Written by Anastasiia Zhokhova | Velo-city Scholarship Program
Anastasiia Zhokhova received the Urban Cycling Institute Scholarship, supported by Zicla, which focuses on underrepresented communities, and presented her work at Velo-City 2025 in Gdańsk.
On the edge of the XIX and XX century, Ukraine, despite being divided between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, followed the global wave of cycling enthusiasm, experiencing a bicycle boom. From weekend countryside excursions to long-distance rides, from casual urban cycling to competitive racing, bicycles quickly moved beyond elite circles, becoming a mass mode of transport across all social classes in urban and rural areas, while also empowering women.
Since the 1890s, cycling associations emerged across cities like Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa to Uman, Berdychiv, Zhytomyr, Donetsk (formerly Yusivka), Dnipro (formerly Katerynoslav), and Simferopol (see map below).
The most numerous of them, like Kyiv Association of Amateur Cyclists, Odesa Society of Amateur Cyclists and Lviv Cyclists’ Club, counted over 200-400 members. Taking care of different aspects not only of cycling but also of cultural life (for instance, running cycling classes, facilitating bicycle rentals, overseeing a cycling track, arranging cultural events and housing a vast library); cycling associations increasingly influenced municipal policies regarding cycling. In that time, the first cycling regulations also began to emerge.
The first bicycle in Ukraine was manufactured during World War I, and mass production began in 1926 with the iconic ‘Ukraine’ model ’. Under Soviet rule, cycling, although widespread and reliable, was largely ignored in urban planning, which prioritised building wide avenues for motorised vehicles. Cyclists lacked safe dedicated infrastructure for cycling, and cycling was viewed mainly as rural transport.
Following independence in 1991, Ukraine faced deep political, social and infrastructural restructuring followed by an economic crisis. Cycling infrastructure was non-existent, and legal frameworks to support cycling development were absent. In these non-favourable circumstances, cycling lacked priority on a governmental level. But a social movement began to build and civil society became the engine of cycling advocacy and a driver of change.
A tragic cyclist’s death in a road accident catalysed protests demanding safe infrastructure. This marked the birth of the informal group ‘Green Transport for the Green City’ in 2004 which evolved into the formal NGO ‘Kyiv Cyclists Association’ by 2007. The organisation joined the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) by 2009, receiving the Best European Young NGO award and a growth grant, followed by expanding international cooperations. The peak in growth of NGOs in Ukraine, including cycling-related ones, often coincided with moments of civic mobilisation – such as the Orange Revolution (2004), the Revolution of Dignity (2013) and the full-scale war (2022).
Cycling activism expanded in Kyiv also through flash mobs and bike rides like Veloden’ (Bike Day), Critical Mass and Bike to Work. Kyiv Cyclists’ Association also launched the annual Girls’ Cycling Parade to advocate for safe infrastructure and gender-inclusive cycling, promoting the message that cycling is for everyone, in any outfit, for any occasion.
Most other Ukrainian cities saw the rise of cycling NGOs after 2010. At the national scale, Kyiv Cyclists’ Association (rebranded as U-Cycle in 2019) emerged as a leader. It was identified in the research “Network of interaction of urban initiatives and NGOs from 5 cities in Ukraine” as one the most influential NGOs, forming a strong network, building expertise, and collaborating with national and local officials and other organisations to influence policy.
U-Cycle led the development of a cycling routes map that formed the basis for Kyiv’s first cycling infrastructure plan in 2009: the ‘Programme of building the cycling paths for 2010-2012’, which envisioned 168 km of cycling routes. However, by 2010, only 26,5 km had been built – fragmented and lacking connectivity. Still, it was a crucial first step.
Starting its cooperation with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) in 2011, U-Cycle (Kyiv Cyclists’ Association) distributed a translation of the German recommendations for the organisation of bicycle traffic, imparting foreign experience and development guidelines. Over the next years, the organisation published numerous guidelines, research and handbooks: on bike parking facilities, cycling mobility planning, cycling traffic rules, safety trainings, foreign national cycling strategies, funds allocation and tax regimes for urban trips, micromobility, etc.
