This year’s VeloCity Conference in Gdańsk, fittingly aligned with the city’s historical legacy, was held under the guiding theme “Energizing Solidarity”. Once again, it brought together well over a thousand international experts, urban planners, activists, and researchers to shape the future of cycling. The Mobility Lab at the University of Salzburg was prominently represented with two contributions – both presented by the head of the lab Martin Loidl.

On Wednesday, Martin presented the results of the VISION study in the Science Track. This study focuses on optimising a safe, accessible and highly connected cycling network for Austria. The level of interest was remarkably high. Particularly noteworthy was an enquiry from Denmark about whether the developed method could also be applied to the planning of high-speed cycling routes. The discussions clearly demonstrated the international demand for data-driven, transparent planning approaches.

On Thursday morning, Martin, together with Philip Amaral from the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), took to the Freewheel Stage. Their focus was the EU project CITWIN, which is developing an open, transparent Digital Twin for urban mobility. Representatives from municipal administrations showed great interest – many are currently struggling with proprietary systems that offer little insight into their functionality and are perceived as black boxes. The open architecture of CITWIN was regarded as an important step forward.

In addition to the professional exchange, the social programme was not neglected. The traditional bike parade on Wednesday covered 12 kilometres through the old town, the historic harbour area – famous for being the birthplace of the Solidarność movement – and along a main road closed to traffic for the occasion. A total of 2,500 cyclists took over the city together – an impressive experience. Despite the chilly temperatures, Thursday evening’s dinner party at the old harbour featured street food, beer, and lively conversations among like-minded people from around the world.

VeloCity 2025 once again demonstrated the importance of dialogue between science, practice, and policy. We are already looking forward to the next edition – 2026 in Rimini. If the scientific focus remains strong, the Mobility Lab will certainly be there again.