As lockdown restrictions are lifted, Europeans are turning to bicycles in an effort to avoid crowded public transport during the coronavirus pandemic. They are flocking to bike shops as cities across the continent free up space for a greener form of travel. The French government, for instance, is providing €50 for people to fix their bikes in an effort to promote cycling over public transportation. It’s fuelled a bike repairing craze, with stores unable to match the demand.
Many cities across Europe are working to encourage cycling in an effort to avoid increased traffic on roads as people avoid crowded metros and buses.“Given the desire to have physical activity after eight weeks of lockdown and given the provisional bike system in place, I am positive that the bike will come out as a big winner,” said Olivier Schneider, the president of the French Federation of Bike Users, who worked together with the government on the money for bicycle repairs.
London’s post-lockdown transportation plans include creating temporary cycling lanes and reducing car speed limits near the lanes. The city is adding 30 kilometres of permanent cycling lanes to the 160 kilometres of existing lanes.“This is a rare moment where government under Boris Johnson and London under Sadiq are aligned – the government has been clear on the need for radical shifts of road space use away from cars and towards cycling in London and across England,” Simon Munk, the infrastructure campaigner from the London Cycling Campaign told Euronews.
There is a visible increase in bike use on the streets of Brussels, says Jean-Philippe Beckers, who runs bicycle repair workshops in the EU capital. Beckers said you now have to “really pay attention” when reaching an intersection because there are more cyclists on the road. Even though Belgium has not fully exited lockdown, Beckers, who works for Les Ateliers de la Rue Voot, said they have already seen an uptick in repair workshops – with between 10 to 15 repairs per afternoon. People have been bringing in older bicycles from their garages to be repaired, he said.
But despite the bike frenzy that has taken over some European cities, there is concern that the easing of lockdown will bring many more cars to already busy city roads.Deaths due to traffic accidents fell by 50% in France during the month of April, but as many people went back to work on May 11, it remains to be seen whether or not there has been an increase in traffic this past month. The UK’s Department for Transport says it is encouraging walking and cycling in an effort to “reduce pressure on the public transport system and the road network”.
Source: Euro News
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