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News & Events
Alliance Assembly
The first Alliance Assembly meeting will be held in Friedrichshafen, Germany on Wednesday, 3 September 2008, back-to-back with Eurobike 2008, the worlds largest bicycle trade show. Here, how the different segments of the Alliance can work together to shift journeys from private cars to forms of EcoMobility will be presented and discussed.
Alliance Steering Group Announced
The Steering Group has the following composition:
| Name | Organisation | Segment | Segment |
| Hans van Vliet | Shimano | Business | Cycling |
| Andy Duncan | IFBMA | Business | Cycling |
| Reiner Eckert | Wanzl | Business | Wheeling |
| Heather Allen | UITP | Business | 'Passenging' |
| Manfred Neun | ECF | Users | Cycling |
| Josef Schneider | EPF | Users | 'Passenging' |
| Cornie Huizenga | CAI-Asia | Experts | All modes |
| Sheila Watson | FIA Foundation | Experts | All modes |
| Konrad Otto-Zimmermann | ICLEI | Government | Local Governments |
| Rob de Jong | UNEP | Government | United Nations |
| Konrad Otto-Zimmermann | ICLEI | Secretary General of the Alliance | |
International Transport Forum (ITF), Leipzig
The Alliance was invited to attend the first annual ITF meeting held in Leipzig from 28-30 May 2008. This first meeting focused on "Transport and Energy" and this year involved 50 Ministers of Transport from around the world. The meeting has the ambition to become the "Transport Summit of the Year".
Findings of the ITF in Leipzig this year included that parking prices have a greater effect on car use than changes in fuel price or public transport fares. A shortage or unevenly priced supply of parking results in "cruising" adding to distances travelled so a consistent citywide parking price policy is required. Policies that price car parking both on and off-street evenly are essential to managing road space demand and may require parking taxes and restrictions.
Increased success in changing behaviour occurs when people are in 'transition zones', i.e. when their habits are in flux due to for example, moving home or changing jobs. Targeting people with EcoMobility travel plans when they move house or change jobs is ideal. Behaviour change will be most successful when the right information and infrastructure is in place and the change is presented as a pleasure, and personally fulfilling.
Cycling promoted at the International Transport Forum (ITF)
Shimano sponsored a European Cyclist Federation (ECF)/ German ADFC stand and bicycle unveiling at the ITF that featured in a prime time German TV news report. www.tagesschau.de.
Key messages and research findings of the ITF 2008 can be found at www.internationaltransportforum.org.
New Members
The Alliance has now 33 Members. Around the time of the launch it has welcomed the following newcomers:
- Betrix Indonesia (www.betrix.co.id)
- New York City Pedicab Owners' Association (www.nycpedicabassociation.org)
- Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Research and Transformation (SMART), University of Michigan, USA
Alliance launched in Bali
The launch of the Global Alliance for EcoMobility took place in Bali, Indonesia, on 10 December 2007 on the occasion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The launching session was part of the Local Government Climate Sessions organized by ICLEI in cooperation with several partners.
 | The announcement poster can be downloaded here. |
150 representatives of cities and local governments, international agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations attended the launching event at the Grand Hyatt Bali, the location of all official side events to the UN meeting.
Talkmaster Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Maulani Rotinsulu, Marian Nieuwoudt, Manfed Breithaupt (from left)
The launching ceremony began with welcome messages from David Cadman, President of ICLEI, and Hans van Vliet from Shimano, followed by an introductory presentation by Konrad Otto-Zimmermann from ICLEI on “A Future for EcoMobility – Vision, Purposes and Goals of the Alliance”. UNEP Deputy Executive Director Shafkat Kakhakel welcomed the Alliance from an environmental policy point of view.
A talkshow allowed Alliance members to explain what their company or organization does and why it has joined the new partnership.
Half of the Alliance members actively took part in the event. Alliance Members who joined the ceremony and participated in the launch in person were:
- ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability:
- David Cadman, President
- Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General - Shimano Inc.: Hans van Vliet, Corporate Communications Director, Europe also on behalf of Accell, Giant and Trek
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
- Shafkat Kakhakel, Deputy Executive Director
- Rob de Jong, Head of the Urban Environment Unit - UN-HABITAT: Axumite Gebre-Egziabher, Director, New York Office
- Disabled People International (DPI):
Maulani A Rotinsulu, Council Member - Betrix Indonesia: Mario Rivaldi, Director
- International Public Transport Association (UITP): Heather Allen, Sustainability Manager
- FIA Foundation: Avi Silverman, Policy Manager
- GTZ / Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP): Manfred Breithaupt
- Clean Air Initiative-Asia Center: Cornie Huizenga, Executive Director
Avi Silverman, Don Iveson, Klaus Bondam, Heather Allen (from left)
Klaus Bondam, Heather Allen, Otto-Zimmermann, Maulani Rotinsulu (from left)
Marian Nieuwoudt, Manfred Breithaupt, Cornie Huizenga, Axumite Gebre-Egziabher (from left)
Indonesian singer Andien performing at the Global Alliance for EcoMobility Launch.
