Saxony lags behind in city cycling

Leipzig and Dresden have long been involved

In Saxony, Leipzig was the first city to take part in the campaign in 2009. Last year, the trade fair city took third place among cities with over 500,000 inhabitants. Leipzig residents cycled more than 3.5 million kilometers during the campaign period. According to Climate Alliance, Dresden is also one of the veterans of city cycling.

Compared to other federal states, the 18 participating cities in Saxony are rather small. In Rhineland-Palatinate, which is similar in size to the Free State, 124 municipalities are taking part this year. In the neighboring federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, there are 31 municipalities and in Thuringia 36.

"One reason for this is probably that Saxony is the only federal state that does not financially support the participation of its municipalities," said Alliance spokesperson Reisch. In many other federal states, participation has increased as a result of the support. Saxony-Anhalt began funding in 2023 - with a clear effect. In the previous year, only four municipalities had participated there.