Taking over the Streets

The bike lane to the right is empty.

Last night my friend Caitlin and I participated in the Velo City Night event, when bike riders of all types would do a tour of the city - but on the streets.  The police would go ahead and close them off for us, so we had free reign.  It was a bunch of fun!  There was a really great atmosphere with music and lots of clinging bells (out of happiness).  I was starting to get a bit tired after the first hour and decided to just do half of the route, but the first hour and what we saw did go by very quickly!  Some people even had tiny little cars which you peddled - one had a dog sitting in back too.  I liked that we took things at an easy pace and it was all flat too.

You can't bike along this street normally, so this was a neat stretch, and the only uphill bit.

When googling for the name of the event, I discovered there's been a Youtube video already posted of the event:

One thing I love about Hannover is how bike friendly it is.  Bikes are something that children here seem to really grow up with too.  Normally babies and young children ride in seats on their parent's bikes or in tent-like attachments to the back of the bike.  Toddlers start out on little bikes with no pedals - you just push with your feet and glide along.  Eventually you progress onto little bikes with pedals, and I have a feeling training wheels are rarer here.  It's always cute to see families under way by bike.  I know that many of the students at my school bike to school, so already 10 year olds are navigating the streets.  

Hannover does have it pretty nice though.  It is flat, for one, and has a good infrastructure with many bike lanes, bike stop lights, and bike directional signs.  There are also routes to get practically anywhere outside of the city by bike, so towns are also connected.  Not all German cities are quite as bike friendly, but for the most part it is far more advanced than the States.  I can bike where ever I want to practically, but mostly it's just running errands to the grocery store (I have a basket), going to the library, or taking joy rides through the woods.

I heard recently that Pittsburgh is putting in its first sidewalk/on street bike parking areas, which is a good step forward, and I hope that things progress at home.  I just always think it's funny to compare the heralded "progress" with here though, where it's a no brainer to have bike parking in front of stores and apartment buildings.  Biking is not as "cutting edge" as it is in the States, where many imagine you are either a punk student or Lance Armstrong wanna-be.  It is something everyone from kids to businessmen to grandparents do.