Expert Voices - Designing for All: Cycling Infrastructure for All Ages and Abilities

Expert Voices - Designing for All: Cycling Infrastructure for All Ages and Abilities

In this edition of Expert Voices, we welcomed Melissa Gómez (ADFC), who brought a unique on-the-ground perspective to the global push for safer, more inclusive streets. Together, we explored how cities can make cycling truly accessible for people of all ages and abilities: from toddlers to seniors, and including people with disabilities.

Melissa shared how inclusive cycling infrastructure is not just about building bike lanes, but about reshaping the way we plan cities, asking who we’re planning for, and whose mobility needs are too often overlooked. The conversation also touched on how advocacy, data, and cultural change all play a role in making cycling a realistic and attractive choice for more people.

Key Takeaways from the Session:

• Plan for everyone, not just the typical cyclist: Inclusive mobility means designing infrastructure that considers gender, age, ability, and different trip types, from school runs to deliveries.

• Safety and perception go hand in hand: Infrastructure must feel safe, for people to feel confident using it, especially at intersections.

• Infrastructure is political: Redistributing street space is key to shifting mobility patterns, and requires strong advocacy, smart communication, and legal reforms.

• You don’t need to start from scratch: Cities in the Global South can learn from each other and from successful examples abroad through demonstration projects, pilot initiatives, and peer exchange.

Our guest speaker – Melissa Gómez

Melissa Gómez is a Transport Policy Officer at the German Cyclist Association (ADFC), the world’s largest cycling advocacy group. With a background in political science and urban planning, Melissa works to make German streets safe, comfortable, and accessible to cyclists of all ages and abilities. She brings experience from research, policy, and practice across Europe and Latin America.

About Expert Voices

At MobiliseYourCity, we love talking about sustainable mobility - especially with the people driving real change. Expert Voices is our 30-minute interview format where we sit down one-on-one with people shaping urban mobility. These are not lectures or speeches, they're open, thoughtful conversations that explore what experts are thinking and how they’re tackling complex, day-to-day challenges in the field.

The recording of the session has been uploaded to our YouTube channel.