When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
CLARIN

From Amsterdam To Buenos Aires: A Cyclist Report

Cycling in Buenos Aires
Cycling in Buenos Aires
Einat Rosenwasser

BUENOS AIRES — Cycling is catching on in this bustling city of taxis, buses and cars, especially since the bike-lending program EcoBici was launched in 2010. In fact, it's currently one of the few systems in the world in which the stations are operated by trained personnel and the service is free.

But the differences between cycling habits in Buenos Aires and, say, the world's most bike-friendly cities of Copenhagen and Amsterdam remain considerable. Here, just 3% of daily trips are made by bike, compared to 50% in Copenhagen and 62% in Amsterdam.

Clarin asked two cycling enthusiasts from those cities to offer their observations about the state of cycling in the Argentine capital: Ruwan Aluvihare, Amsterdam's Physical Planning Department chief; and Denmark's Henrik Lundorff Kristensen, who is studying how cycling could become a significant means of transport here.

They shared their views as they participated in the bicycle event I Bike ABC, a cultural and scientific exchange between Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and Copenhagen. They believe there has been significant progress in Buenos Aires but say more measures are needed to maximize the system's potential.

Kristensen came to Buenos Aires in February 2013 and is accustomed to cycling as a way of life. "I always cycled and never thought of it as an odd thing," he says. "In Denmark, we learn to ride bikes as children, and it's how we move around. I felt I was missing something here," he says. He established a link with the city through the Viking Bike Academy.

Buenos Aires en bici / Buenos Aires on a bike from Henrik Lundorff Kristensen on Vimeo.

He says cyclists here are making changes and spreading their experience. "Another good thing is that, from nothing, the city started a very safe system, which is very good news," he says. "But it's a system that will have problems in the long term, as paths either follow or go against the traffic, which creates interference, and are difficult to expand."

Cycling paths must be "advanced" to the heart of the city's traffic arteries, Kristensen says. "Cycling is removed right now, away from the main avenues. In Copenhagen and Amsterdam, you see bikes going at different speeds, overtaking each other, which they can't do here. Sometimes the paths have complicated turns or are not laid out straight. If I want to go from Caballito to the city center, give me a straight line."

Parking is another issue. He's perplexed that people take their bikes into their apartments and that cyclists are encouraged to wear particular garments or afix rearview mirrors. "It's viewed as a sport or a small car, and it's not like that," he says. "The bike is just a bike."

Aluvihare suggests measures ranging from showers in workplaces to tax benefits for those using bikes because they aren't polluting the air or contributing to traffic congestion.

"We didn't pay much attention to the issue until about five or six years ago, and realized that things could go wrong because our policies were falling behind our cyclists," Aluvihare says. "And you couldn't add cycling space to roads we had in any case, so we thought of new ideas like streets for cyclists, which is not unlike the pedestrian zone in the Microcentro. These are streets with a low speed limit for cars and where the biker is boss. They cater to up to 5,000 cyclists a day."

Both agree on the importance of road education for cyclists, but also of improving road sharing. "I appreciate that cyclists do commit offenses," Kristensen says. "But I think every time you break the law, it is because of an infrastructure problem."

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

Horror films have a complicated and rich history with christian themes and influences, but how healthy is it for audiences watching?

Should Christians Be Scared Of Horror Movies?

"The Nun II" was released on Sept. 2023.

Joseph Holmes

“The Nun II” has little to show for itself except for its repetitive jump scares — but could it also be a danger to your soul?

Christians have a complicated relationship with the horror genre. On the one hand, horror movies are one of the few types of Hollywood films that unapologetically treat Christianity (particularly Catholicism) as good.

“The Exorcist” remains one of the most successful and acclaimed movies of all time. More recently, “The Conjuring” franchise — about a wholesome husband and wife duo who fight demons for the Catholic Church in the 1970s and related spinoffs about the monsters they’ve fought — has more reverent references to Jesus than almost any movie I can think of in recent memory (even more than many faith-based films).

The Catholic film critic Deacon Steven Greydanus once mentioned that one of the few places where you can find substantial positive Catholic representation was inhorror films.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest