Preparing for my trip, I had read that Freiburg, a large college town by any standard pop. The easiest way to describe the difference between biking in Freiburg and the US, even compared to a college town like Storrs, is that bicycling here in southwest Germany, among students and the masses, is predominantly an alternative mode of transportation, certainly much more than it is a form of recreation or sport.
Bikes here are mostly very practical, low-frills models with wider hybrid tires and seats, straight handlebars, and metal basket clips and fenders. The expensive, aerodynamic bikes so popular in the US, like the ultra-light racing bikes, are few and far between. Biking here on the Freiburg Uni campus and in the city is all about getting where you need to go⦠quickly.
According to Dr. Juergen Steck, my host and counterpart at the university, this has become a problem for senior administrators, because hundreds of bikes are routinely locked to lamp posts, fences, trees and anything else fixed to the ground, becoming an eyesore and occasionally even a fire safety issue when blocking exits and access points. Help is on the way! The university will be adding bike parking spaces in the basement of its new library, now under construction and expected to open next year.
Bikes are chained to everything, like the railings and lamp posts in front of this classroom building, posing aesthetic and safety concerns. A note about bike safety is relevant here. Many times last year, when our UConn Cycles team prepared to launch the campus bike-sharing pilot program, I heard from several faculty and staff members about how they had almost been run over by a careless cyclist.
So, we created a bike safety flyer, tightened our liability waiver form, took a deep breath and forged ahead. Cars, bikes and pedestrians here have learned to peacefully coexist.
