Cycling in Sweden is huge. I read somewhere that just about everyone rides a bicycle in Sweden. And not for excerise or sport. No, they ride as a main form of transportation…for commuting, to go shopping, to do errands, to go play, to go to the movies, to go out to eat, etc., etc. Basically bicycles are for doing whatever whereever.
In fact, cities in Sweden have dedicated bike lanes on the streets, the bicycles have their own traffic lights, and pedestrians even yield to bicyclists. There are many well-marked paths for cycle touring as well. The Swedes do their best to make cycling safe and easy.
Of course, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that cycling, even though quite functional for the Swedes, is also good for the environment. And healthy, too!
When I was in Malmö, Sweden, which is a convenient train stop between Copenhagen and Stockholm, on my 15-day circumnaviation of the Batlic Sea, I had a few hours to go do some sightseeing in Malmö.
However, before I even left the train station to go wander the streets of Malmö, the first thing I noticed was this “parking lot” for biycles. I definitiely did a double-take and had to stop and look when I saw it. It didn’t have just a few bike racks with a few dozen bikes that I was used to seeing. Instead this area must have had hundreds, no probably thousands, of bicycles!
Well, for some reason this sight just amazed me, so of course I had to take pictures. And not just a picture or two of the general overview of the parking lot, but also some “artsy” photos as well.
I found out that Malmö has 410 km (about 255 miles) of bike paths, and approximately 40% of all commuting in Malmö is done by bicycle.
I also found out that most people don’t lock their bikes in Malmö, as there are so many bikes and that most people have one, that theft is not an issue.
Now what I really want to know is…how would you ever find your bicycle in a place like this?
Sweet Travels!
All photos Copyright Debby Lee 2010