Bine ați venit în România! – Welcome to Romania!

Romania is one of the 14 countries included in the Danube Transnational Programme. In the Safer Bicycle Routes in Danube Area (SABRINA) project we have two partners representing this country. The first one introduced in more detail is Green Revolution Association. 

The Green Revolution Association (GRA) was established in 2009. Their focus is on developing and implementing coherent public policies and projects in the field of urban environmental protection. With more than 12 years of experience in developing, operating, communicating, and building the first bike-sharing system in Romania, with over 1.7 million users, the GRA is in a permanent dialog with different stakeholders in the area of sustainable transport. Nine cycling projects are in the portfolio of GRA; their partnerships with authorities, non-governmental organizations, and companies are of strategic importance in achieving the GRA’s objectives: traffic congestions reduction, reduction of air and sound pollution, and education of stakeholders regarding the social-economic and environmental benefits of cycling in Romania. Besides, the GRA is working in the field of reduction of energy consumption, they advocate the use of renewable sources and green technologies, encourage the implementation of selective waste collection systems, and raise awareness of green education in schools and businesses. 

We have talked with Raluca Fiser, the Founder and President of the GRA, about their role in the SABRINA project, the future of cycling in Romania, and the role of women in the transport sector.

The GRA has finished or is running many interesting and important projects dealing with alternative transportation. The first bike-sharing system in Romania called I’Velo was established in 2009. You have more than 900 bicycles in 5 different cities available in Romania. The other project where you participate is called Bike2Work. Are people using bicycles as a transportation mode in Bucharest and outside of the urban areas or are bicycles still seen more as a recreation option? 

People in Romania are starting to get familiar with the use of bikes as a transportation mode. The predominant use of bicycles is still for recreational purposes. In the GRA, we started with the I’Velo bike-sharing programme in 2009. The main purpose was to support people to start cycling or to cycle more often. Our first rental stations were placed in the safety of the city parks in Bucharest. In 2017, we decided to continue our endeavors and launched an automatic bike-sharing system with the objective bicycles would serve as an alternative transportation option. The encouraging data shows us the rise in the number of users and trips done. However, we also see the most used bike-sharing stations are the ones in the proximity of bicycle lanes. That, together with other data from the surveys we are doing, shows us people would use a bicycle more often if safe cycling infrastructure would be available: bike lanes, parking for bicycles, etc. Moreover, there is a lack of education for all road users about their co-existence in traffic. This is something authorities will need to pay more attention to and prioritize in their investment plans. Nevertheless, we clearly see more people riding bicycles: mainly for recreation, however, bicycles are used more and more also for daily commuting. Projects like Bike2Work play a major role in this respect. 

Have things changed since 2020 when Covid-19 has encouraged a bike boom and many European cities have invested in cycling infrastructure?

Covid-19 has definitely changed the perspective of people in Romania. We’ve all searched for safer and socially distant alternatives in transportation. It is not only the rise of users and trips in the framework of the bike-sharing system that we are experiencing; there is also a much bigger demand for bike purchase which cannot be met due to the supply chain difficulties (same situation as in many other places around the world). 

Unfortunately, the Romanian local authorities haven’t used the momentum of the bike boom like many mayors in European cities have. We haven’t seen pop-up bike lanes emerging, there was no real promotion of cycling, we can even say cycling was not really considered as an alternative transportation option by the authorities. If we will not invest in the necessary cycling infrastructure with safety at its core, change legal aspects (such as children under 14 are by law not allowed to cycle on public roads in Romania by themselves), we will not be able to fully reach the potential of cycling and socio-economical cycling benefits for Romania.

Why do you think it is important for the GRA and Romania to be involved in projects like SABRINA?

Romania has a huge potential for cycling tourism. It is slowly evolving but it is still far from its potential. We have an amazingly beautiful country, perfect to be discovered by bike. But I guess the biggest obstacle is the lack of safe cycling infrastructure. This is where the SABRINA project perfectly fits into the story of our work. The project is focusing on cycling infrastructure safety to help decision-makers to plan, design, and implement safe and sustainable solutions for improved cycling infrastructure in the region. We are inspecting the long-distance EuroVelo routes (EV) crossing the project partners’ countries in the project framework. There are two EV routes (no. 6 and 13) in Romania, which could offer a great opportunity for more cycling tourism in the country. Besides, the Danube Delta in Romania represents the end of the Danube Cycle Path which follows almost the entire length of the mighty Danube River (2,850 km) from its source in the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea. By focusing on cycling infrastructure in this area multiple benefits for the environment and health can be achieved. Moreover, the studies show cycling tourism is an important boost for the local economy. 

If we want more people biking, we need to make sure they feel safe. Safe cycling infrastructure plays a very important role in this respect. Therefore, we are very happy we are part of the SABRINA project, and we can’t wait to see and share all its results. 

 

In February 2021, the Recovery and Resilience Facility came into force. More than 670 billion EUR are available in grants and loans to support the reform and investments undertaken by European Union (EU) member states until 2026. The aim is to help the EU to “emerge stronger and more resilient from the current crisis” caused by the coronavirus. Romania has recently submitted its Recovery and Resilience Plan. It is very nice to see cycling has found its place in the plan. What is your vision for cycling and especially cycling infrastructure in Romania 5 years from now?

Indeed, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan foresees an impressive allocation of funds for cycling. We talk about 120 million EUR. This puts Romania for the first time at the top of the list in Europe in cycling investments. We talk about Romania Velo, which aims to coherently invest in cycling infrastructure. My message to Romanian authorities is and will be: invest in a multiannual strategic approach for cycling. We need a national cycling strategy that has the power to work inter- and trans sectorial, to unleash the full potential of cycling. We do not need to reinvent the wheel but rather learn from our European colleagues and apply good practices to our environment.

We now have a great opportunity, and it will be upon us to deliver on it. The decarbonization target of 90% of the European Union by 2050, insuring at the same time affordable and healthy solutions, is not only a very ambitious one but impossible to reach without the integration of cycling and active mobility in the mobility mix, besides the individual transport and public transport. I really hope we can work closely with Romanian authorities and try to deliver as much as possible to reach a correct modal split for cycling, which I would like to see in 5 years at 10% nationwide. 

Raluca, you were featured in Remarkable Women in Transport 2020 publication, in April 2021 you finished your second mandate as a vice president of the European Cyclists’ Federation, you are a president of the World Cycling Alliance and very active in the Cycling Industries Europe initiative Women in Cycling. Why do you think it is important women are represented in the transportation, road safety, and cycling sector? 

As we create mobility solutions for all citizens and we design our cities, the way of traveling, work, and leisure, we need to understand and acknowledge the beautiful diversity we live in. This means that we should be able to guaranty our plans are inclusive. Personally, I believe that we are still at the beginning of what we will be able to do in the future. I see some impressive stakeholder dialog workshops for urban planning, including adults (representing many different backgrounds) and children. And I find it fantastic. 

Women's needs are in many ways different than men's needs when we talk about cycling safety. I talk here also from a global perspective where culture, religion, economy, and environment can differ very much. I have the privilege to work with fantastic professionals, men, and women. And I can say the future can be safe and bright if we can work together and learn from each other.