150 people form a human bicycle to promote sustainable mobility in Pamplona with LIFE+RESPIRA

Pamplona, May 10. 150 people participated in the formation of a giant human bike in Pamplona’s Town Hall Square to promote sustainable mobility, adding to the LIFE+RESPIRA campaign, a project funded by the European Union. Participants prior to the formation in the Square, participated in a bike ride all through the streets of Pamplona, from the University of Navarra’s Science Department down Pío XII Avenue, Ejército Avenue, Carlos III Street, and ending in the Town Hall Square where the unique staging took place.

The project’s technical team and volunteers, representatives of collaborative organizations and members of the general public joined the ride.

LIFE+RESPIRA is a project led by the University of Navarra aimed at improving the air quality of pedestrians and bikers. Today's initiative also helped the tea of volunteers from “Bicivoluntariado” launch their project. The team currently has 150 people in it and anyone who wants to join it is welcome.

In addition to the University of Navarra, the public enterprise Environmental Management of Navarra (GANASA)and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CIEMAT) will participate, along with the collaboration of Pamplona’s City Council, the Commonwealth of the Pamplona, the Means of HealthyTransportation Association (AMTS), the company Oraintxe and Caja Navarra Foundation through CIVICAN. The EU financial entity “LIFE” provides support for all actions that the project will develop until 2017 in Pamplona, with the idea that the experience is replicable in other cities.

With this the LIFE+RESPIRA team is trying to contribute to informing and raising awareness among citizens and those responsible for urban management of the importance it has on health and quality of life, promoting non-motorized transportation and achieving a pollution-free environment.

The project volunteers with attach specially designed devices that measure air pollution to their bikes and for two years will help gather data on air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide ( NO), ozone (O3) and particles (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1), considered to be the compounds of principal interest for the map of urban pollution.

From the measurements, the air quality of the city bikers can be measured during their travels around the city. The sensors also have the ability to offer other data concerning solar radiation,
noise  pollution,  etc.  Its  prototype  was  developed  by  the  Navarran  company  GreenWave
Technologies.

The project also takes the opportunity to investigate the characteristics biking in Pamplona implies and provides knowledge that facilitates the incorporation of this alternative for urban commuting in other cities. To this end, a survey was designed for citizens who use bikes daily in Pamplona.

All information concerning the project as well as news and initiatives on sustainable mobility, and access to the aforementioned survey, can be found on the website  www.liferespira.eu and
their Twitter and Facebook profiles.