Sweden: more and more cyclists in Stockholm despite snow and frost
Audio 01:15
A cyclist crosses Gustav Adolfs Square in Stockholm, January 28, 2021. via REUTERS - TT NEWS AGENCY
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
With the Covid-19, the bicycle has taken its marks even more in our cities.
Generally, cycling fever goes away during winter, when it snows and freezes.
But not everywhere.
In Stockholm, many cyclists get on their bikes no matter what.
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With our correspondent in Stockholm,
Frédéric Faux
John has been riding his bike all his life, and it's not the minus six degrees of the day and eight inches of snow that will put him off: “
I use it to go to work, 18 km every day.
There I took it for lunch with a friend, to pick up my children from school.
The first thing to have are studded tires, with 240 studs per tire to grip well in compacted snow and on ice.
Of course I have woolen undergloves and good light.
The only problem is that the mechanics can freeze at night, so I have to park it at home, indoors.
"
In Stockholm, cleaning cycle lanes is as much a priority as cleaning roads.
Large unobstructed axes allow cyclists to reach almost anywhere in the city.
The municipality wants to promote gentle travel, but for cyclists, the motivation can be quite different.
This is what Tobias Adolfsson, who runs a specialist store in the Södermalm district, notes: “
Very few people cycle for environmental reasons.
Most of the time it's for selfish reasons.
And that's because it's fun, we go faster than the bus, we save money.
"
Over the past four years, the
number of cyclists
in winter has increased by 70% in the Swedish capital.
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