A man on his bicycle during the lockdown in Milan, Italy. Source: nypost
In past times of crisis, the bicycle has come to our aid. In Mexico City, bicycles were the lifelines for many citizens after the City’s Earthquake in 2017. The wireless phone network collapsed, traffic lights stopped working and streets turned into one huge traffic jam. With the power out and few means of motorized travel, the bicycle quickly emerged the fastest and most effective option. Cargo bike brigades were seen carrying essential supplies to aid people affected by the earthquake. The bicycle truly became an important asset for citizens in Mexico City.
Residents of Mexico City using bicycles to help with aid after the Earthquake in 2017. Source: cyclingtips
Equally, in France just a few months ago the country's national rail and public transport operators went on strike – affecting millions of commuters in Paris. Parisians didn’t let this stop them, they quickly hopped on their bikes and took over the streets. The strike showed Parisians that the bicycle is a dependable and credible means of transport! This had a huge impact on the city, even after the metros and trains began to run again – the number of bicycle users continues to be exceptional, with an increase of 131% compared to January 2019.
By now, most of the world is feeling the impact of the coronavirus, which is spreading at an unprecedented speed, shutting down borders and locking down countries. The pandemic is leaving many citizens without public transportation services or afraid to use public transportation in cities that still offer the service.
With this new global crisis, we are seeing an increase in ridership and an awareness of the bicycle as a tool to help aid citizens navigate these tricky times. In New York City, Citi Bike – the bike-sharing system – has seen a boom in March 2020 of 67% from last year. The New York City Department of Transportation is also reporting an increase of bicycle traffic of 50 percent on the bridges to and from Manhattan.
Across the Atlantic, both Italy and Spain, the countries with the strictest lockdowns have banned all but essential bicycling on pedal and e-bikes. (Statistics of ridership is yet to be calculated, but be reassured we will bring you the numbers once we have them).
In Denmark the government is urging people to take the bike instead of public transport, asking communities to change their behaviour in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The streets are finally quite empty except for the occasional person from the health sector. The City of Copenhagen is using medical cargo bikes to distribute blood and tissue samples in order to ease the strain on the medical system. Allowing goods to move quickly within the cities creating vital access to staff, strengthening the system as the system is only as strong as its weakest link.
Medical cargo bike that distributes blood and tissue samples in Copenhagen.
After announcing a lockdown of 2 weeks in France, the government published the list of the shops offering necessary goods and services allowed to remain open. Bike shops continue to serve a purpose to help increase mobility during these vulnerable times. Most major sports stores are equally closed – leaving local bike shops the task to help their local community. To see what the life of a bike shop is during a national lockdown, we called our friends running a bike shop in Nantes, France. Céline, the manager of the Atelier du Poupoupidou explained to us:
“We decided to keep our bike repair section open. We asked our clients to postpone the repairs that are not urgent and not to come to shop without real matters. We prioritize the repairs of people who really needed their bikes during this tough time. These past days, our clients have mostly been people working in the health and delivery sectors.”