Saxony follows in the field of city bikes

Bicycle – Saxony follows in city bikes

Cycling for a good climate – that is the idea behind the Stadtradeln campaign, which is finding more and more followers all over Germany every year. In Saxony, 18 cities are taking part in the event this year. That is more than last year (11), but compared to other federal states, it is not yet as deeply rooted in Saxony. “Stadtradeln is not as established in Saxony as it is in other federal states,” explains Sebastian Reisch, spokesperson for the Climate Alliance.

The aim of the campaign is for people to get on their bikes as much as possible during the 21 days. Cycling as an environmentally friendly means of transport is intended to create awareness. A participating municipality in Stadtradeln can participate. The kilometres driven are recorded. Each year, winning municipalities are recognised in various categories.

Leipzig and Dresden have been participating for a long time

Leipzig was the first city in Saxony to take part in the campaign in 2009. The following year it was ranked third among cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. During the campaign period, more than 3.5 million kilometres were driven by Leipzig residents. According to the Climate Alliance, Dresden is also one of the pioneers of Stadtradeln.

Compared to other states, the 18 participating Saxon cities are relatively small. In Rhineland-Palatinate, a state comparable in size to Saxony, 124 municipalities are participating this year. In Saxony-Anhalt there are 31 municipalities and in Thuringia there are 36.

“One reason for this could be that Saxony, as the only province, does not financially support the participation of its municipalities,” Bundnis spokesman Reisch explained. In many other states, the support has led to increased participation. Saxony-Anhalt began financing the campaign in 2023 with noticeable results. The year before, only four municipalities had participated.

Free State investigates financing

The Saxon Ministry of Transport said it welcomed the Stadtradeln campaign and recognised its positive impact. However, it has not been able to provide financial support for the participation costs “for various reasons” so far. “Intensive discussions are currently underway on how to shape the support for Saxon municipalities in the future.” As the administration strives for efficiency and economy, administrative costs must also be taken into account.

Last year, 2,835 municipalities nationwide participated in Stadtradeln. Approximately 1.1 million people participated. They cycled a total of 228 million kilometers.

1. Despite the growing popularity of Stadtradeln in Germany, Saxony-Anhalt recently started funding the campaign, increasing the number of participating municipalities from four to an unknown number.
2. Saxony, with 18 participating cities in this year’s Stadtradeln event, lags behind Rhineland-Palatinate, where 124 municipalities are taking part, in terms of involvement in the environmentally friendly initiative.
3. Leipzig and Dresden, both located in Saxony, actively participated in the Stadtradeln campaign. In 2010, Leipzig was ranked third among cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, and Dresden was recognized as a pioneer by the Climate Alliance.
4. Cycling advocates believe that the lower participation rate in Saxony in Stadtradeln is partly due to the lack of financial support for municipalities that participate in the campaign, while many other states do offer financial compensation.
5. Participation in Stadtradeln extends beyond Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Last year, Thuringia had 36 participating municipalities. This brings the national total to 2,835 municipalities and around 1.1 million participants who together covered 228 million kilometres during the 21-day event.

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