In 2014, the City of Adelaide will be hosting the world’s premier cycling planning conference, Velo-city Global.
Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood recently travelled to Vancouver, Canada to speak at Velo-city Global 2012, as part of the build up to the 2014 forum.
Stephen said that the trip to Vancouver, where he was a guest of the City, was a great opportunity to meet with key stakeholders and make some valuable connections.
“The conference is the biggest of its kind and it’s a huge honour for Adelaide to be given the right to host Velo-city Global 2014,” he said.
Earlier this year, the European Cyclists’ Federation selected Adelaide as host for 2014. It is the first time the event is to be held in the southern hemisphere.
Stephen said that he was determined to pack as much into the trip to Velo-city Global 2012 as possible: “We’ve already had preliminary meetings with European Cyclists’ Federation President Manfred Neun and other key representatives. I also wanted to better understand what makes Vancouver the world’s second most liveable city and report back to Council on my findings.
“The invitation for me to speak shows great international interest in Adelaide and the strategies Council is putting in place to address transportation issues in response to increasing urban density,” Stephen said.
Accompanying the Lord Mayor was Bicycle SA CEO Christian Haag and a council representative, both of whom are a part of the Executive Committee for Velo-city Global Adelaide.
“Vancouver was the first opportunity for us to position Adelaide at the forefront of the international conversation on strategic policy development for cycle-friendly communities. The visit helps us shape the conference themes for 2014 and shortlist the most influential and inspiring thinkers within the sector,” said Mr Haag.
