MADRID — Halfway through his 30-minute bike ride to work, police ordered Juan Pasamar to dismount, accusing him of breaking Spain’s coronavirus lockdown rules by exercising in public.
The officers were not buying his explanation he was commuting to his job outside of Zaragoza, the northern city where he lives.
“You have a car, don’t you? Why don’t you use that?” he said he was asked.
Pasamar eventually had to hire a lawyer to convince police that the government had not banned cycling during the lockdown.
As countries seek to get their economies back on track, bicycle use is being encouraged as a way to avoid unsafe crowding on trains and buses.
Cycling activists from Germany to Peru are trying to use the moment to get more bike lanes, or widen existing ones, even if it’s just a temporary measure to make space for commuters on two wheels.
The transition to more bike-friendly urban environments “is necessary if we want our cities to work,” said Morton Kabell, who co-chairs the European Cyclists’ Federation.
“A lot of people will be afraid of going on public transportation, but we have to get back to work someday. Very few of our cities can handle more car traffic,” he said.
With many U.S. nonessential businesses closed, there is little point now in cycling that isn’t recreational. But cities like Oakland, San Francisco and New York are closing some streets to traffic to allow room for runners and cyclists.
Back in Spain, Pedro Díaz, a member of Pedalibre, a Madrid cycling club, sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take over space from cars and resist giving it back when the pandemic ends.
“If we wait for proper infrastructure for bicycle lanes, we’ll need a municipal plan, which will take at least four years to be designed and get approved,” Díaz said. “This way, it’s just a matter of putting a fence and stopping cars from using a lane. Then it will be a fait accompli.”
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May 04, 2020 at 04:50AM
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Cycle power: Bikes emerge as a post-lockdown commuter option - Boston Herald
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