“Vienna is the city of music and culture. With ‘The Sound of Cycling’, this Viennese speciality is to become part of the Velo-city Conference. Along with the classic themes of music and theatre, for several years Vienna has been establishing its own bicycle cultures that are becoming more and more visible. Thus bicycles are not only used with growing frequency as a healthy and ecologically sound means of transport, but also transforming into an element of cultural life in the Austrian capital”, says Maria Vassilakou, Vice Mayor of the City of Vienna. In the coming year, the main focuses of Velo-city in Vienna will be cycling cultures, cycling-friendly cities and the personal benefits of cycling for the individual. “At every Velo-city Conference, we add a new, important dimension to the cycling policy agenda. In Vienna, the municipal administration and ECF will emphasise the element of culture. Culture is an important complement to the aspects of traffic, environment, health, energy, economy and children, which were key thematic areas of previous conferences”, explains ECF President Manfred Neun. In addition to numerous expert presentations, network meetings and discussions, one week of cycling tours, movie nights, a bicycle picnic, a bicycle fashion show, bicycle races and many other events will make Vienna THE bicycle hotspot for all conference participants as well as for the city’s population at large.

Vienna – A “smart city” with a long cycling tradition
Vienna is an emerging cycling city with a steadily growing number of cyclists and a colourful cycling community. It is planned to increase the share of cycling in urban traffic from currently six to ten percent by 2015. A solid modal split portion of 37 percent for public transport provides an ideal basis for a traffic concept that seamlessly melds different means of transport. Moreover, Vienna is the cultural and economic centre of Austria as well as a key hub of the regional network CENTROPE (Central European Region). It also maintains an intense exchange on the issues of transport and urban development with many Eastern and South-eastern European cities.

Call for contributions and registration
Until 22 October 2012, experts and speakers with a specialised interest and stake in cycling from all over the world are invited to submit their contributions at program.

Interested parties may register for the conference as of now at www.velo-city2013.com. Those registering before the end of October may win a free conference participation ticket.

The Velo-city Conference series
Velo-city Conferences serve as a global communication and information platform aiming to address decision-makers in order to improve the planning and provision of infrastructure for the everyday use of bicycles in urban environments. Velo-city Conferences typically bring together more than 1,000 delegates such as engineers, planners, architects, social marketers, academic researchers, environmentalists, businessmen/women and industry representatives who join forces with government at all levels in order to build effective transnational partnerships to deliver benefits to cycling worldwide. Velo-city Conferences are initiated and commissioned by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF).

Application and registration: www.velo-city2013.com
Information on Velo-city 2013 and conference program: www.velo-city2013.com