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Israel Bicycle Association
The Israel Bicycle Association works to promote cycling, to improve public health, quality of life, the environment, increase the safety of riders, and reduce social gaps.
New: Cycle in Tel Aviv? You may want to view a map of all the bike lanes in the city. Click here to view the English key which corresponds to the Hebrew map, and click here to view the Hebrew map.
Useful Information
Our Story
In 1994, four cyclists met up to discuss the potential of bike transportation in Tel Aviv.
“It’s a flat, compact city with hardly any snowy days (if at all), terrible parking problems and a huge traffic overload.”
At a meeting with a senior official at City Hall, they did their best to market their strategy to transform Tel Aviv into a cycling city.
Their answer to us was blunt: “You’re completely misinformed". They argued that Tel-Aviv / Jaffa is a modern city, the metropolitan heart and the business center of the State of Israel. "You are delightful tree-huggers, but we’ll never go back to such modes of transport. We face forward, we will push for advanced transportation. Don’t you read the newspapers? Any day now we’ll have a subway here….”
But the four were not dejected. They fixed another meeting, with another City Hall official, this time one whom they knew to be a cyclist. He listened intently to their idea, but replied tiredly: “I appreciate your initiative, but these kinds of ideas are successful in the European countries that support sustainable transportation. We, in contrast, are a Middle Eastern country, with Israelis attached to their cars or to camels…. It’s a shame to waste your time.”
After multiple failed attempts to get City Hall to take the lead, the four added more people to advance their cycling-oriented vision of Tel Aviv, and finally, in 1995, the Tel Aviv Bicycle Association was founded.
In 2008 the NGO expanded its activities to a national level, and changed its name to the Israel Bicycle Association. Its aims?
To encourage the use of, culture of and transportation by bikes in Tel Aviv and in Israel, and to help transform a rapidly industrializing country into a cycling-friendly haven.
The Israel Bicycle Association works to promote cycling, to improve public health, quality of life, the environment, increase the safety of riders, and reduce social gaps. For its excellence in activities for the environment, the organization won the Green Globe award - the "Oscar" of the environmental movement.
We are not supported by the authorities. The members and supporters of our association are the people behind the movement -- many of them are members of local groups working to promote bicycle transportation. Others are active in the thematic teams (planning, road safety, lobbying, public policy, riding to work, safe paths for schools, public health, communications, events, legal aid, internet, roads, research and more).
The IBA operates at different levels:
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National Plan: Initiating and promoting a bill and regulations in the Knesset vis-a-vis the Ministries and the Knesset. Promoting a national outline plan for bicycles, working with the Public Works Department to regulate cycling along inter-urban roads , and promoting a bicycle lane program in the Dan Region .
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Urban Plan: Partnership and accompaniment of bicycle paths in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Jerusalem and dozens of other cities.
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Public Level: Activity with residents, schools, organizations and business companies.Conducting public events and running three intervention programs: "Ride To Work", "Safe paths for school" and "Safe riders".
Our Projects
Walk to School
"Walk to School" is a project that promotes walking to school as a safe and fun activity for children. In addition to improving health and overall mood, walking to school, rather than driving, also reduces global emissions caused by vehicular transportation.
Bikes on Trains Campaign
We have succeeded: Israel Railways and the Ministry of Transport revised the new laws due to pressure and public intent, and settled on more relaxed restrictions (there is no longer a time limit for when you can take folding bicycles on the train, but they must be carried in designated bags, while regular bicycles can be taken Sunday to Thursday, from 9:00 to 15:00 and from 19:00 to 06:00 the following day.)
The new regulations will be implemented starting December 1st.
We have a month and a half to improve the existing arrangement.
Members of ECF
The Israel Bicycle Association is the only Israeli member of the European Cycling Federation (ECF) and we appreciate the vast knowledge and experience we gained by being part of the Federation. The organization cooperates with parallel organizations in order to import into Israel practices that have been proven to contribute to encouraging the use of bicycles and increasing the safety of riders.
Replicating success in Tel Aviv to other cities
The bike project initiated by the association in Tel Aviv, which began in 1994, is the oldest, and its achievements include 116 kilometers of bicycle paths, a bike rental project, and daily cycling of 15% of the city's residents, - A book and riding instruction for the general public, free of charge, and thousands of riders participate in the annual events of the association, and more than 20,000 riders participate in the annual event.
Our 2017-2018 Campaigns
Approval of a bill to encourage bicycle transport, approval of a bill to increase the safety of riders, approval of the bill to reduce bicycle thefts, city bikes, mountain biking, safe riders, safe paths to schools, the transfer of standard to showers in workplaces, promotion of bike rental in other cities, Bike To Work, a war on bicycle theft, and more.
Donate
The Israel Bicycle Association is not supported by the authorities, and our activities are made possible thanks to donations from foundations and individuals - like you.
To continue our work to promote bicycle transportation in Israel, we need your help.
Click here:
Become a Member
Volunteer
Our volunteers are the ones leading our activity.
You are invited to join our local teams and help advance our projects, and contribute however you can, even from abroad.
Contact
Address: 26 Saadia Ga'on Tel Aviv-Yafo, IL
Email: office@bike.org.il
Phone: 00507700172
Fax: 072-2785427
Israel Bicycle Association
Official Website
Design ©2019 Natan Rosenfeld
Address: 26 Saadia Ga'on Tel Aviv-Yafo, IL
Email: office@bike.org.il
Phone: 0507700172
Fax: 072-2785427