One of the unexpected effects of the confinement we underwent to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic was the almost total reduction in road traffic in cities and a very sharp drop in pollution levels, which in many large cities repeatedly exceeded the risk thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Do not forget that pollution also kills: an estimated 10,000 people each year in Spain and seven million in the world. According to the WHO, 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air, a fact that causes serious health problems, including pneumonia, respiratory infections or lung cancer.
In Spain we have already passed, we believe, the worst of the pandemic, but the virus is still with us. We have not reached group immunity nor do we have a vaccine, so we will still have to live with SARS-CoV-2 for some time and, therefore, avoid crowds and maintain physical distance to avoid contagion. As de-escalation measures progress, we have seen traffic and pollution return to cities. If we add to this that public transport is resuming with limited capacity and that many people may feel a certain fear – reasonable – when using the subway or the bus to get around, it seems logical to expect that there is an increase in car use private. However, the return to the massive use of cars involves many problems: traffic jams at the entrances to large cities, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to that other great crisis that we have to deal with: climate change.
The bicycle: a mobility solution
Faced with this problem, many large cities are opting for the promotion of the use of bicycles as a cheap, healthy and non-polluting mobility solution. Cities like Milan, Geneva, Brussels and London have decided to invest in flexible bike lanes that encourage more people to cycle.
At the United Nations, a working group has been created to analyze solutions that contribute to making mobility in the post-COVID-19 era more ecological, healthy and sustainable . According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), meeting the needs of these cyclists and pedestrians is crucial to solving the mobility problems of cities, to mitigate the increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to growth of the population and to improve air quality and road safety.
In addition to promoting care for the environment, cycling also improves the health of citizens: not only is air quality improved and noise pollution is reduced, but, according to the WHO, people who travel by bicycle have less risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some types of cancer. And, currently and in the context of the pandemic, they guarantee mobility by maintaining physical distance and avoiding contagion.
