November 13, 2021 - Despite the bikelash and media storm when meddling with drivers, city mayors that have delivered ambitious road reclamations, have consistently been rewarded at the ballot box reports The Guardian in a transport policy bike blog by Janette Sadiq-Khan and Seth Solomonow.
From Milan to Montreal, to London, Paris, New York and Detroit, the leaders who have reallocated public space away from motor vehicles to support the mobility of people for walking and cycling, have proven that good urban policy translates into good politics.
Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, recently won re-election after reclaiming 22,000 sq meters of vehicle lanes for 38 neighbourhood plazas and 22 miles (35km) of cycling and walking lanes.
Earlier in May, London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, won re-election following the completion/creation of 160 miles (260km) of new bike routes.
Popular Anne Hidalgo won a second term as Paris mayor after building hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes and pedestrianizing a highway along the right bank of the Seine.
In North America, pro cycling mayor, Mike Duggan, was re-elected in Detroit as was Valérie Plante, the cycling mayor of Montreal, while Eric Adams is the mayor–elect of New York City after promising 300 miles of bike lanes.
Read the full article in The Guardian here.
