The Israel Bicycle Association promotes bicycle transportation and bike culture in Israel, aiming to improve the quality of life, the environment, public health and road safety, while also working to minimize social disparities.

 

The organization won the prestigious Green Globe award for successful environmental campaigns in 2008.

 

Many of our 25,000 members are active volunteers in different cities, promoting cycling issues in their local communities. Many others participate in various projects, including: Public Policy, Planning, Bike2Work, Bikes and Public Transportation.

 

National and Municipal Advocacy

 

We aim to pass the “Bicycle Bill” and the “Cyclists’ Safety Bill” in the Israeli Parliament. The Bicycle Bill sets requirements for bike infrastructure planning and development at national and municipal levels; defines shower-booth regulations in workplaces and a bike-parking standard. The bill also sets a framework for economical incentives for encouraging the use of bike for commuting to work. By initiating and promoting legislation we aspire to normalize the daily use of bicycles and increase cyclists’ safety.

 

Israel Bicycle Organization also works with Israel Roads (Maatz) on regulations for cycling along inter-city roads; cooperates with public transportation operators to resolve bicycle-train/bus integration issues and guides more than 100 local authorities in ways to promote bicycle transportation.

 

Replicating Tel Aviv’s success in other cities:

 

The bicycle project we initiated in Tel Aviv in 1994 developed into 116km of bike lanes, a municipal rent-a-bike project, free bicycle riding lessons and free weekly  bike events. We are working to adapt this experience to other cities.

 

Achievements from the last 3 years:

 

• Signing of the Brussels Charter by the Tel Aviv Municipality.

• Launching the Tel-Ofan Rent-a-Bike project.

• Pilot programs for bike-on-train, bike-on-inter-cities buses, and initiating regulations for bikes on the Carmelit (Haifa’s underground).

• Approval of electric bicycle regulations by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).

• Approval of bike-parking regulations by the Planning and Building National Council.

• Inaugurating the “Blazing Saddles” project (against bicycle theft).

• Approval of bike-lane planning guidelines for inter-city roads.

• Formation of a Bike-Lanes Along Roads national master-plan.

• Initiating a Road Cyclists’ Safety project together with Israel Roads, the police & The National Authority for Road Safety