World Bicycle Day 2021: Why is it celebrated all over the world?

Bicycle is an environment-friendly, sustainable means of transportation. It is not only affordable but also comes with a plethora of health benefits.  World Bicycle Day is celebrated every year on June 3 every year to acknowledge its uniqueneness and versatility. 2021 is the fourth anniversary of this special observance day, initiated by the United Nations. World Bicycle Day is aimed towards promoting the usage of this extremely sustainable vehicle, increasing mass awareness about its helth benefits especially for children, preventing diseases and fostering a culture of peace and social inclusion.  

History of World Bicycle Day 
In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as the World Bicycle Day. The person whose efforts resulted in this UN resolution US-based sociology professor Leszek Sibilski. Along with his students, Sibilski initiated a grassroot campaign for the advocacy of bicycle, exploring its role in various facets of development.  This project, which began in 2015, culminated into a massive movement by 2016. Two blog posts by Sibilski for the World Bank played a significant role in this campaign. The first one, titled ‘Cycling Is Everyone’s Business’ was published in 2015 and the second one, named 'Why is there no world day for the bicycle?' was written in 2016.  In the same year, Sibilski spoke at the Scientists for Cycling colloquium in proposing a World Bicycle Day. Eventually, in 2018, the United Nations passed a resolution dedicating a day for the promotion of bicycling. The resolution was unanimously adopted by 193 member states of the UN General Assembly and especially supported by Turkmenistan.  It was co-sponsored by around 56 countries. A logo was also designed for this day depicting cyclists across the world riding on different types bicycles. 

Significance of celebrating World Bicycle Day 
The observance of this day is aimed towards encouraging:  

• The development of strategies including bicycle in international, regional, national and sub-national policies and programmes. 
• The upgradation of road safety and promotion of sustainable mobility and transport infrastructure planning and design.  
• Cycling for better physical health and overall well-being.  

How is this day celebrated? 
Usually, several events including cycling rallies, competitions and seminars are held as part of World Bicycle Day celebration. However, physical events may not be possible this year due to current pandemic situation.