A participatory pilot project ‘START’ in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district followed in partnership with GIZ, aiming to create a foundation for replication across the whole city, and uniting on one table NGOs and activists, officials, multidisciplinary specialists and foreign experts – German urban planners and traffic engineers. It laid the for Kyiv Cycling Concept. In 2014-2015, U-Cycle initiated a series of public meetings kickstarting the process, organising district-based working groups which consisted of designers, architects, urban and transport planners, representatives from local authorities and engaged citizens. The collaboration between the NGO and officials resulted in the assignment of U-Cycle’s coordinator and ECF vice-president at that time to the position of city officer responsible for cycling development in Kyiv. To enhance cycling advocacy, U-Cycle started to conduct cyclists’ counting in Kyiv in 2014 which still remains the only source of such data on both local and national level.
By 2016, the work on designing the legitimate document of the Kyiv Cycling Concept has started on official level, engaging in participation multiple domestic and foreign NGOs and expert organisations. In 2018, the Kyiv Cycling Concept was approved by Kyiv City Council. A dedicated unit, Cycling Network Development Sector, was established within the city’s transport department.
In 2017, U-Cycle also helped to develop the mobility section of ‘Kyiv Development Strategy until 2025’, which determined more efficient use of street space (turning lanes at intersections, narrowing lanes at intersections, arrangement of dedicated and separated public transport lanes, cycle lanes and cycle tracks), zones of mixed car and bicycle traffic with reduced traffic speeds (narrow streets with a high density of intersections), a network of cycle tracks, bike parking spaces, public bike rental system (bike-sharing), cycling integration in street reconstructions. In 2018, Nextbike launched the first dockless bike-sharing system. Cycling infrastructure became a requirement in street reconstruction projects, and it is still nowadays one of the most prevalent methods of cycling network growth together with changes in traffic organisation, opening a mix of tools for cycling infrastructure expansion.
The same year bicycle-friendly changes to the national building codes – advocated by U-Cycle for four years – were adopted. These changes included lane narrowing, lower speed limits, and new infrastructure standards. Ukraine’s first national cycling design standards were introduced with ULEAD’s support.
In 2021, a package of cycling-friendly traffic rules changes was adopted – after 11 years of U-Cycle’s advocacy, supported by the MATRA programme. These changes introduced definitions for primary cycling facilities such as cycling lanes, cycling tracks, cycling crossings, contraflow cycling lanes, and new road signs. New regulation packages are still pending, including for personal electric vehicles.
As a result of these efforts, Kyiv’s cycling network expanded from 0 km before 2010 to 220 km by 2021 (with the most significant impetus between 2018 and 2021). However, missed opportunities remained, such as failing to install pop-up cycling lanes during COVID-19 pandemic, which many European cities used as a springboard for permanent change. Intermodality with public transport also remains underdeveloped.
In 2021, U-Cycle launched a national campaign for the National Cycling Strategy and arranged public workshops towards its development. The organisation for long has been mentoring local NGOs, running training programmes and helping cities to develop Cycling Concepts.
Since 2008, U-Cycle also organised Ukraine’s leading cycling conference, Veloforum, which grew from 13 to 200 participants, from domestic to international level. In 2016, it contributed in forming the Ukrainian Bicycle Network, uniting NGOs across cities to push for national-level changes.
While Kyiv remains a symbolic and strategic hub, real changes often happen faster in smaller cities, where communities are tighter and governance is more agile. This bottom-up dynamic has continued even during wartime.
Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 put many national efforts on hold. Kyiv’s Cycling Network Development Sector was dissolved. National Cycling Strategy development was paused. Public participation in planning was suspended. A Vision Zero for Ukraine did not launch, despite Ukraine’s high road fatality rate (5x higher than EU average). Cycling tourism development, including EuroVelo integration, was frozen.
Yet in 2023, public initiatives and NGOs managed to renew the public participation within Kyiv Urban Workshop. Though progress slowed, infrastructure continues to be developed, with activists resisting car-dominated priorities.
