Cruise on the four capitals of Scandinavia – Stockholm, Sweden – Tourist Blog

I recently made a cruise on the four Scandinavian capitals. It is impossible not to notice a huge number of bicycles, especially in the city center. And everywhere cyclists are inferior to the road. In the conditions of automotive traffic jams, many travel to the city center by bike, and even ministers. It is faster and environmentally friendly and healthy. And there is no problem "flasher".

Now about another misfortune of Russia – about the roads. Two more hundred years ago, I wrote about Radishchev, describing his journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, as well as Gogol in the "Dead Souls".

About the bike is definitely possible: it is not a luxury, but a means of movement. The advantages are obvious: you can quickly get there, where the car will not pass.

Bike is the future of our past. Now we have a huge selection: from pleasure to mountain. Some models are worth the price of good cars.

I had four bikes in my life, and now there are two.
Bike is a lifestyle. Not only sport, but also a magnificent view of the rest.
People on bicycles travel around the world, and not only in the summer, but in winter!

"Two hours of cycling replace me sex! – reveals Ksenia Sobchak. – … Energy on skating on a two-wheeled friend is spent as much as on sexual intercourse. The only difference is that pleasure continues at times longer. Believe me! I know and in sex, and in sport ".

Singer Oleg Gazmanov explains his love for the bike in that he does not give artist to grow old. "Sick on him – and as if I am not 60 years old, and 20! I feel like young, strong, ready for new achievements ".

Bike is the transport of the future for large cities, especially megacities.
Both in Paris and Amsterdam, and in Rome, – everywhere bicycles can be rented for transportation in the city. Paid – and got from one point of the city to another.

When I was in Amsterdam, I noticed an unwritten rule: "Cyclist is always right". At the local university, even read the special course on driving this type of transport. At every turn in the city of bicycle parking. Home is located near the Central Station and is designed for seven thousand bicycles. Total in Netherlands by 16 million. residents – 18 million. Bicycle.

For some reason, the inhabitants of the Dutch capital prefer bicycles old and inexpensive. Probably because the hijacking of the bicycle is one of the most common offenses. Daily in Amsterdam there are several thousand two-wheeled machines. But kidnapped "friends" Amsterdamians often find in the flea market, buy again and go again.

The bike is becoming increasingly popular. The other day in New York Paparazzi filmed Leonardo di Caprio with his beloved Blake Lively during cycling ride. In Rider Sir Paul McCartney, a must-belligent bike specified.

In Barcelona, ​​where I was recently, just 20 years ago a bike trip was dangerous to life. And now the cycling paths are laid, neat congresses are made from all sidewalks, which is convenient not only to cyclists, but also disabled. There are many parking lots in the city where the bike is rented. Take a bike, pay on the map and go where it is necessary; And then rent on the nearest parking lot.

In Finland, where St. Petersburg men ride more often than in Moscow, many prefer to have several non-new bicycles, leaving them in different parts of the city without any locks.
We also leave the bike at the supermarket even with the castle, a big risk. Because walking "specials" with ticks, and quickly remove any locks and chains.

The capital of Germany seemed to me the most cycling city. There by 3.7 million people Length of bikes of about 390 km. Cyclists in Berlin make up 13% of all road participants. And they are going to increase the length of the cycling. In Germany, if you went to the bike path, the cyclist can knock you down, and will not be responsible, since it violated the rules, and not he.

I recently I was in Copenhagen. There for cyclists. In the city by 1.6 million. residents of 330 kilometers of bikes. And the width of the cyclehead is 2.5 meters, and they are raised over the track by 10 cm. Even the counters of passing cyclists are installed. And traffic lights light up earlier for cyclists. Cyclists sometimes go faster than cars.

And in the native St. Petersburg, there is only a 25-kilometer cycleway in the resort area, along the coast of the Finnish Bay from Sestroretsk to Zelenogorsk. Once the former Governor Matvienko seemed to be ordered to create a cycleway in the Kirov district. But while in St. Petersburg, bikes make up no more than 6 kilometers. In Moscow, for comparison, the length of the bikes is over 50 km, however, Moscow itself more. But also 15 million Moscow is only 50 km it is not enough.

Often ask: why in Russia everything is after one place.
Yes, because we invent your bike, instead of copying an existing.
If we want to fit into the global world, you need to borrow an existing experience, and not to invent imperfect, but.

Recently, the Transit Policy Committee announced a competition for the development of the concept of cycling in St. Petersburg. 4.2 million rubles have already been allocated to develop the concept of transformation of St. Petersburg to the country’s cycling capital.
It is assumed that bicycle paths will be created for "Movement on a bicycle with business goals". But for this you need to develop a map of bike roads, parking and parking for bicycles. It is also necessary to formulate clear rules for the movement of cyclists, to organize registration of bicycle transport.

No less difficult problem – bicycle parking. Try to leave us a bike – you won’t see it anymore. In childhood, I somehow left my bike at the bookstore. Stolen!
You need to think about how and who will be waging cycling in winter.

I can not imagine how the Government of St. Petersburg will solve this problem if the problem of automotive traffic jams cannot solve. Roads and so narrow, traffic jams arise constantly.
Motorists drive as if they are in the tank. No one wants to give way to anyone. So I want to skim on them.
Recently, one motorist killed the other, just because he did not give way to the road.

But the motorists can understand. Lack of parking makes them park cars on sidewalks, lawns, where. In Paris, this problem was decided by prohibiting travel on weekends to embankments, organizing parking in the city center. In Finland, require mandatory to build underground parkings under each new home.

"Crustics" – so called cyclists. And why? Yes, because they are pressing their alleviate!
And because our cyclists go through a pedestrian sidewalk, scaring passersby and often bypassing them.

Build tracks for cyclists still half. Bike is a problem not only and not so much transported, it is primarily a culture problem. You need to teach respect to the pedestrian, cyclist, skip in front of you, learn to respect each other!

I personally always miss transport, because many drivers with ease are knocked down pedestrians and no matter what happened on. I once hit a motorcyclist who was driving with faulty brakes. I was in disabilities, and the criminal case on the motorcyclist was covered ..

What to do?
I have repeatedly offered to increase the cost of insurance of human life. Maybe knowing that you have to pay huge alimony all my life, the owners of the source of increased danger will ride carefully, and will not put people on such a scale!
In the meantime, pressing pedestrians is not much compassion, and the curve of accident statistics is growing.

A device of cycling in St. Petersburg is a very difficult problem, this is a comprehensive problem. And without a lift of the inner culture not to decide.

I believe that the organization of cycling in our megalopolis is for the new-old power of a kind of exam for professional. And then every farewell professional and retired military goes to officials, believing that it can be a good leader.