A child in Fortaleza, Brazil, rides his bike in a protected area of the street. Like in many cities, the lack of safe and accessible bike lanes has been a major barrier to cycling in Brazil’s fifth largest city of Fortaleza, which has a population of 2.6 million. But over the last decade the city has made significant strides in becoming a bike-friendly metropolis by putting cycling infrastructure and road safety at the top of its priorities. Between 2013 and 2022, yearly traffic deaths fell by more than 50% .
Now, as part of the city’s goal to encourage more residents to cycle daily, Fortaleza will develop 180 kilometers (112 miles) of new protected bike lanes and make 100 intersections safer. It also plans to better connect bike lanes throughout the inner city as part of an effort to encourage children, women and less-skilled riders to travel by bike.
Fortaleza is one of 10 winners announced Friday, ahead of World Bike Day on June 3, of the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure, a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Global Designing Cities Initiative. Fortaleza will be awarded $1 million, and the other cities will receive $400,000 each.
“Cycle lanes aren’t amenities, they are essential infrastructure for cities,” Janette Sadik-Khan, transportation principal at Bloomberg Associates and the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, said in a statement. “These grants will help these 10 cities take the decisive action necessary to transform streets and turn the corner on traffic violence, […]
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