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Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for cycling and improved safety and convenience for , usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typically include policy, administrative and Bicycle law (the consideration of cycling in all governance); advocating and establishing better cycling infrastructure (including road and junction design and the creation, maintenance of bike lanes and separate bike paths, and bike parking); public education regarding the health, transportational and environmental benefits of cycling for both individuals and communities, cycling and motoring skills; and increasing public and political support for bicycling.
There are many organisations worldwide whose primary mission is to advocate these goals. Most are non-profit organisations supported by donations, membership dues, and volunteers.
Established bicycle embassies include the Dutch Cycling Embassy, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark and the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain.
The term was popularised by Danish people urban design consultant Jan Gehl, A Danish Urban-Planning Guru vs. Moscow, New Yorker, Sally McGrane, 8 Oct 2012 who has been instrumental in the promotion and implementation of the policy in Copenhagen.
For more than 40 years, Mr. Gehl has systematically studied public spaces to see how they really work, using Strøget and Copenhagen as a laboratory for his research. He has advised cities around the world, including Melbourne, London and New York, on how to improve the quality of urban life -- in his words, how to "Copenhagenize" their cities.
Independently of Gehl, Danish people urban design consultant Mikael Colville-Andersen coined and popularized the phrase the term in this meaning to a broader audience, starting in 2007 with the Copenhagenize.com" blog', that highlights how the bicycle can be an important tool in the creation of liveable cities. The term has since spread to Britain, to Europe, and elsewhere internationally. The Copenhagenize.com'' blog has inspired the creation of other blogs with the same focus for cities such as Amsterdam, Portland, Lisbon, Hamburg and Munich. Interview: 'EU must give cities strong tools for sustainable mobility' | EU – European Information on Transport & Services – EurActiv.com
Early Bicycle Ambassador programs began in Toronto in the late 1990s. Other cities picked it up over the following decade, Chicago being the largest. Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, and Arlington, Virginia, also have programs. Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City began programs most recently. Some programs are entirely youth focused, while others become a de facto part of the city Department of Transportation or other government agency.
The Forum has taken place in the Southern Brazil cities of Porto Alegre (2012 and 2013), Curitiba (2014), as well as Medellín, Colombia (2015) and Mexico City in 2017.
The Thailand Bike and Walk Forum was formed by the Thai Cycling Club (TCC) and the Thailand Walking and Cycling Institute Foundation (TWCI) in 2013. The forum meets annually to bring attention to cycling and walking as viable solutions to global issues including health-related and environmentally-related issues.
Major cycle advocacy groups include:
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