The Gym of Life
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Antwerp – The Life-Sized City
Ideas for governments and companies
It is well-known that going to work by bicycle is good for the glucose and cholesterol levels, stress reduction, good mood and productivity increment. Indeed, according to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructures 80% of workers who pedal to work show a better compromise between companies and their jobs, and their work absenteeism diminishes. Moreover, diabetes is reduced by 20%. Not surprisingly, open-minded governments promote the use of bicycles with strategies such as giving social benefits to workers who buy bikes through firms (these get tax reductions), those workers who ride to the office obtain money per pedaled kilometer, urban biking promotion not only the Day of the Bike but 365 days in a year, a day for bike maintenance, free subscription to public bikes, bike lines and bicycle parking building. In return, sanitary costs are reduced and environment improves not only because bikes do not pollute in the using stage, but also as a result of if a person uses a bike instead of a car she provokes the same emissions diminishing as one tree every month.
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Can a bicycle owner be determined by her bike?
This is a thought that I have been chewed on it for a time. It implies that given all the different bike types and accessories, they tell about their personality and interests owners somehow. Indeed, when you periodically meet bikers from time to time, for instance in the Critical Mass, you could not remember the name of each and every cyclist if it is a numerous group. But you recognize them by their bicycles if you have previously seen their possessors, even if you have not meet them for a long time giving they still maintain the same bike. Personality is shown through bike kinds (mountain bike – a person who enjoys riding mountains, hybrid bike – possibly somebody who does bike-tourism, road bike, etc.) and accessories (bicycle basket – there is or has been a child, saddlebags – a bike-tourist, rear-view mirror – somebody who usually pedals on car lines…).
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A New Bypass for the Busiest Bikeway in the Netherlands
Baana
In some cases, bike and pedestrian lines are built or transformed from railways or car lines to take advantage of a previous infrastructure which does not have necessity nowadays. This is the case of the rail trails in Spain (https://trafficnightmare.net/rail-trail/) or Baana.
Baana is located in Helsinki, Finland. It connects Helsinki downtown with residential and commercial areas. Over a million people use it every year. This 1,5 kilometers line was born to allow train goods movement between the central station and the west suppliers dock in 1894. In order to do so, an open canyon was dug on which a railway was put. After more than a century and the infrastructure lack of use, neighbors associations, urban-plannings and the mayor decided to give it a new use with urban biking in mind. The 16,000 squared meters were transformed into a bike-pedestrian line surrounded by nature, with specific places in which urban artists create graffiti murals, the Love Helsinki sculpture by Janne Siltanen and there are sport fields really close. Indeed, this line is integrated in a long park. At the same time, Baana connects bicyclers to the Nikolaleff palace and the Natural Sciences Museum.
This project was completed with the Orient Baana to be the backbone of the Helsinki bike lines. Not surprinsingly, Baana received the European Public Urban Place award in 2014 due to its meaning impact on urban revitalization in Helsinki.