A bicycle is an environmentally friendly mode of transport, because its use does not harm the environment. And besides, cycling has a positive effect on health, as it is an excellent workout. In general, there are some advantages! If you lead a healthy lifestyle, then the bicycle will become a good friend to you. All the benefits of this type of transport have already been noted in many countries.
Denmark
Residents of Denmark have long been "friends" with a bicycle. They actively use it in their daily lives, despite the weather conditions: Danes ride a bicycle to work / study, use various accessories (for example, baskets in which you can carry young children). Almost 90% of the country's population has a bicycle, on average, a local resident travels about 1.6 km every day.
Of course, the authorities of the country encourage such a healthy lifestyle initiative, and therefore create all sorts of conditions for supporting cyclists: spacious bicycle paths, which, rather, resemble trails equipped not only with special designations, but also with real traffic lights. The infrastructure for using a bicycle in Denmark is well developed.
Netherlands
In Holland, the bicycle is such a popular mode of transport that their number is much greater than the population of the country. So, there are 23 million bicycles in Holland, despite the fact that the inhabitants are 17 million! In recent years, electric bikes are gaining great popularity - bicycles with an electric motor, which are now about 30% of the total in the Netherlands.
The bicycle has become such an integral part of the life of the Dutch that even residents come to the railway stations on their own bicycles, in connection with which special parking lots and parking lots have appeared there. The largest parking lot in the Netherlands is fietsflat: it includes three tiers and can simultaneously accommodate 2500 bicycles. Bicycles are a priority in this country, and locals, jokingly, say that even if the bike driver arranges an accident, then, most likely, the motorist will still be to blame.
Germany
Those who are not indifferent to bicycles gather annually in the city of Friedrichshafen. Since 1991, the Eurobike exhibition has been held there every year, where a variety of bicycle models are collected: road, road, walking and many others. Bicycles with an electric motor are also very popular in Germany: every tenth model of a bicycle is an electric bike. In 2018, their number in the country has already approached 5 million.
Residents of Germany are distinguished by their discipline, and cyclists are no exception. So, the rules of the road impose special requirements for the operation of bicycles: they must be equipped with front and rear lights, brake and bell. German cyclists necessarily use helmets, although the SDA does not have a strict prescription in this regard. The country has many bike paths in both urban and rural areas, there are special cycling routes.
Finland
The capital of Finland and the "bicycle capital" of the country are different cities. So, the city with the largest number of cyclists in the country is considered to be Oulu, where about 154 thousand (and this is 77% of the total) local residents use this vehicle. These are not only young people and the able-bodied population, but also pensioners. In total, more than half of the population in Finland is a bicycle driver – 3 million.
A few years ago, the convenience of electric bicycles was noted in Finland. So far, there are not so many of them in the country, but every year the number of electric bikes is growing by 10-15%. In connection with such popularity, bicycle paths have been developed even more than before, which are necessarily laid parallel to roads.
Switzerland
An interesting feature of Switzerland is that on the road, bicycle and car drivers are equal in rights. Thus, fines for non-compliance with traffic rules are equated. There are not only "classic" models of bicycles on the road, but also, for example, mountain ones equipped with an electric motor. Electric bikes are becoming more and more popular from year to year.
In Switzerland, every second inhabitant of the country has a bicycle, the rental service is developed and actively operates. For the Swiss themselves, renting a bike is free of charge (however, a deposit is required). It is also convenient that you can return the bike absolutely to any convenient rental office.
