Celebrating Safe and Sustainable Mobility

On World NGO Day, FedEx celebrates the work of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) and their network of NGOs around the globe to make roads and cities safer and more sustainable for everyone.

The Alliance first launched the Safer Cycling Advocate Program (SCAP) in 2019 in collaboration with the European Cycling Federation (ECF) and funding from FedEx. The SCAP promotes safer cycling practices by equipping advocates, organizations, and transport planners to implement steps towards safer and more sustainable active mobility.

At the center of the program is the SCAP Guide – a resource compiling the best practices and experiences of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) – two cities with established cycling cultures. Early years of the program focused on the Baltic region, helping to bolster cycling uptake by giving community organizations an evidence base to improve safety for cyclists in Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia.

Year three has seen the project evolve and expand – supporting cities to get citizens onto bikes as a mode of sustainable transport. A small fleet of cargo bicycles is being introduced to SCAP participating cities for shared public use in Torun (Poland), Valencia (Spain), and Bologna (Italy). Usage data from these bikes will inform cities’ plans as they encourage people to transition from private vehicle to zero-emissions bicycle as a practical solution that does not compromise the ability to carry small goods.

David Canavan, Chief Operating Officer, FedEx Express Europe said: “At FedEx Express we continue to assess the facilities and routes where cargo bicycles present a safe and sustainable alternative to diesel vehicle. In Europe we are already utilizing cargo bicycles alongside our vehicle fleet and other micro mobility solutions, and we will continue to expand our use of bikes to work with electric vehicles in the future. The exciting thing about this project is that it will help to demonstrate and realize the potential of cargo bicycles as a solution for public mobility – not only logistics.”

Lotte Brondum, Executive Director, the Alliance, said: “In order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, it’s critical to promote a shift toward more sustainable transport modes. Research has shown that increasing the number of cyclists actively improves safety for all road users. To achieve this, cycling must be considered safe as well as physically and environmentally beneficial. This is where NGOs excel and where the Safer Cycling Advocate Program is equipping them to form collaborations with local authorities and communities to implement cargo bicycles for public use.”

Expanding its Reach

In 2021, the collaboration between the Alliance and FedEx crossed the Atlantic. Repurposing the translated materials used in Spain, the Alliance replicated training sessions with seven NGOs in Bogotá (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Now that cities are equipped with the resources and knowledge on safe cycling practices, the project plans to roll out cargo bikes in late Spring 2022.

On World NGO Day, it is this type of collaboration and connectivity that makes the Alliance such an impactful nonprofit and one we are proud to support. Through the broad reach and expertise of both the Alliance and FedEx, we are promoting and helping implement safe and sustainable transportation solutions.

To deliver positive social and environmental benefits for our planet, we recognize the need to transform our own business and last March 2021 announced our goal to achieve carbon neutral operations, globally, by 2040. Alongside investments in our own business, like vehicle electrification of our owned pick-up and delivery fleet and scaled up use of renewable energy in our facilities, we are contributing to climate causes beyond our own business by forming powerful partnerships and collaborations with environmental foundations and nonprofit organizations like the Alliance.

Today, we celebrate the Alliance and thank all the nonprofit organizations we partner with around the globe for their contributions to making the world a better place.