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Environmentally friendly, silent and efficient the bike has become a means of transport which is increasingly being used in BCN lately. Notwithstanding the fact that many difficulties still face their users, ranging from the lack of structures to the thefts.
Amics de la bici is an organisation that lobbies by the authorities for giving the city more and bigger conditions for the perusal of this kind of vehicle. It is all about an entity that has neither leader nor even a spokes man. Marga Iglesias is one of the partners dedicated to the development of the activities of the association. We have spoken to her and ended up by knowing the incertitudes of BCN City's bikers.When and how were the Amics de la Bici founded?Amics de la Bici was founded in October '81 in BCN. It has been growing ever since and it is starting to be organised in local groups. It has its head-quarters in Calle Demostenes, 19 in Sants. It is an entity without profit purpose, organised as an aggregation of bike users that intends to valorise this means of transport. It works as assemblies and the voluntaries gather weekly to carry out common projects dealing with the bike.
How many associates are there nowadays?We have around 400 members and a thousand sympathisers who regularly get information about what we do.
Can you tell me how many bikes are there through the streets of BCN?It is difficult to ascertain how many bicycles there are in Barcelona, since there is no registry. What we can guess is that there are 50,000 commuters daily using this means.
The city is flat, is it a means that soon can become an alternative to the motor vehicles?Amics de la Bici and any of the bike riders who usually circulate through our city, are of the opinion that this means of transport is one of the most efficient for its speed and parking facility. It is furthermore, an ecological means and environmental friendly means that doesn't pollute the atmosphere with either fumes or noise. It is also safer for the pedestrians and helps the users to keep fit. The climate and the lay out of the city are obviously ideal for the bike, and in what concerns both the higher areas city or the farther zones there is always the combination of the bike with other means of transport, like the underground.
Does it seem to you that there exists a culture of respect towards the bikers? We believe that there are still too many prejudices as far as the theme of bicycle as a transport is concerned either on the part of many citizens or institutions. The campaigns that are being launched and the growing interest for ecology and the most direct environment, the city, will make the regard toward bikers more sympathetic and respectful.
The cars and in particular the taxis are the damned, aren't they?I wouldn't say damned. It is easy that every once often there will be a row with a driver or cab driver. Usually these are the very drivers that do neither respect speed limits nor the pedestrians priorities. I believe that as more bikes appear these prepotent attitudes will disappear and a clime of coexistence will prevail among all the users of public ways: collective transports, private vehicles, pedestrians and bikers.
And the thefts, another nightmare... What can be done? One of the symptoms that there is an increasing number of bicycles in our city is reflected on the unfortunately growing complaints of robberies of parts or entire bikes.
It's noticeable a second hand marked that robbers are willing to exploit. What we can recommend as Amics is:
> Always leave the bike in safe places: use surveyed parking sites, try to take it with you wherever possible: work place, bars, etc.
> Whenever it won’t be possible to keep an eye on it, we recommend the use of safety chains, the best available being those of the U type steel and covering both wheels and handle.
> Not using a particularly expensive and eye catching vehicle for urban use.
> Originating in the vehicle users organisations ; a project has been devised, financially backed by the Bicycle Civic.
> Committee of Barcelona who is looking forward to seeing its implementation. The programme lies on three interrelated areas of actuation:
> Maracabicis. Theft prevention through deterrent markings on bikes and the featuring, on a voluntary basis, of their features in a municipal data record.
> Buscabicis. The publication and diffusion of the description of stolen bikes both for their recovery and difficulty of further sale.
> Informabicis. Systematic registration and partially public of recovered bicycles and kept in municipal vehicle depot to increase possibilities of return.
What do owners/user ask? Higher safety and security to circulate. Solution for the problem of thefts.
Promotion of the bike and infrastructures: tracks, routes and safe parking.
But your organisation is not confined to urban plan in its activity. What else is being carried out in the vicinity of the city?Almost every weekend, Amics organise free outing on bikes, led by a volunteer, usually in Catalonia. Frequently we use the train to get to the departing sites. The great variety of the Catalan scenery offers many possibilities of itineraries from mountain, to green routes and peaceful ways.
We aim at relaxation and enjoyment. Further to the advantages or the bike as an urban means of transport. We stress the sporting aspect and the leisure that bikes enable for the enjoyment of an ecological weekend.
And infrastructures, are there improvements?Within Spain, Catalonia, and notably Barcelona are pioneers on their creation. We are far from the outstanding, but every day bike tracks are being created as are increasing pedestrian areas. We do hope that this policy to subdue traffic will persist. In Catalonia work is being done on the project of a basic bicycle network, which aims at uniting the different municipalities through the creation of infrastructures for bikers. These facilities could easily used either for weekend tourism or for commuting between neighbouring towns. This is the first stage of the plan and we hope to see it ready in a near future.
A lot of us use the bike. What advice could you give us?Of course, go on using it. The best publicity for the bike are the bikers every day on the streets. Slow and steadily we trust we will overcome the problems that we still encounter. The bicycles are still underused if we take into account their merits, but we are certainly on the right track and time will put everything right.
Ricardo Nuno :.
Friday, febrero 7th of '03
The tefths are a reality, and the bikers demmand more parkings