19 Dec, 2013
VELO-CITY GLOBAL ADELAIDE 2014 PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
The program for the world’s premier cycle planning conference, Velo-city Global Adelaide 2014, has been announced.
While high profile speakers such as Janette Sadik-Khan, Mikael Colville-Anderson, Ethan Kent, and Lawrence Frank have already been announced, further announcements are expected shortly so the overall theme of ‘Celebration of Cycling’ will be addressed by speakers from almost every continent.
A total of 195 abstracts have been accepted from presenters with a huge diversity of expertise and great stories to tell from more than 40 countries. They will cover topics such as national cycling strategies, getting more children cycling to school, engaging with the media, making space for bicycles on roads and cycle tourism, among others.
These internationally recognised and respected experts will present to delegates from around the world on best practices for creating and sustaining bike-friendly cities, where riding is valued as part of daily transport.
Road Safety Minister Michael O’Brien said he was looking forward to welcoming the presenters and delegates to Adelaide.
“Hosting this conference is a real coup for Adelaide and we’ll also be offering a range of tours and workshops to delegates to show off our city.
“The thought-provoking topics and the mix of presenters, all bringing their experience and knowledge from different parts of the world, will give us new ideas about how we can celebrate cycling and encourage people to make it part of their everyday travel,” Minister O’Brien said.
Nominations for the Cycling Luminaries Awards will also be presented at Velo-city Global Adelaide 2014.
Offered by the Cycling Promotion Fund in association with Velo-city Global, the awards celebrate the ideas and people that are driving the future of local, national and international cycling cultures.
The award categories will be ‘first nations’ – awards that recognise Indigenous communities internationally and nationally for initiatives that connect country and culture through cycling, leadership, built environment and urban design, bike culture and behaviour change, cycling for the next generation and ‘pimp my bike - cycle chic’. Nominations open in early January.
To coincide with Velo-city Global, Velo-fringe will be held from 16 May to 1 June. The concept is based on the famous Adelaide Fringe but all about bikes.
Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said Velo-fringe would demonstrate that bike riding can be for everyone.
“You don’t have to be a competitive cyclist, or have a particular kind of bike to get riding. Velo-fringe will celebrate what’s great about bike riding and show just how many different kinds of bike riders are out there.
“With all the work that Council and State Government are doing to build better cycling infrastructure, the Tour Down Under coming up soon and with the sun shining, there’s never been a better time to give riding a go,” Stephen said.
Individuals, community groups and businesses are encouraged to get creative with their events. The festival is open to anyone to register an event and regional towns can also register Velo-fringe events. Event registrations will open in January 2014. The Velo-fringe ‘design a logo’ competition is open until 20 December.
To check out the conference program, register to attend and find out more about Velo-fringe, go to
http://www.velo-city2014.com/
People who register to attend Velo-city Global by 17 February 2014 can take advantage of early bird rates.