How much European funding actually reaches cycling infrastructure? Adding up the labels in a budget can give the wrong answer. A study of EU structural-fund projects across 2014–2027 gives a preliminary estimate of €6.8 billion in contributions to projects with a cycling component. The figure includes mixed projects, not just work exclusively for bicycles, and it should not be read as money already spent in full.
The difficulty lies in how projects are classified. Some works filed under a cycling or walking infrastructure category mainly serve other modes of transport. Conversely, genuine cycle paths can appear in a broader urban-transport category. Researchers examined the titles and descriptions of 7,713 projects in three funding categories to distinguish bicycle-only investment from mixed projects and from projects without a cycling component.
Two cases make the distinction tangible. An intermodal site in Ericeira, Portugal, was listed under a cycle-track and footpath category despite containing substantial car and bus facilities and only five bicycle racks. In Čepin, Croatia, construction of 6.3 kilometres of cycle paths appeared under another transport category. Clearer project descriptions and a better breakdown of costs would help the public judge both the money allocated and the infrastructure that actually results.