According to a 2021 study in the journal Transportation Research, replacing one car trip per day with cycling decreases carbon emissions from transport by 67%.
Despite this, cycling only makes up 1% of all transportation in the United States, and just 5-10% of all trips in Western Europe.
So, in over 150 cities across 34 countries worldwide, there is now a special leader appointed to get more people on bikes: a Bicycle Mayor.
In a program created by Amsterdam-based nonprofit BYCS (pronounced “bikes”), these passionate individuals are chosen to lead bike-friendly advocacy and development in their respective areas.
They aren’t elected, but they are selected for the job with care.
Created in 2016, the Bicycle Mayor Network elevates people who serve as the voice of cycling in their communities and better connect cyclists with their local governments.
“It started with this desire of connecting people, giving them this authority to be able to advocate for sustainable mobility,” Michela Chamonal, the network’s coordinator, told Reasons to be Cheerful. “A lot of people want to do something, but very often they’re isolated or they don’t have the means to do it.”
Bicycle Mayors might meet with local elected officials, propose funding for infrastructure projects, promote road safety, donate cycling gear, or lead group rides and classes for marginalized groups.
Each mayor has a two-year term and can be reappointed after each cycle.
“Bicycle Mayors can accelerate the changes we need to see by uniting all citizens to take action. They bring creative diversity with new insights and approaches, from both inside and beyond the world of bicycle planning professionals or the political establishment. They are the human face and voice of cycling in a city,” BYCS explains on its website.
“By connecting these change makers across a global network — creating greater visibility, rapidly sharing ideas, challenges and solutions — we can create a truly radical shift.”
Bicycle Mayors choose what to do with their role. For instance, Saskia Heitjtjes, the Bicycle Mayor of Bath, organized a Kiddical Mass event with 100 people, aiming to inspire folks to get on their bikes, while also advocating for road safety for children.
Another Bicycle Mayor, Santhana Selvan of Hyderabad, organized the first Bike Bus for children in India to ride to school as a group.
Pete Dyson, another of Bath’s Bicycle Mayors, said his work has mostly taken place with real elected officials.
“For better or worse, I think my biggest impact is behind closed doors in advocacy and discussions with the local authority,” said Dyson, who was appointed the Bicycle Mayor of Bath, England in 2023.
“I see my position as a critical friend, because our local authority has good intentions.”
A version of this article was originally published in The 2026 Environment Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image courtesy of BYCS
