Prešov is known far and wide as a perpetually clogged artery of the eastern Slovak transport infrastructure. It is such a popular city that one has to stand in a traffic jam to get there.
On Friday afternoons, drivers regularly practise pejorative expressions from Laco Melišek's dictionary of expressive words at junctions and dream of the completion of the bypass, for which they are waiting like Godot. The unbundling of the Gordic traffic junction is in sight, just like the completion of the D1 motorway, which, according to Toho-Koho-Netreba-Menovat, was supposed to be finished in 2010.
One partial solution was invented in the 19th century, but it is not a steam locomotive or a wheeled river steamer, as many might think. It is.. and now hold on.. just a moment of suspense.. it's tooo... a bicycle!
I'm sure you're cursing your brakes and grabbing your helmet right now that you haven't thought of that in a while. I understand. After all, who would want to travel for free, fast and improve their health at the same time, when they can instead bitch about ever-increasing oil prices, spend their youth in traffic, and pollute the environment as a bonus? Well, the people of Prešov!
Bikesharing
Recently, we have seen a new kind of mischief in the world. No, it's not crocs. It's bikesharing or bike sharing.
In Amsterdam, for example, you'll find not only a Coffee Shop on every corner, but also one of the 1200 bike racks where you can rent one of more than 20,000 bikes.
In the Czech Republic they can pedal bikesharing bikes in sandals and socks in six cities and in Slovakia so far in Nitra, Prievidza and Bratislava.
And how does this baksharing actually work?
It's a community bike-sharing system built on a network of racks that are connected by the internet and GPS, which uses algorithms to calculate how much carbon dioxide a cyclist saves. Simply something like bicyclomatrix. In one place, you can unlock the bike lock using the mobile app, whistle with the whistles, spin the raffle and get to the next rack to lock it. No more air pollution from emissions, no more penetrating your eardrums with tuned exhausts and finally no more parking 15 kilometres from your apartment.
At the same time, you will increase traffic safety and reduce accidents. So you don't have to lock your bike in the buggy room from which your neighbours' Pionier and Sobi 20 have disappeared in the last year, and it no longer has to take up space with compotes and chalamades in the pantry, but can be borrowed with your smart phone.
Bikesharing in Prešov
Unexpectedly, like divorce papers in Sagan's mailbox, people who want to make Prešov a better place to live decided to bring bikesharing to this capital of the world, following the example of Cyril and Methodius.
The Greencubator concept brought together ecology enthusiasts and artists who will breathe life into old bicycles and donate them to the people of Prešov.
So it won't be any Bentley among bikes, but old-school bikes that will get a second chance to ride the asses of natives or tourists on their saddles. Bicycles suitable for scrapping will be repaired and entrusted into the hands of Prešov artists, who will redesign them in such a way that even the Tour de France peloton will envy them.
After registering at selected locations, citizens will be able to rent this eco-friendly transport alternative for a whopping €0 per hour.
However, since this project did not receive any grant from Soros, these refurbished machines will be loaned out for more than an hour for a nominal sum to cover their repair and servicing. However, you will also be able to pay for bike hire with points you earn for good deeds. You can earn points if you donate clothes to charity, recycle waste in selected places, donate hot food, walk dogs, donate an old bicycle, and for other good deeds that we are currently thinking up, which will also recharge your karma.
People from the civic association Barlička and volunteers will help with the management of this system and you can become one of them if you want to do something for your city and the environment.
The time to return the bike will also be given and after exceeding the time limit, the disobedient rider will be pedalled. These bicycles will belong to the citizens, reminding them of the communist times of common ownership and the older generation, who will hopefully learn to use bikesharing as well, just as they learned to pay with ATM cards or share recipes on the Internet.
However, this project is mainly built on trust in the people who should take care of the bikesharing bikes as their own and protect them from vandals just like their own property.
At the same time, it is this project primarily aimed at environmental protection and the progressive education of people in the field of ecology and environmental sciencenot to have a selfish attitude towards nature, but to leave this world in good shape for future generations.
- Rudolf Beliš
Image source:
Zlín Fest, 2015 (edited by Rudolf Beliš) - https://www.zlinfest.cz/26002n-duhova-kulicka-aneb-jak-co-se-toci-kolem-filmoveho-marketingu
Thread and Spoke, 2018 (edited by Rudolf Beliš) - https://threadandspoke.com/products/i-want-you-to-ride-your-bike-poster
