Transporte de motos

 On a recently available ski visit to Switzerland and Austria, I made a decision to devote some time to sampling the Transporte de motos experiences there. I managed to get out for a look in Basel, Switzerland and Innsbruck, Austria.

High Expectations

Having gone to Europe before, my expectations were high. Denmark and the Netherlands are not the only real European countries that take bicycle transport very seriously. On previous visits, I'd seen the dedicated bike lanes in places like Munich, Germany.

However, this time I wasn't likely to any large metropolis with miles of dense population. Those routinely have major traffic congestion problems. Increasingly, even in the U.S., large city governments support bicycle transport as one of their traffic congestion solutions and there's already a good level of adoption.

Are Small Cities Any Less Committed?

Smaller cities can be quite a different story. With less population density, small cities could be less desperate for alternative transport solutions. Home at least, this could mean support for bike transport is very limited, merely tolerated, or even subject to hostility. The town of Black Hawk, Colorado has become infamous/famous (depending on your own perspective) for banning bikes because small town.

Since Basel and Innsbruck are relatively small, I wasn't expecting a great deal more compared to limited bike support I've experienced in U.S. small cities. I didn't expect the local governments to be as dedicated to bike transport. I also thought the time of year might limit the cycling activity I'd see.

Exceeded Expectations

Nevertheless, what I came across far exceeded my high expectations for bike transport in virtually any sized town at any time of year. Basel and Innsbruck transport infrastructures not only tolerate but promote cycling as a critical transport alternative by providing comprehensive bike lanes which are not always but frequently separated from BOTH cars and pedestrians.

They also provide facilities that address common challenges with bike transport. The goal is clearly to create bike transport very practical and often more convenient than driving or even riding the train. What's more, each one of these facilities and services are put to good use year-round at all hours of your day and night by surprisingly active cyclists.

Serious Bike Parking

The very first thing that blew my mind was Basel's bike garages. Under their central train station (Hauptbahnhof SBB), is really a veritable wonderland for bike commuting enthusiasts. My local friend took me down there and what I saw was a pristine, well-lighted, well-attended, and massive space for intracity and intercity travelers to safely park their bikes at any hour of your day (not just commuter hours).

These garages are bought at most train stations such as the airport in Zurich. They also rent bicycles there. I surely could rent a cycle there at under 20 CHF/day. In Zurich, I came across a sporting goods store ready to rent for not as: 60 CHF/week.

Especially deluxe were the dedicated entry and exit ramps for bikes. I can't describe how riding in and out from the dedicated bike garage ramps instills this bike commuter with a sense of legitimacy. It had been truly a profound experience, especially, when contrasted with the cycling experience home that leaves one feeling such as for instance a second-class or even illegitimate person in the transport community.

In the U.S., bike parking is sometimes not available at all. It is an offer hoc affair where you bring your own personal security in the shape of pounds of bike locks. Then you may need to walk great distances searching for somewhere to use it. When bike parking is available it is likely to be sparse, outdoor, unattended, and designed to maximize injury to your bike.

How often would people drive if they had to carry a lock using them and drape that lock around a filthy rack at every location they visited? That is precisely the question that numerous European cities have answered for bikes. The end result is a comprehensive group of facilities which make cycling very practical, clean, and therefore easy and attractive.

Bike parking in Innsbruck wasn't quite as deluxe as Basel but it was still great. Plenty of racks all over. Some were outside and unattended but they were still covered and engineered to make certain one bicycle didn't damage another. So refreshing. All this and I wasn't even riding the bike yet.

Serious Bike Infrastructure

An individual will be out from the garage or off the rack, the support continues in the shape of dedicated bike lanes, bike traffic lights, and even bike service stations. All interact to strengthen the proven fact that bikes aren't just toys that sometimes sneak onto the trail to inconvenience cars. They are serious vehicles.

Serious Bike Services

Along those lines, service stations like this 1 in Basel were a delightful sign. The more ubiquitous bikes become, the more they require ubiquitous services and resources like the ones that autos enjoy.

Serious Bike Usage

The infrastructure certainly did its part to make certain cycling is serious transport. However, that wouldn't matter if people didn't use it. My expectations were exceeded here as well. Day or night, warm or cold, rain or shine, female or male, young or old, folks were using bikes to be on dates, get groceries, and of course head to work and school.

I was happily surprised to see all ages and genders well represented on bikes late during the night in freezing temperatures. Home, one among these factors is generally cited being an excuse for not cycling. Here none are. Couples think nothing of going out to dinner on bikes during the night, even in winter.

The fashionable folks I spied on bikes knocked down two more excuses for not cycling: so it trashes hairdos and clothes. This gal was having none of that. I came across her chatting with these two gentleman at about 10 p.m. during the night in about 30 degree weather with a handsome ensemble and a lovely looking bike.

Even during per day visit to Colmar, France, I came across these two in the train station running errands on their bikes. I didn't see enough of France this visit to comment on their bike transport experience but a few of the same commitment to bike transport obviously bleeds on the border from Basel.

Home, bike transport is increasingly more mainstream but it still is most widely used among teenagers in major metropolitan areas. Here, the range of ages and backgrounds is quite wide, as is the penetration beyond big cities.

All this demonstrates that, with the best attitude and right clothing, bike commuters can experience physical and social warmth no matter when they rid Transporte de motose.

Serious Challenge

This trip reinvigorated my resolve to see this level of bike transport infrastructure and adoption in the U.S. It can be done. It will soon be done, in the U.S. since it is in bike transport heaven.