BYPAD stands for BicYcle Policy AuDit and is a study undertaken by Langzaam Verkeer (Belgium), the Austrian Mobility Research and the European Cyclist Federation in order to screen the present bicycle policies in European cities and to enable the European commission to implement new actions based on the assessment of existing policies. The BYPAD project is a study whose overall aim is to develop and implement a bicycle policy evaluation tool (audit scheme) that: (i) enables the EU commission to review the progress in local bicycle policies and its consumption of energy effects; (ii) enables the EU to take new actions in order to implement new schemes and programmes that can contribute to energy efficiency in transport; (iii) enables cities and towns to evaluate the progress in their bicycle policy and the effects on consumption of energy; and (iv) enables bicycle user groups to participate in the evaluation of the progress of bicycle policy. The novelty of the study is that it combines existing knowledge on bicycle measures (both infrastructural and non-infrastructural) with knowledge from the auditing field. Combined they provide a (self-evaluation) tool to assess the bicycle policies of cities and towns. The study will result in a set of guidelines that will enable the European commission to implement new actions to promote the bicycle within the framework of sustainable transport. On the other hand the BYPAD project will lead as well to guidelines for an audit on urban bicycle policy. As such it is a tool that can be used continuously by urban authorities or by organisations that want to assess the urban bicycle policy. A comparative analysis with regard to each of the indicators concerning bicycle policy will allow cities to measure their progress and identify any specific difficulty. That way the BYPAD tool is a benchmarking system for comparing bicycle policies among European cities. The BYPAD audit also emphasises that the bicycle policy is a dynamic process without a specific ending goal (static control system). In most of the European countries the mobility policy of the last decade has been changed from a one-sided development of motorised traffic to a renewed attention of different means of transportation. The increasing attention concerning the environment, health, energy consumption, liveability since the 70's and the development of new concepts like sustainable development in the 80's have started up a new wind of change within the mobility landscape. This goes also for the bicycle. In view of energy consumption, noise production, air quality, saving space, cost price… the bicycle has excellent qualities. These qualities where underlined through user and action groups who replaced the bicycle on the political agenda since the 70's 80's. A short historical overview of the evolution of the bicycle use in Europe will make clear that without the interest of the policy makers the bicycle as a means of mass transportation won't have a chance. How the (mobility) policy is dealing with the development and implementation of bicycle plans and which factors are of absolute importance in a good bicycle policy are examined in the bicycle policy audit.
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