Talking Bikes

PRESTO: un projet pour la promotion de l’usage du vélo en ville

Cinq villes européennes, Brême (Allemagne), Grenoble (France), Tczew (Pologne), Venise (Italie) et Zagreb (Croatie) se sont associées pour promouvoir l’utilisation du vélo en ville.

Sur le site web de Presto, on trouve 15 fiches actions pour concevoir des infrastructures cyclables autour de quatre thèmes, les aménagements, les carrefours et intersections, le stationnement, la combinaison avec les transports en commun.

Presto a également produit des outils de conseil pour organiser des campagnes de sensibilisation (à l’école, sur la sécurité, pour organiser des évènements), d’information et de formation.

Presto est soutenu par Intelligent Energy Europe.

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Presto: a project for promoting the use of bicycle in town.

Five European cities, Bremen (Germany), Grenoble (France), Tczew (Poland), Venice (Italy) and Zagreb (Croatia) have made a project to promote the use of bicycles in town.  We advise to browse the Presto website where a lot of resources are published: action sheets for designing cycling infrastructure, tools and tips for organizing awareness campaigns (in schools, around safety, how to organize events), information and training. Most guides are available in several languages.

Presto is supported by Intelligent Energy Europe.

We should all be Green Bikers!

In its newsletter from automn 2010, the UK National Agency for Leonardo, Grundtvig and transversal programs has published an article about Talking Bikes focusing on our partner from Newcastle, the community social enterprise set up in June 2006, Recyke y’Bike.

You can download the full bulletin on the Agency web site.

Go directly to page 6 of « edUKation Issue15″: Green Bikers.

The European Cycling lexicon

An illustrated passport-sized booklet, containing key terms for cycling, different types of bikes for different mobility needs, and good cycling infrastructure has been published in 27 languages.

It also contains information on EU-funding sources for cycling, and statistics on economic, health and environmental aspects of cycling.

This second edition of the Lexicon was launched at the international conference on cycling policy « Velo-city Global 2010 » in Copenhagen. It is the first publications of its kind and was prepared by the EESC’s Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN) in collaboration with the European Cyclists’ Federation.

« The lexicon is indispensable for anyone who wishes  to cycle in another European country. It raises awareness, both among citizens and at different levels of governance, about the many advantages of cycling and the need for good cycling infrastructure. »

Download the Bike lexicon in pdf (6,7 Mo).

More info on the European Economic and Social Committee publication web page where you can also ask for paper copies.

Rozmaviach Rover

Chris, Bob and Dave recorded what we did in Poland and then learned how to create a movie.

Can we develop the use of bicycles in le Puy-en-Velay?

The French learners of Talking Bikes have elaborated a questionnaire to evaluate the possibilities of developing the use of bicycles in le Puy-en-Velay. This questionnaire has been submitted to 118 inhabitants, who are called the « Ponots », the 2nd of March 2010 in various points of the town, with the help of the European partners being in France.

We have been surprised to discover than 62% of citizens have a bicycle, mainly mountain bikes or city bikes. The first reason for not having one is that it is too dangerous to cycle in town. 87% believe that the use of bikes could develop, for example by creating more cycling roads. This will reduce the Carbon dioxide (38%) and will make the city more friendly (32%). The « Ponots » are so more preoccupied by the common good than by their own health: nobody has expressed that it will be good for the health.

And when respondents says that it would not be possible to develop the use of bikes, all, of them thinks that it is too risky to run a bicycle with the car traffic.

80% have a positive opinion of the possibility to organize a renting system, 73 % believe that such an initiative could apply to their town and 68 % says they would be customers. They would be ready to pay up to 1,40 euros per hour (for info,in Paris a one-day subscription to the Vélib‘ service costs 1 euro, and a 7-day, 5 euros).

In le Puy, like in any town, despite the sloping streets, developing the use of bicycles only depends on political wills. The citizens are ready to use bicycles, they just need to be protected from cars.


