Friday, July 16, 2010

Euro Transport


One of the highlights of Hvar was renting a bicycle for a couple of hours, and cruising the city. Two hours for 50 kuna, or about $8 seemed like a reasonable fee, and I rode as far as I could on the promenade toward the south, until I came to a public beach, where bathers were enjoying the sun and warm Adriatic.

The rear tire on the Kona Mountain Bike was about half-full, so I swapped it for another steed and rode the promenade in the opposite direction. The local who rented the bike told me that keeping the tire pressure low was a good idea, as the hot sun and the tiles in town caused the tires to explode!

I saw several municipal bike sharing programs while traveling, in Vienna, in Rome and in Slovenia, all well used and seemingly successful. Overall there is much to emulate from the European approach to transportation, with small, fuel-efficient cars, well-functioning public transportation, trams and subways in Vienna and Rome, an excellent bus system in Perugia, and even municipal escalators in Perugia to move citizens up and down the steep hills of the city.

My photos of bikes and other transportation from the trip are here.

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