You are living in Innsbruck? You are either studying or working in the city? So, where’s your bike? Since the city of Innsbruck has optimised its trunk road system, going by bus or even by car is no longer fashionable.
Many of Innsbruck’s students have already learned from Amsterdam’s students and have refused to buy a bus ticket for the coming semester.
Biking has lots of advantages and especially students can benefit. Once purchased scarcely anything has to be paid for maintenance in contrast to the overpriced bus ticket for the IVB. You can get from A to B in almost the same time as by bus. Even better, you can bike along many one-way streets and reach your destination earlier than your buddies in the bus.
At the same time you can enjoy the landscape, you can feel the sun on your skin and the tailwind. Speaking of wind, the best feature for girls with long hair is that the wind of Innsbruck blow-dries your hair and you save electricity at the same time. You see, biking has many advantages but the most important is that you save money and keep in shape. You no longer have to pay a huge amount for the fitness studio. You only have to by an old bike with a damaged gear change and you have to pedale twice as much as with a new and intact bike. Once a day to the university and back home and within three months you are in sape for the summer.
Go ahead and get yourself a bike. Enjoy the landscape, feel the freedom, feel like in Amsterdam.
Jaqueline Thurnes
Biking is doubtless a good thing and there can never be enough bikers and bike lanes, however, biking can never really replace public transport, as there are e.g. steep graded roads into and from the southern and northern suburbs, or big distances within the city, both of which can’t be dealt with a bike by many people.
Besides this, Innsbruck offers not only buses but also fast street car and light rail lines and a comprehensive commuter train system called the ‚S-Bahn‘. The bike can be taken along for free in all public transport vehicles. And: the public transport season tickets are cheap compared to those e.g. in German cities.
In my view, it is not a good idea to play cycling off against public transport. What you are writing might be true for people living within or near the quarter wherein they work or study, but not for those living in a quarter far away or, exceptionally, in suburbs like Mutters, Hall, Rum or Kematen.
Most people combine using public transport and bike. Therefore, both should be promoted and backed up.
The common enemy within the hierarchy of urban mobility that we should vehemently fight is the automobile.
I think, we shouldn’t talk about enemies. I am cycling to work every day and still, automobile-drivers are not my enemies. In fact, once a week I enjoy getting into my (old) car and buy groceries or whatever. The true enemy is intolerance and stupidity of single persons, be it cyclists, car drivers or pedestrians. I, personally couldn’t imagine getting on a bus every day and looking into tired faces or driving by car, wasting time and nerves in a traffic jam downtown. I rather cycle to work, even when it’s raining. Just put on rainwear and that’s it. Well, and if it’s snowing and icy in wintertime, then I just walk. Innsbruck is small…
You mentioned Hall, Rum, Kematen and Mutters. Imagine cycling to work from there and back every day: now, that’s keeping you in shape!
I am biking ca. 2000km per year, mostly in spring, summer and fall. 50% in Innsbruck an surroundings, the rest during holiday. I like the combinations of train, tram, bus and bike here in Innsbruck. Fortunately we have a conducive climate throughout most public transport ventures in Tyrol to ease bike-transport (well –you have to pay extra in ÖBB-trains, but its especially in the S-Bahn and the REX trains worth the money, 2,6€/day). The usability of public transport is improved by the combination with the bike.