Modes of transport

Each morning at 7:30 when I arrive at school, there are floods of pupils cycling into school and locking up their bikes. It made me think; was it like this at my school? The answer is a definite no! At my school there was one small bike shelter but very few people actually used it.

Since moving to Germany, this is one of the main things that has stood out for me. In England it’s very common to drive, catch a bus or walk somewhere, for example to school. In Germany, I often see people, even people over eighty years old (!) travelling by bike. It makes me think; is England a lazy nation or is this something special for Germany?

Northern Germany, where I currently live, is actually very flat, so it is much less strenuous to travel by bike than it is to walk. It gets you to places faster and is much cheaper than travelling by bus or car and also it is much more environmentally friendly. My nearest major city is Oldenburg. In Oldenburg there are actually more bikes than inhabitants! Everywhere you look there are cyclists and you have to be very careful to look where you are walking and make sure there isn’t a cyclist coming. There are special lanes for cyclists and also lanes for pedestrians so that it is safe.

I personally find travelling by bike much more practical than walking, especially when the land is flat. When I move back to England in summer I will cycle more instead of taking the bus. Trying to cycle up the seven hills of Sheffield may be a challenge at first but I think it will get easier!