There is no single driver, who can honestly say that they like being stuck in a traffic jam. Yet, so few of them would actually consider leaving the car behind and jumping on a bike. A Latvian group, called ‘Let’s Bike It’, decided to test how much visual impact could influence driver’s perception, and demonstrated the space a single car occupies on the road in comparison to a bike.
I often wonder why are cars being worshiped so much. Every time I ride my bike, bypassing a huge traffic jam, I cannot help but wonder how these poor souls inside the cars must be feeling.
It is often, however, that people tend to ignore bikes, and do not fully realize the numerous advantages these two-wheelers have to offer. There is the improvement in health condition, the free weight control, the ability to reach destinations much faster, but most of all, the great impact that each biker has on the quality and cleanness of our shared environment.
This is why a group of guys from Latvia, initiated the campaign ‘Let’s Bike It‘, in an attempt to demonstrate, right on the street in the faces of all drivers, how much space each one of them is occupying on the road, contributing to the traffic jam madness. The guys made bamboo frames that resemble exactly in shape and size a typical car, they attached the frames to themselves, jumped on the bikes and started riding on the road. The campaign was launched in their home city of Riga, and later taken on a trip from Russia to Lisbon spreading the word.
The campaign was conducted as part of the European Mobility Week, which had the aim to promote sustainable mobility and better use of land in order to improve living conditions. A total of 2013 participants from 43 European countries took part in the event, with various initiatives raising awareness across the continent.
Image (c) Let’s Bike It
