Urban Greeks: It’s a bike time!

Heavy rains didn’t stop cyclists, young and old, from taking to the streets yesterday in Athens, as many are fed up with the lack of bike lanes throughout the highly vehicle congested city. Athens is one of Europes worst cities when it comes to cyclist-friendly traffic code – it’s one of the only ones with almost no bicycle lanes.

London, on the contrary, boasts 460 kilometers of cycling lanes and intends to double the figure to 800 by 2010. Though only 37% actually use bikes in Athens, as many as 1 in 3 citizens would actually consider using a bike should the proper infrastructure be in place.

(Kathimerini -Sept.27,07) Yesterday’s rally was primarily organized through the internet, text messaging and word of mouth with the aim of garnering the attention of local authorities to the ongoing issue and bringing about changes that would also see cyclists bringing their bicycles onto the metro and the urban railway network.

Should their protests go unheard, the peeved demonstrators said that they would draw out their own lanes until dormant plans for bicycle lanes, which have lain in the Athens municipality’s offices for at least four years, are resurrected.