not only essential for climate protection, but also for urban development. In short, cycling is a climate protection measure that can be implemented immediately and that each of us can easily integrate into our everyday lives.