Can Athens become a bicycle-friendly city?

Contrary to many other European capitals, Athens lags behind in infrastructure, mindset, and education. Can this be reversed, and in what ways?

But not Greece – and certainly not Athens.

Bicycle traffic in all Greek cities except a few, like Trikala and Larissa, is very, very low, because on the one hand there is no infrastructure for cyclists and on the other hand there are not enough cyclists for infrastructure. Therefore, we are in an early and hybrid stages of development.

What do we mean when we say “bicycle path”?

In the term “bicycle path“, most people imagine a road excluded from any other traffic, with special signage and a surface different in color from asphalt, where bicycles circulate exclusively and unobstructed. It is not exactly a misunderstanding, but a concept that in modern cities is neither feasible nor sustainable. According to experts, a bicycle path refers to a network with sections of mixed traffic and other sections exclusively for bicycles, serving citizens not only for recreation but also practically, enabling them to run errands or commute to work.

Athens does not differ from other European cities. Transportation engineers, including here at NTUA, have studied a comprehensive network of bicycle paths. Specifically for Athens, we have examined a network covering many kilometers, consisting of various roads. On some roads, one lane will be converted from car to bicycle use. On other major routes, bicycles will initially be allowed to use the bus lane. On some secondary roads, only bicycles will circulate and residents will enter with their cars only to park. Meanwhile, on some other roads, we will have mixed traffic  with striping for cyclists, as seen in other European cities. Therefore, what we are discussing is entirely feasible. It just requires citizens to change their habits and realize that lives lost in road crashes today, as well as the environmental burden from private car pollution, have the bicycle as the only solution.

How do bicycles get around in Athens?

According to Greece’s Traffic Code, cyclists ride on bicycle lanes when they exist. Otherwise, they are required to use the right edge of the street on all roads, except on highways and expressways, where it is prohibited to circulate.

The only prohibition is on highways like Kifissos and Attiki Odos. On the rest of the network they circulate normally, like motorcycles and scooters.

Are bicycles a burden on the city’s traffic system?

Experts say no. On the contrary, they are the solution to the traffic problem.

If a car finds itself behind a cyclist and is delayed for a few seconds, both will stop at the next traffic light anyway. There is no issue of inconvenience. If anything is encumbering the city, it’s motorized traffic, not bicycles. The motor vehicle burdens the city with exhaust fumes, congestion and crashes. We have to understand that the space taken up by a car with a single driver, even if they have a passenger or two, can easily be used by 10 bicycles. In other words, the ratio we gain in service is huge. As long as we change attitudes, of course.

The model of foreign metropolises

Although they set the example and drive developments in cycling mobility today, in the recent past they were ignorant—yet willing. Twenty years ago, there were many cities in Europe that had no bicycles at all, just like Athens. However, with years of effort, they developed a cycling culture and now have a considerable number of cyclists, redefining the space, of course. It is no longer designed only for cars but designed in some areas only for cars, elsewhere only for bicycles, in other areas for shared traffic. In Athens, we lack infrastructure for cyclists, resulting in them mixing with traffic, which is dangerous for cyclists themselves.

Are bicycles “invisible”?

The argument that the bicycle crashes will increase if the number of cyclists increases, is debunked by the science, experts argue.

International studies have shown that the larger the bicycle network and the more cyclists on the roads, the fewer crashes and serious incidents there are.

So, can Athens become a bicycle-friendly city?

Experts agree that Athens not only can, but is also the ideal city for cycling, due to its relatively good weather and, despite having seven hills, its geomorphology. Athens is the ideal city for cycling. We have such good weather, so many days of sunshine. In Amsterdam and Copenhagen, it rains all the time and here we complain.

 

 

Article in Kathimerini.gr newspaper in January 2024