Serbia’s Student List rode to power in a peloton of anti-corruption bike protests. Now that it is forming the next government, a better cycling scene should feature in its vision for the capital.
Cycling played a major part in the recent, remarkable electoral success of Serbia’s Student List. But riding a bike in the capital remains a depressingly self-destructive experience that feels more like combat than commuting. In Belgrade, the plucky cyclist is up against a fearsome mix of potholes, tramlines and crazed drivers. Sadly, for those of us who embrace the bike as the greatest form of transport ever invented, there seems to be little hope that the forthcoming government will do anything to change the situation.
This is ironic, given that epic bike journeys were a key feature of the youth-led, anti-corruption protests that gave birth to the Student List. These mass rides spread awareness of the movement to every town and village in Serbia, while one particularly ambitious journey delivered the message all the way to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
But you will search in vain for any mention of cycling on the Student List’s 11-point programme. Anti-corruption measures are the clear priority, though affordable housing and accessible healthcare also get a mention. Transport of any kind – let alone of the sustainable variety – is nowhere to be found.
All of this is understandable: the Novi Sad railway-station collapse in 2024, which killed 16 people, brought the true cost of Serbia’s endemic corruption to the fore. The desperate inadequacy of bike lanes in Belgrade could be viewed as trivial in comparison. But with the Student List about to form a government, perhaps it could take some inspiration from the cyclists who helped it rise to power.
It has been almost 10 years since Belgrade launched its cycling strategy, which aimed – and failed – to raise the share of journeys made by bike from a fraction of a per cent to almost one in 10. Plans for 120km of new cycle lanes and a bike-sharing system have not been implemented. Even the new infrastructure that did make it from strategy to street has largely disappeared due to parked cars and road reconstruction.
As a result, only the brave or the reckless take to two wheels, unless they use the leisure routes along the Sava Promenade or around Belgrade’s river-island playground, Ada Ciganlija. For all its many charms, the city’s Old Town is lacking a suitable bike scene. This is a shame because cycling could help to alleviate two of the capital’s most significant problems: traffic congestion and pollution.
On the other side of the river from the city centre, New Belgrade features bike paths that were integral to its construction following the Second World War. The student movement’s spiritual home, Novi Sad, is also relatively cycle friendly, though perhaps only in comparison to Belgrade.
If Serbia’s new government is looking for inspiration, there are excellent examples in Southeastern Europe. Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, is undoubtedly the leader, though cycling advocates there are quick to complain that roads could be better adapted for bikes. A proper network of bike lanes has helped cycling to reach a modal share of 13 per cent, which is higher than that of public transport. Though this proportion falls short of cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, cyclists are a normal part of the transport mix in the capital and, crucially, there is safety in numbers.
Perhaps the Student List could look to Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, for more achievable inspiration. The city is governed by Možemo! (We Can!), which emerged from a civic protest movement. Since the party rose to power in 2021, it has prioritised pedestrians and cyclists, as well as public transport. The Bajs bike-sharing scheme has been a particular success since its launch last year: roughly a quarter of residents now use the system. To ensure that riders feel safe, segregated cycle lanes are a compulsory feature of road construction, while “bicycle highways” are also on the way.
Beyond a hardcore peloton of true believers, most people will not ride a bike unless they feel safe. Telling war stories about near misses and altercations has long been part of the urban cyclist’s bravado. But if we want to improve our cities, getting around on two wheels should not be restricted to daredevils. The Student List won a parliamentary election with its reaction to a tragedy at a transport terminus. It would surely be fitting if its programme in government addressed the safety of the very cyclists who helped it to achieve power.