Bicycles for equal participation

1st and 2nd of March 2010, trainees from Greta du Velay have welcome their partners from Spain, Italy, Poland and UK. They had prepared two full days of activities related to bicycle:

  • an interactive presentation to facilitate communication overcoming the language barriers ;
  • a role play based on the words used to name the different pieces of a bicycle ;
  • a run and bike game in Camp d’Eycenac (map) ;
  • an orientation game to discover the old town of le Puy-en-Velay (map) ;
  • interviews of local population to enquire about their use of cycling in town ;
  • opening of an exhibition on climate change ;
  • tasting of local food specialities.

Local press has been interested by this event:

Article de journal

(La Tribune, 2nd March 2010, French)

[transcript] Le vélo comme facteur d’insertion et d’échanges européens

Depuis septembre, neuf stagiaires, âgés de 18 a 25 ans, avec des handicaps variables, travaillent sur le thème du vélo. « C’est un moteur d’insertion, lance Pierre-Laurent Carrolaggi, responsable du Departement Conseil-recherche-innovation au Greta du Velay. On les suit pour une insertion vers l’emploi en milieu ouvert. Ce sont des personnes peu à l’aise avec leur corps. Chaque semaine, elles font du sport avec des éducateurs. »

Le Greta du Velay a voulu donner une dimension européenne par le biais d’échanges avec d’autres organismes du continent. La première rencontre de « Talking bikes » a eu lieu à l’automne 2009. Une délégation ponote s’était rendue à Jaca, en Espagne.

Depuis hier, et jusqu’à mercredi, une quinzaine d’Européens sont au Puy. Ils viennent de Newcastle (Angleterre), Radawnica (Pologne), Jaca (Espagne) et Naples (Italie). « Le vélo est facteur d’échanges et d’ouverture. Les stagiaires apprennent à réparer un vélo, à l’utiliser à bon escient, ça fait du bien au corps et c’est un moyen de découvrir une region autrement. »

Plusieurs activités sont proposées autour du deux-roues. Hier après-midi, Français et Europeens se sont retrouvés au camp d’Eycenac, sur les hauteurs de Vals-pres-Le Puy. Et aujourd’hui, mardi, une enquête va être effectuée auprès de passants sur leur perception du vélo et sur leurs envies.

(Photo Julien Billy)

Discovering Jaca by bike

The first meeting of the Talking Bikes project has been held in Jaca, in Spain. One of the objectives of the project is to run cycling activities to discover the host region. A short video summarizes a visit of Jaca on bicycles.

Image de prévisualisation YouTube

Radio interview in Jaca

Cadenaser, a radio from Jaca has made an interview of the Spanish speaking partners the 23rd of octobre 2009. You can listen to the show with participants from Greta du Velay, Aula Hispanica, Academy International and Uniweresytety Ludowe.

Cadenaser, une radio de Jaca a organisé une émission avec les partenaires hispanophones de Talking Bikes le 23 octobre 2009 . Vous pouvez écouter l’interview des participants du Greta du Velay, d’Aula Hispanica, d’Academy International et d’Uniweresytety Ludowe.

Welcome in Jaca [Bienvenue à Jaca]

The 22 of October 2009, partners of the Talking Bikes project have been welcome in Jaca by the Mayor.

Jenny from Academy International has made a video of his talk.

Image de prévisualisation YouTube

Le 22 octobre 2009, les partenaires du projet ont été reçus à la mairie de Jaca. Jenny a enregistré une vidéo du discours de bienvenue.

Visiting a bicycle shop [Dans un magasin de vélos]

When in Jaca, the participants have learned the vocabulary related to bicycle in Spanish. Then a game has been organised in town so that they could visit bicycle shops in order to practice their new words.

A Jaca, après avoir appris les principaux mots du vocabulaire du vélo en espagnol, les participants ont participé à un jeu dans la ville qui les a obligés à visiter des magasins de vélos et à communiquer avec les vendeurs.

Download the useful Bikes expressions so that you will be able to solve your possible problems in a bicycle shop when you go cycling in Spain.

Télécharger le fichier des expressions utiles qui vous serviront à résoudre dans un magasin de vélos les problèmes que vous pourrez rencontrer lors d’une excursion en Espagne.