Cycling Crusader: Isabell Eberlein, the relentless bicycle queen
Activist Isabell Eberlein Leading Change in Germany's Auto-Centric Landscape through Cycling Advocacy
Born & bred in farming country, Germany, Isabell's love for the environment corresponded with her childhood bike rides to her Grandma's house. Yet, it wasn't until she moved to Amsterdam, where everyone cycles, that she truly became a bike enthusiast.
"I saw people, with all shapes and sizes, ages, and ethnicities cycling - it didn't matter what they voted for or what job they held," she says, in stark comparison to Germany's status quo of car-centric cities. Inspired, she turned her passion into activism, leading critical mass rides in the Netherlands and eventually, pushing for cycling transformation in her homeland.
Advocating for the Pedal Power
Isabell has never shied away from fighting for change, leading numerous campaigns to make Germany more bike-friendly: petitioning for bike-friendly legislation (Berlin's 2018 Bicycle Referendum), founding organizations like Women in Cycling and Changing Cities, and launching start-ups Naturtrip and BICICLI. Her purpose: to encourage women's rights, innovation, and sustainability in cycling.
Empowering Women through Cycling
Recognizing the gender gap in cycling, Isabell believes that female voices are often silenced in mobility planning, resulting in the overlooking of women's unique needs and safety concerns. To combat this, she founded Women in Cycling, a network uniting advocates and the public sector, aiming to promote the bicycle as a symbol of female strength. "On the bike, you put in your own power and use your own muscles," she explains, stressing the body-machine-interaction that empowers women.
Transforming Businesses for Pedal-Powered Progress
As CEO of Velokonzept, Isabell encourages companies to adopt a bike-friendly culture, suggesting initiatives like folding bikes, mobility allowances, and company cargo bikes instead of corporate car-dependency. By doing so, she hopes to shift corporate mindsets, allowing businesses to benefit from cycling benefits both environmentally and socially.
Isabell's biggest challenge lies in reforming public administration, pushing for the implementation of cycling measures on larger scales. She highlights the frustrating lack of progress in Berlin, where despite passing the Mobility Bill three years ago, little headway has been made. Her solution: fresh thinking, collaborative efforts, and innovative alliances to pave the way for real change.
A Word from the Wheel Queen
For those wishing to promote cycling in their cities, Isabell advises checking what measures are already in place, finding like-minded allies, and building bridges with local administrations to ensure successful implementation.
With Isabell in the driver's seat, Germany's car culture may soon hit the breaks, making the U-turn towards a future powered by pedals.
- Isabell Eberlein, the cycling activist who grew up in farming country Germany, advocates for a bike-friendly lifestyle, applying her passion to fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and education-and-self-development by promoting sustainable choices.
- In her efforts for personal-growth, Isabell has launched various campaigns, including the Berlin Bicycle Referendum, and founded organizations like Women in Cycling and Changing Cities, which fuel her mission to inspire relationships that prioritize environmental responsibility.
- Recognizing the need for women's empowerment in cycling, Isabell launched Women in Cycling, a network to unite voices and address the gender gap in mobility planning, ultimately emphasizing the importance of relationships that prioritize safety and unique needs.
- Isabell's influence extends beyond cycling, as she encourages businesses in the field of travel, cars, and shopping to adopt a bike-friendly culture, fostering a relationship between corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability.
- Isabell's persistence in shaping the cities of the future reaches beyond Germany, where she encourages fresh thinking, collaborative efforts, and innovative alliances to bring about real changes in travel, home-and-garden, and education-and-self-development.
- For those who wish to champion the cause of a sustainable pet-friendly lifestyle, Isabell suggests starting by familiarizing oneself with existing measures, finding like-minded allies, and building relationships with local administrations to ensure the successful implementation of cycling initiatives.
