BIZI Zaragoza “As easy as riding a bicycle”
Published on 29 April 2019
Spain
Aragón
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
In order to solve the problems related to CO2 and noise pollution in the city of Zaragoza, the fifth largest city of Spain, they have launched the BIZI Zaragoza project. It was triggered by the EXPO 2008, celebrated in Zaragoza and promoted a cultural change in mobility. Since then, an interconnected city was created by cycle paths.
BIZI was implemented by the public sector creating bicycle stations around the city where citizens can take a public bicycle through the BIZI´s website or app. Bizi Zaragoza is understood as a means of transport to move from one point to another. The first thirty minutes of each journey are included in the subscribtion fee. From there, you pay according to the time you use the bicycle, with a maximum of two hours per trip (see rates).
Users increased strongly until 2011 when it reached a peak and then they remained steady.
About the decision-making process, it is based on different stages:
-Idea stage: observing the problems of mobility and the environment.
-Legal stage: decisions are made within the framework of legality and the advice of the Legal Department.
-Implantation stage: putting into practice the idea.
-Improvement stage: improving and increasing the infrastructures needed.
The main stakeholders and beneficiaries of this practice are the citizens of Zaragoza who use usually BIZI program to move around Zaragoza, and mainly those who have to go cross the city center to go to their work office, school or university.
BIZI was implemented by the public sector creating bicycle stations around the city where citizens can take a public bicycle through the BIZI´s website or app. Bizi Zaragoza is understood as a means of transport to move from one point to another. The first thirty minutes of each journey are included in the subscribtion fee. From there, you pay according to the time you use the bicycle, with a maximum of two hours per trip (see rates).
Users increased strongly until 2011 when it reached a peak and then they remained steady.
About the decision-making process, it is based on different stages:
-Idea stage: observing the problems of mobility and the environment.
-Legal stage: decisions are made within the framework of legality and the advice of the Legal Department.
-Implantation stage: putting into practice the idea.
-Improvement stage: improving and increasing the infrastructures needed.
The main stakeholders and beneficiaries of this practice are the citizens of Zaragoza who use usually BIZI program to move around Zaragoza, and mainly those who have to go cross the city center to go to their work office, school or university.
Resources needed
Zaragoza city council invested large amounts of money in this project but it´s so difficult to estimate the specific amount because all the infrastructure expenses, related to cycle paths, is not only directed towards BIZI.
Evidence of success
When the program started in 2008, 150 people took a ride with BIZI. Today there are 23,544 users, 130 stations and 1.300 bicycles and the average daily use is 5.468 trips. The network has been growing since the beginning, going from 12 kilometers to 131 cyclable paths. Users increased strongly until 2011 when it reached a peak and then they remained steadily. Nowadays, there is already programs like BIZI in the main cities of Spain and most of them after the implantation in 2008 in Zaragoza.
Potential for learning or transfer
This practise can be externalized easily to cities where there are large number of habitants, good infrastructure of cycle paths and enough economy power to implant it . This objective can be achieved through transferring information about fantastic results of BIZI in the capital city of Aragon. This outcomes are focus on:
-Positive evolution of the use of the bicycle increasing users up to 23.544 and achieving a fall of pollution in terms of transport.
-Dynamic and sustainable mobility around the city.
-Easier connections through the city center.
-Encourage exercise.
-Positive evolution of the use of the bicycle increasing users up to 23.544 and achieving a fall of pollution in terms of transport.
-Dynamic and sustainable mobility around the city.
-Easier connections through the city center.
-Encourage exercise.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
City Council of Zaragoza
Spain
Aragón
Contact
EU affairs FAMCP