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Play chicken in Helsinki traffic
I was pretty impressed by Helsinki's public transportation, which was more than ample with trolleys, subways and buses. There were few SUVs, and the bike lane was rarely empty. While the Finns got the ingredients right, the mixing was ... well ... suboptimal. The least menacing of the interesting transportation overlaps involves the bike lanes and sidewalk. Neither is clearly defined, and I almost got clipped by a cyclist my first day on the ground. And, that wasn't the only Finn to take a shot at me. Of course, this is tame compared to the streets, in which cars, buses and trolleys jockey for position.
I actually saw a trolley, bus and car jammed in traffic, while a pedestrian walked straight into a guy wearing headphones while riding a purple woman's bike. From my spot on the small patio in front of the Klaus K Hotel, I was able to enjoy the misfortune of others. But, I almost lost my arm at the hands of an errant cyclist while taking the few steps back to the front door.
With Satan traveling the roads, what chance does any pedestrian have?
I snapped this shot with my Blackberry. This was the taxi in which I rode while in Helsinki over the summer. Needless to say, I did pause for a moment before getting in.
I snapped this shot with my Blackberry. This was the taxi in which I rode while in Helsinki over the summer. Needless to say, I did pause for a moment before getting in.
Filed under: Biking, Europe, Finland, Transportation
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matthew O'Connor Feb 6th 2009 1:37PM
This reminds me of my time in Amsterdam. When we rented a couple of bikes we jokingly asked the manager, "Anything we should know?" to which his response was a serious, "Watch out for the trams. They dont stop for cyclists."
Hands down BEST travel-advice I ever got because knowing this was the deciding factor in whether or not my sister-in-law lived or became a piece of Dutch roadkill.
Erik Feb 13th 2009 4:44AM
When I go to Finland, I have not had a problem with the traffic/bicycle situation. I may be used to the Finnish system, but bicycle paths are usually well-marked. Sidewalk/black pavement is either separated to a pedestrian side and bicycle side while brick walkways and plazas have red brick paths for bikes. One thing that truly amazes me is that many pedestrian signals and new bus stations are blind-friendly. Whether they are safe from bikes is another situation altogether.
The one problem I had was not knowing if I should jaywalk. While it is expected you do so in some cities (like New York), my grand parents specifically told me that jaywalking laws are enforced. I still don't know if that is true, so when I go to Finland I am never the first one to go.