Thanks to a nomination from the Boston Cyclists Union, Boston City Councilor At-Large Felix G. Arroyo has been awarded a scholarship from Bikes Belong and SRAM to attend the Velo-City conference in Seville, Spain. The City of Seville has built over 75 miles of cycletracks since 2007, increasing the ridership of its residents by a factor of 10 and causing some to name Seville the new cycling capital of Spain.

The scholarship, generously awarded by Bikes Belong and the component manufacturer SRAM to Latino elected officials from a handful of American cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas, includes a tour of the city’s bike infrastructure and face time with the officials and engineers from the City of Seville that made it happen. Arroyo will also attend the Velo-City conference March 23-25, organized by the European Cyclists’ Federation.

“I am grateful for this opportunity brought to me by the Boston Cyclists Union. By participating in this program, I can learn additional ways the City can further enhance Boston Bikes and other programs to facilitate bike usage in the city,” wrote Arroyo. “Especially… best practices in European cities, similarly created at a time prior to major bicycle usage and before motor vehicles existed.”

Felix G. Arroyo, born and raised in Boston with family roots in Puerto Rico, has been a supporter of cycling initiatives since his election to the council last year. He chairs the Council’s Committee on Labor, Youth Affairs and Human Rights and vice chairs the Committee on Environment and Health. With Councilor Sal LaMattina of the North End he formed a new Asthma Task Force in 2010 to bring together over 10 organizations from throughout Boston to focus on asthma education, prevention and treatment. This year Council President Stephen Murphy created a Special Committee on Asthma and named Arroyo the chair.

The union is proud to have facilitated this opportunity for Arroyo to learn from other bike cities around the world. It’s just another way the union works to cultivate the resources that will make our city safer and more enjoyable for cyclists.