The following institutions from four european countries are part of the VECTOR project:

• IVAM

• Kooperationsstelle

• ADFC

• Fietsersbond

• Du Ratai

• Hungarian Cyclists' Community
  
  

IVAM

IVAM is an environmental research agency and consultancy which had its origins in the University of Amsterdam's Environmental Science Department. Since 1993 IVAM has been an independent agency of UvA Holding BV. IVAM carries out research and provides advice and training in the area of sustainable housing, working, production and recreation, employing a team of twenty five specialists and consultants in six units who work closely together on the complex issues put forward by you.

Environmental problems (and occupational health and safety risks) rarely have a single cause or solution. That is why our units tackle them from various angles. Our advice focuses on ethical aspects, occupational health and safety, and financial feasibility as well as the environmental aspects. Together we work on your behalf to produce comprehensible analyses and appropriate solutions. Innovative solutions that are cost-efficient and feasible in practical terms.

Because of our know-how and independence we are consulted by clients of various kinds, including government bodies, the environmental movement, labour organisations and industry. The knowledge and experience we have acquired in the Netherlands is also put to good use on international projects: IVAM conducts environmental (and occupational health and safety) programmes in the EU, Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America.

contact
IVAM
Jeroen Terwoert
Roetersstraat 33
1018 WB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
phone: +31 20 525 5080
fax: +31 20 525 5850
www.ivam.uva.nl

Kooperationsstelle Hamburg

The Kooperationsstelle ("Cooperation Centre") has defined its general goals and tasks in its quality management policy. Our core objective is to promote and enhance the cooperation of the world of science and the world of labour - via projects, consulting and dissemination of knowledge. Our main focus are topics from the world of labour, mainly in the areas of health, safety and environmental protection in businesses.
  
Network Activities is our term for all forms of co-operation with other institutions with the aim of sharing information and experiences. Part of these activities are initially regional and national working parties which meet at irregular intervals. For our projects we co-operate with other research institutes, state facilities, associations, and private companies. Often our work is accompanied by the social partners (trade unions and employers' organisations) and employees from colleges and universities within Hamburg and outside of Hamburg.

contact
Kooperationsstelle Hamburg
Dr. Lothar Lissner
Besenbinderhof 60
20097 Hamburg
Germany
e-mail: koophh@uni-hamburg.de
Phone: +49-(0)40-2858-640
Fax: +49-(0)40-2858-641
www.kooperationsstelle-hh.de

ADFC

The ADFC ("Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club") is the lobby for cyclists in Germany and – with more than 115,000 members and represented in over 500 towns – the largest member of the European Cyclists’ Federation ECF. Founded in 1979, the ADFC initiated the National Cycling Plan, a ten-year promotional programme for the bicycle, which was passed by the German Bundestag in 2002 and is promised to be implemented in the coalition contract of the present government. It has parliamentary groups of all parties represented in the German Bundestag committed to bicycle politics.

The ADFC is the most important contact for the media in Germany in matters concerning the bicycle, publishes the most widely read bicycle magazine for everyday cyclists in Germany, and, in cooperation with the publishing house Bielefelder Verlag (BVA), it produces the most widely sold bicycle touring map in the world (with an edition of over 2 million).

In the touristic field, the ADFC organizes the accommodation directory “Bed & Bike” with over 4,400 registered bicycle-friendly hotels, guest houses and youth hostels in Germany, a success product which is eagerly copied in other European countries ; it publishes, in cooperation with the German National Tourist Board (DZT), since 8 years, the German cycle tour advice booklet "Discovering Germany by Bike” with a total circulation meanwhile of over 4 million.

contact
Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club e.V. (Bundesverband)
Roland Huhn
Postfach 10 77 47
28077 Bremen
Germany
phone: +49 421 34629-0
fax: +49 421 34629-50
www.adfc.de

Fietsersbond

The Fietsersbond is the Dutch Cyclists' Union that campaigns for better cycling conditions in the Netherlands. The Fietsersbond has 33,000 members. With 130 local branches and over twenty employees at the National Office we work towards well maintained, smooth and direct cycling routes, more and improved parking spaces for bikes, action against bicycle theft, more safety in traffic for cyclists.

In the summer of 1999 a long-term benchmarking project started at the Dutch Cyclists Union: the Cycle Balance. The primary objective of the project is to stimulate local authorities to adopt a (still) better cycling policy. The Cycle Balance assesses ten different dimensions (and 24 sub-dimensions) of the local conditions for cyclists. These dimensions provide a good mixture of policy results, policy effects and policy process. The surveys in the 115 towns produced unique databases on the cycling conditions in The Netherlands. It shows that a well executed coherent cycling policy pays off in terms of more cyclists and more cycling.

contact
Fietsersbond
Miriam van Bree
Postbus 2828
3500 GV Utrecht
The Netherlands
phone: +31 30 291 81 71
fax: +31 30 291 81 88
www.fietsersbond.nl

Du Ratai

The public institution Viesoji Istaiga "Du Ratai" ("Two Wheels") was founded in 2001 as a branch of the Lithuanian Cyclists´ Community (LCC) for ecomical activity. Du Ratai participates together with LCC in projects on different levels, international and national. It serves as a lead organisation for the "BaltiCCycle", which was foundes in 2000 by cyclists´ organisations from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Du Ratai organizes mass cycle tours with up to 400 participants, published the first cycle maps for Latvia and Lithuania and also numerous cycle route descriptions. It also runs bicycle rent, a booking system for accomodation and the first international baltic internet bookshop. An e-mail-newsletter informs about new developments in the "BaltiCCycle" member states.

contact
Frank Wurft, M.A.
A/d 61, LT 01002, Vilnius
Lithuania
phone: +370 699 56 009
fax: +370 5 27 84 074
www.bicycle.lt or www.dviratis.lt

Hungarian Cyclists' Community (MK)

The Hungarian Cyclists' Community ("Magyar Kerékpáros-Klub", MK) was founded in 2002 and has currently 350 members. The NGO´s target is the representation and protection of the people using bicycle on the governmental and international level, also cooperation with other civil organizations.

MK is making big effort in the acceptancy of riding bike, which can be seen in the growing number of commuters riding on bike. MK also took part in the preparations for the world´s biggest cycling demonstration ("Critical Mass") in Budapest 2006 with over 35.000 participants.