The following Alliance members provided video presentations or written messages which were read out:
- Chariot Carriers Inc.: Dan Britton, President, and Chris Britton, Vice President
- Wanzl (Shopping Trolleys) GmbH: Rainer Eckert, Director of Research & Development
- European Cyclists Federation (ECF): Manfred Neun, President
- ITDP-Europe: Jürgen Heyen-Perschon, Executive Director
- International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations (IFBMA): Sam Houston, Council Member
- New York City Pedicab Owners' Association: Peter Meitzler
Three cities participated in the launch, profiling themselves as EcoMobility-friendly and welcoming the launch of the Alliance:
- Copenhagen, Denmark: Klaus Bondam, Environmental Mayor
- Edmonton, Canada: Don Iveson, Deputy Mayor
- Cape Town, South Africa: Marian Nieuwoudt, Councilor
A highlight of the ceremony was an address by Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Champion Jeff Adams, who started using a wheelchair at a young age. He is a three-times Olympian, five-times Paralympian and six-times World Champion. Mr Adams spoke to the audience via video.
Shimano had organized an exhibition of four specially designed bicycles tailored to the conditions and needs of users in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. The bikes, which were produced and provided by Accell, Giant and Trek, received a lot of attention. Afterwards, they were donated to the non-for-profit organization “Bike to Work Indonesia”.
Performances by Indonesian Popstar Andien made the launch a memorable event.
Global Alliance gains momentum at Eurobike 2007
In preparation for the launch of the Global Alliance for EcoMobility, leaders from the bicycle industry met at the Eurobike 2007 tradeshow in Friedrichshafen, Germany to discuss the purpose, mandate and working areas of the Alliance. Participants received presentations by Shimano-Europe Corporate Communications Director Hans van Vliet and ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann.
Present were Trek CEO John Burke, Giant CEO Toni Lo, Accell Group CEO and COLIBI Chairman René Takens, Shimano Chairman Yoshi Shimano, Shimano Vice President Corporate Communications Masahiro Tsuzaki, Vuelta International CEO and COLIPED Chairman Moreno Fioravanti, Paul Lange CEO Bernhard Lange, and European Cyclists Federation President Dr Manfred Neun. The closed meeting had been called by the initiators of the Global Alliance, Shimano and ICLEI.
Bicycle industry leaders discussed how the international bike industry could be represented in the Alliance and what next steps were to be taken to obtain the mandate from the entire industry and how to obtain the necessary funding.
ICLEI will hold further strategy meeting with leaders from the walking/pedestrian and physically impaired/wheelchair sectors in October. The launch of the Global Alliance is scheduled for December 2007.
Bicycle industry leaders listen as Konrad Otto-Zimmermann (ICLEI) explains his vision of the Alliance
Chairman Yoshi Shimano (right) and Vice President Masahiro Tsuzaki looking forward to ecomobility advocacy and promotion by the Alliance
Trek CEO John Burke welcomed to the meeting by Konrad Otto-Zimmermann
Giant CEO Toni Lo (left) and Accell CEO René Takens following the presentations by Hans van Vliet (Shimano) and Konrad Otto-Zimmermann (ICLEI)
Coliped President and Vuelta CEO Moreno Fioravanti (left) and ECF President Dr. Manfred Neun engaging in the discussion
Shimano Corporate Communications Manager Hans van Vliet, ECF President Manfred Neun, Lange CEO Bernhard Lange and Konrad Otto-Zimmermann discussing the upcoming launch of the Alliance
Munich Strategy Meeting
A first strategy meeting of partners from the bicycle sector to the Global Alliance took place in Munich, Germany on 14 May 2007 on the occasion of the international Velo-City 2007 Conference.
ICLEI and Shimano agreed in February 2007 to initiate a Global Alliance for the promotion of bicycles and other non-motorized means of local transport. During an exploratory phase from March – June 2007, ICLEI and Shimano approached leading organizations to become key partners to the Alliance. Key partners who have announced that they will join the Alliance, as well as potential key partners who have shown interest in joining were invited to meet for a first strategy discussion on the occasion of the Velo-city 2007 conference in Munich on 14 June 2007.
Participants received introductory presentations from Hans van Vliet (Shimano), Rob de Jong (UNEP) and Konrad Otto-Zimmermann (ICLEI) and discussed the issues raised in ICLEI’s meeting document, especially the expectations of, and potential for the Alliance; vision, scope, goals and action elements and a strategy towards the launch of the Alliance in December 2007.
The organization of the Global Alliance shall be framed in Terms of Reference that the partners will agree on. The working team mandated to draft Terms of Reference includes: Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, ICLEI (coordinating); Hans van Vliet; Shimano, Elisa Dimitrescu; UNEP, Roelof Wittink, I-CE.
