CYCLE STARS wanted!
Every participant in the CITY CYCLING campaign should use their bicycle as often as possible for professional and private purposes. The special CYCLE STARS category offers the opportunity to go one step further: CYCLE STARS should not set foot in a car during the entire 21-day CITY CYCLING campaign period.
Who can be a CYCLE STAR?
Who can be a CYCLE STAR?
Particularly members of local parliaments and other public figures (e.g. (lord) mayors, town councillors, heads of public authorities, etc.) are invited to become a CYCLE STAR and to act as an ambassador for the campaign in their municipality. In principle, though, any cyclist can be a CYCLE STAR (maximum of five per municipality).
CYCLE STARS in the media spotlight
Where possible, local media partners should follow the CYCLE STARS’ progress during the campaign so that they can provide regular updates in newspaper reports, on the radio or on local television during the 21 car-free days. If a CYCLE STAR has a car, this should be symbolically “stored” in a media-effective manner – for example, by parking it in front of the town hall or another public space, putting a cover on it, and surrendering their car keys to the (lord) mayor or district councillor in a sealed envelope.
Tip for local coordinators
Actively communicate the countless advantages of cycling and sustainable mobility! Positive statements on switching to using a bicycle should motivate without pointing any fingers! Therefore, avoid formulations like “doing without your car” in all communication. These tend to have negative connotations – and the opposite is also actually true: doing without your bike means doing without climate protection, noise reduction, reduced fine particulate matter, active health promotion, more money in your pocket and ultimately more liveable municipalities – and this is what we want to make clear to people!
The rules in overview
What the coordinators take care of
The coordinators are responsible for registering cyclists as CYCLE STARS in the user administration. A photo and statement from each CYCLE STAR can then be added to the municipal subpage. The coordinators must also ensure that the CYCLE STARS receive the appropriate publicity. When the 21-day local campaign period ends, the municipality should announce during a closing event how much CO2 could be avoided and how many kilometres were cycled.
What CYCLE STARS commit to
During the entire 21-day campaign period, CYCLE STARS are not permitted to travel by car – this includes as part of a car sharing scheme. Public transport and travel by train are allowed however. The CYCLE STARS must provide the local coordinators with a statement and picture at the start of the campaign to post on the municipal subpage. CYCLE STARS must report on their experiences as (new) daily cyclists on the CITY CYCLING blog at least at the end of each campaign week. This can take the form of texts, images or video clips. The final (and at least third) blog entry must be added at the latest by the end of the deadline for entering kilometres. In addition, the kilometres cycled must be entered online at least at the end of each campaign week. Local coordinators are not able to participate in the special CYCLE STAR category.
An added incentive
All CYCLE STARS in German municipalities participating in CITY CYCLING as a CYCLE STAR for the first time, who meet all of the conditions and obligations, will be entered in a prize draw.
The prizes include:
- bike bags from Ortlieb
- bike locks from ABUS
- battery-powered bike lights from Busch + Müller
- bicycle tyres incl. a tyre pressure gauge from Schwalbe
To top it off: the CITY CYCLING helmet for CYCLE STARS
To top it off: the CITY CYCLING helmet for CYCLE STARS
Every month, stadthelm.de awards an “Urban-I” helmet from ABUS featuring the CITY CYCLING logo to the first ten helmet-wearing CYCLE STARS to contact them. The only condition is that CYCLE STARS wear the helmet on all tours during their local campaign. The CYCLE STAR must also support the stadthelm.de project by publicly sharing that it’s worth voluntarily wearing a helmet.
stadthelm.de is a national prevention project that encourages cyclists to wear a helmet as a sensible and fun choice. The charity’s prevention work and campaigns aim to improve the acceptance of helmets among cyclists in order to mitigate the consequences of accidents and reduce the extent of head injuries. With individualised lettering on the visor and the fact that a contribution is made to the savemybrain.com foundation for every helmet sold and thus serves a good cause, Stadthelm has been convincing cyclists to wear a helmet for more than 11 years now.
CYCLE STARS are able to apply for a CITY CYCLING helmet by emailing hallo (at) stadthelm.de.
See here for more information.