New initiatives were also launched. The Bike to School campaign started in 2021. By 2023, bike safety and cycling traffic rules lessons were added to national educational curricula, training materials were released and a course for cycling mentors was introduced. 15 pilot schools received infrastructural (sheltered bike parking, training bicycles, training ground) and methodological supply. In 2024, an all-Ukrainian challenge ‘Cycling May’ engaged 225 schools across Ukraine in competition for nominations of the most cycling school and the cycling mentor of the year. U-Cycle is now advocating bicycle-friendly design in school reconstruction standards.
In 2025, a pilot university course on bicycle mobility planning was launched by U-Cycle, Bike City Consulting and National Transport University to address the lack of specialists in planning of cycling infrastructure and deficiency of any cycling-oriented educational discipline in Ukrainian universities.
With the beginning of full-scale Russian invasion to Ukraine, 7 Ukrainian NGOs1 have started a humanitarian campaign #BikesForUkraine which aims to provide bicycles to frontline communities – for volunteers delivering humanitarian aid and social support, medical workers, social workers, critical services, teachers, and to other regions – for displaced people and veterans. Since 2022, 3100 bicycles have been provided. In war-torn areas with fuel shortages and infrastructure damages, bicycle offers a reliable, low-cost transport solution. For displaced people the bicycle serves for integration, and for veterans – a support in physical and psychological rehabilitation. U-Cycle also runs a social bike repair workshop in Kyiv, engaging volunteers, including veterans, in repair bicycles for #BikesForUkraine and thus fostering solidarity and integration. The campaign continues and is in need of support and donations.
While bicycles have become a symbol of resilience and freedom, a contradictory parallel emerged: the rising perception of cars as a symbol of safety and control, especially in escaping from war-threatened areas or in conditions of disruptions in public transport in large cities. This duality reflects the ongoing challenge for Ukraine’s cycling future.
Ultimately, Ukraine’s civil society, especially expertise-based cycling NGOs, has been the primary driver of change. Through years of dedicated advocacy, Ukraine has aligned many of its standards with European best practices. Still, structural barriers persist: tokenism, low political prioritisation, technocratic planning, and car-dependency.
Ukraine’s greatest opportunity for lasting change lies towards EU integration and green recovery programmes with a cycling policy framing the bicycle not only as a mobility mode but as a means of resilience, inclusion and energy independence.
1 . 7 Ukrainian NGOs: U-Cycle (NGO ‘Kyiv Cyclists’ Association’), NGO ‘Eco Misto’ (Chernihiv), NGO ‘Youth Association Extreme Style’ (Sumy), NGO ‘Urban Reform’ (Kharkiv), NGO ‘FORZA‘ (Uzhhorod), NGO ‘VeloVector‘ (Odesa), NGO VeloFormat (Odesa)
References:
- Martyniuk, O. Visibility, publicity, performance: the Kyiv Club of Bicycle Lovers in the context of 1890s urban transformations (in Ukrainian). V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Bulletin ‘History of Ukraine. Ukrainian Studies: Historical and Philosophical Sciences’ 2018, 26, 65–80. Available online: https://periodicals.karazin.ua/uahistory/article/view/10714 (accessed on 1 July 2025).
- U-Cycle website: https://u-cycle.org.ua/ (accessed on 1 July 2025).
- The results of the research “Network of interaction of urban initiatives and NGOs from 5 cities in Ukraine” (in Ukrainian). Available online: https://cedos.org.ua/researches/merezha-vzaiemodii-miskykh-initsiatyv-ta-orhanizatsii-5-mist-ukrainy-rezultaty-doslidzhennia/ (accessed on 1 July 2025).
- The probability of dying in a road accident in Ukraine is 5 times higher than in the EU countries (in Ukrainian). Available online: https://hmarochos.kiev.ua/2025/03/22/imovirnist-zagynuty-v-dtp-v-ukrayini-bilshe-nizh-u-5-raziv-vyshha-nizh-na-terytoriyi-krayin-yes/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLOREJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBpRDVDZlp4anluN3lMYmlQAR4Oek7gLcxuhwPllOmoMje4iCYnVVx_7dhfg8mQu-yR2r2utQ3NKiEaXGClXA_aem_8K1C9InTMGO9VxKzajiGuA (accessed on 1 July 2025).
