The Bicycle Booms in Berlin
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.23.07
When less than half the residents of a city own a car, there’s got to be folks looking for another alternative to hoofing it… And that’s precisely what’s happened with the bicycle in Berlin over the last twenty years, as it has become completely common for the average resident to ride a bicycle every day of the week. In fact, they’ve come to dominate the flow of traffic at intersections, as cars now even yield to bikes in that city!
And while it’s true that the city has invested a significant amount of energy in cycling lanes and the like to make it as bike-friendly as possible, the trend toward cycling has also meant there’s now safety in numbers. As filmmaker Ted White and bike designer George Bliss noted while spending time filming in China, at certain unmarked intersections cars just completely ignore cyclists on the side of the road waiting to cross until a certain “critical mass” of them accumulate. That critical number seems to make it safe for all of them to cross, as the motorized vehicles come to a stop and let them all head safely to the other side without a fight
Of course, there are bikes chained up all over the place, to every pole and knob on every major thoroughfare. They even crowd the lobbies in apartment buildings as well. But with global warming on the rise and fuel prices certainly set to do the same, it seems to me that this pollution reduction “machine” certainly has clear benefits to residents of big cities and small towns alike.
Now to find a way to better adapt suburbia for their use...
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Active Transportation For America Report
- Data Confirms Cycling On the Rise in New York City
- New York City May Implement Tough Bicycle Parking Requirements
- Seoul To Construct More Bicycle-only Lanes
Bicycling definitely is an under utilized form of transportation in the US. City governments in the US need to take a look at Berlin and implement a similar program. Making sure cities are bicycle friendly will encourage people to ditch their cars and hop on a bike.
I wish it was like that everywhere, and in the UK i wish people would stay out my cycle lanes
this is so true of Berlin! It was amazing to see how many people cycle there when I visited this past June. Evern women wearing skirts on their way to work were using a bicycle over the car.
To its credit, Berlin is a vast city built on a very flat piece of land thus creating an environment where cycling can flourish.
this is so true of Berlin! It was amazing to see how many people cycle there when I visited this past June. Evern women wearing skirts on their way to work were using a bicycle over the car.
To its credit, Berlin is a vast city built on a very flat piece of land thus creating an environment where cycling can flourish.
It is true of Berlin. But it is true in many other continental European cities as well. Just take a look at Amsterdam for example! The cycle-car-ratio is definitely even higher there.
In the UK my guess would be that its everywhere better than in London, simply because London is too big and people from the suburbs just cannot commute to the centre by bicycle. Though I drive 15k every morning (and another 15 in the eve) from Islington to Putney. But it is as Amrish says, in London drivers are careless about cycles. (Completely different picture in smaller cities like Cambridge for example.)
Islington to Putney on a bike? Easy, just give it a go! It will take you less than in your car. I'm cycling Fulham-Old Street on a regular basis and it's much better than tube, bus or car.
I wish to purchase a bike in Berlin to tour around Germany and Espana. I am flying into Berlin to meet my friend who lives there. Would like recommendations on bicycle shops to purchase and then ship back to US.