I'm still avoiding writing a post that has been on my mind since I started this blog, so here's a quick update:
It is the best time of summer for cycling, the sun is up almost through the night. You go into a nightclub and feel a shock when you come out to the light.
Wherever you are you see at least 3 people on a bike, and the carriages for kids are becoming a regular feature of the street. I have to give kudos to my friends who cycled from their apartment to the center and back with their 10 month old son yesterday, 18 kilometers in total. This is how people in Oulu roll.
Now we're going to go party with a friend , naturally by bike. It takes us maybe 7 minutes to get to the centre from where we live, a bit over 1 km away. Cu at the bar!
lauantai 19. heinäkuuta 2008
torstai 12. kesäkuuta 2008
Today's cycling saga, and it's only 8:14
This morning I cycled from my home in Koskitie to the university hospital some 3-4 km away. It was a fantastic cycling morning, an annoying roadblock on the way had been fixed and it felt good to be on my bike after a trip southern Finland. It took me maybe 15 minutes to get to the hospital, and after the improbable five minutes at the lab I decided to share with you the amenities offered to us cyclists:
The pictures show the bicycle parking spot, in use even though bikes are left all around - ah, the flexibility of cycling - the hospital area. By the time it took me to take these photos and leave with my bike I saw 26 cyclists either passing, leaving or entering the parking. You have to appreciate the possibility to park your bike so that it doesn't get soaked in case it rains :).
On my way I noticed a crossing that a cyclist jumped before me in both directions - that made me think that cyclists here are sometimes impatient, especially when the need for the light is not apparent, as in this case. The light controls the entire intersection with cars turning onto the street from the ramp off the highway; however the part where these cyclists ignored the red light is hardly entered by these cars as it leads to the sports hall - the only time that part of the road is in heavy use is when there's an event at the hall. Makes me think that the traffic lights could be reset so that us lighter traffic could have constant free of way unless a car was on a lane that leads to the specific crossing. As in this case it would probably be better not to have unnecessary red lights for cyclists, since it makes one not respect also the ones that are necessary (or does it?), and because offering cyclists a flowing way makes cycling and other light transportation methods more attractive. Traffic is all around flexibility and presence, not having excessive lights supports the ability of people to negotiate their way with one other. This is something I view as essential in the traffic in Oulu: on the cycling paths people learn to live together and give each other way.
All in all it's been a very typical morning cyclingwise; on my way back to the post office and my parent's place I decided to pass through the pittoresque part of Oulu cycling life, Ainolanpuisto (Ainola park). Even though going through the park adds mileage it's such a fantastic environment one happily takes the route.
Plus I got the joy of seeing my favorite traffic sign, a stop with a picture of cyclist coming from left and right.
The total number of cyclists I've seen already is something over 200, I didn't really count. At one point I saw 5 cyclists in a row wearing helmets; is it becoming a trend? Or does it have to do with the fact that they were all going to the hospital?
One trailer without kids spotted.
Where will I go next?
The pictures show the bicycle parking spot, in use even though bikes are left all around - ah, the flexibility of cycling - the hospital area. By the time it took me to take these photos and leave with my bike I saw 26 cyclists either passing, leaving or entering the parking. You have to appreciate the possibility to park your bike so that it doesn't get soaked in case it rains :).
On my way I noticed a crossing that a cyclist jumped before me in both directions - that made me think that cyclists here are sometimes impatient, especially when the need for the light is not apparent, as in this case. The light controls the entire intersection with cars turning onto the street from the ramp off the highway; however the part where these cyclists ignored the red light is hardly entered by these cars as it leads to the sports hall - the only time that part of the road is in heavy use is when there's an event at the hall. Makes me think that the traffic lights could be reset so that us lighter traffic could have constant free of way unless a car was on a lane that leads to the specific crossing. As in this case it would probably be better not to have unnecessary red lights for cyclists, since it makes one not respect also the ones that are necessary (or does it?), and because offering cyclists a flowing way makes cycling and other light transportation methods more attractive. Traffic is all around flexibility and presence, not having excessive lights supports the ability of people to negotiate their way with one other. This is something I view as essential in the traffic in Oulu: on the cycling paths people learn to live together and give each other way.
All in all it's been a very typical morning cyclingwise; on my way back to the post office and my parent's place I decided to pass through the pittoresque part of Oulu cycling life, Ainolanpuisto (Ainola park). Even though going through the park adds mileage it's such a fantastic environment one happily takes the route.
Plus I got the joy of seeing my favorite traffic sign, a stop with a picture of cyclist coming from left and right.
The total number of cyclists I've seen already is something over 200, I didn't really count. At one point I saw 5 cyclists in a row wearing helmets; is it becoming a trend? Or does it have to do with the fact that they were all going to the hospital?
One trailer without kids spotted.
Where will I go next?
maanantai 2. kesäkuuta 2008
Raison d'être
Does the world need another blog? Perhaps not, but I think that the world could use with a view of how cycling works in my hometown of
This blog will be a space for me to voice my appreciation and understanding of how cycling works here in
At the moment themes I’m planning for the blog include:
- a presentation of the (cycling) map of
- what I view as the central features of a truly cycling-friendly city
- how do people cycle here in the winter
Welcome back soon!
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