ECF and Eco-Counter join forces to communicate EuroVelo data

ECF and Eco-Counter have worked together for many years, including as partners in EU projects, Velo-city conferences and, more recently, together with Cycling Industries Europe, within an Expert Group on Market Impact and Intelligence for the bicycle sector. They have now decided to take the relationship a step further and committed to work closer together in collecting aggregated data related to the 17 routes that make up EuroVelo, the European cycle route network.

Jill Warren, ECF CEO: “We are very excited about this collaboration and are looking forward to being able to monitor and communicate the use of the EuroVelo network over the years to come, providing vital information to our network of National EuroVelo Coordination Centres and Coordinators, tourism boards, companies wanting to invest in cycling-friendly tourism services, and decision-makers at all levels.”

Enrico Durbano, Eco-Counter CEO: “We are thrilled to partner with ECF to push bicycle data in the hands of those who truly need it. We hope this collaboration will allow us to share best practices in data collection, and create a common methodology to have a European overview of bicycle tourism.”

The signing of the MoU marks the start of a more intensive collaboration in the development of data related to the EuroVelo network. This much needed information will enable ECF and its partners, particularly the network of National EuroVelo Coordination Centres and Coordinators (NECC/Cs), to have a better understanding of the use of the EuroVelo routes over time and be able to compare experiences.

ECF and Eco-Counter hope to be able to publish the first set of data as early as next month highlighting the impact of the COVID-pandemic on the EuroVelo routes. The two organisations are also keen to establish a ‘EuroVelo Index’ comparing numbers of users on each route and provide regular reports.

The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) is the voice of cyclists in Europe and based in Brussels. ECF is the umbrella federation of national cycling organisations across Europe, representing 66 bicycle organisations across almost 40 countries across Europe. It coordinates EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, on the European level. The route can be used by cycling tourists and for day-to-day mobility.

For 20 years, Eco-Counter has been dedicated to the development of solutions for counting pedestrians and cyclists, providing communities with the necessary tools to collect and communicate the data they need. As a company, they focus exclusively on people counting and design and manufacture a range of counting systems, each developed to meet the latest needs of the organisations that they work with.