Gothenburg Loves Bikes

Gothenburg does monthly Critical Mass too!

Living in Portland, I have a certain obsession with bike culture. This means that when I travel, I tend to take an obscene amount of bike photos. No really… and obscene amount. During my downtown Gothenburg stroll yesterday I not only took pictures of bikes, people on bikes, and signs with bikes on them, I also managed to come across the same version of my old school steel frame Peugeot. I was excited to say the least.

Cycling is second nature in Sweden, particularly in urban areas where it’s a preferred mode of transportation. But I had no idea that Gothenburg’s bike culture would be anything like Portland’s, which is why I was excited to find several posters advertising Critical Mass. The city’s Critical Mass is so organized, it even has its own blog. Although a bit sparse, there’s some great information for anyone who wants to participate or just wants to get more active in the cycling community.

But back to cycling as an everyday Swedish lifestyle… There is ample bike parking provided by the city. something that’s key when motivating car commuters to become bike commuters. There’s so much bike parking provided by the city that sometimes parked bikes look more like a sea of wheels and handlebars than actual modes of transportation.

Here’s a visual representation for full impact:

Next on the travel agenda: Swedish trains — always punctual and clean.

Wend’s Managing Editor, New Media, Anna Brones, is currently spending some time with family in Sweden and figured she should probably share her Scandinavian adventures with the Wend crew!