Bicycle Transportation Union

Bicycle

Transportation Union, Moscow Russia

Social noncommercial interregional organization Bicycle Transportation Union (BTU) was founded in Moscow in October 2007. Our Russian cycle touring club, the cofounder of the BTU, collaborated with the European Cyclists` Federation for 6 years. We could use the experience, collected from the ECF, to formulate our strategy.
The primary goal of the Bicycle Transport Union is increasing the share of cyclists and the number of bicycle trips in Russia and continuously improving the safety for cyclists.
There are many problems that need to be solved, so Russia’s cycling potential is not fully exploited. We are trying to get rid of the widely adopted and old fashioned idea that cars have top priority everywhere. There are many short trips where the bicycle could replace the car!
Cyclists in Moscow don’t have bike paths. The traffic areas are made only for motorized traffic. All technology in the road system applied to cars, could be used for bicycles, for instance traffic lights at intersections, parking systems, and directions. But we can see nothing of the kind on streets. In Moscow, we actively question and debate this situation. This is unfair and unequal. Moscovites own more then 3 millions of bikes already, their number and share of the traffic are growing. Bikes are eco-friendly and, perhaps most important, they are healthy means of transportation.
     Therefore, we have to focus not only on development of the infrastructure in Moscow, but also on issues like safety, fun experiences, rights, accessibility, service, maintenance and quality. Some demonstration projects are conducted since 2008. These projects involve a combination of means, such as top priority to bicycles, campaigns etc. To get investments in physical improvements for cycle traffic, continuous campaigning is crucial in order to promote, motivate and secure cycling. Through campaigns we communicate with the inhabitants and promote bicycling as a liberating, fun and well functioning transportation form which is very important  for social activities.
     We hope to see Moscow as a lab and a model city for inspiration in Russia.

Igor Nalimov,
president of the Bicycle

Transportation Union.
mailto:nalimov@velotransunion.ru

 

 

Dear English-speaking visitors of the website!
We, Bicycle Transportation Union (BTU), are looking forward to making human powered vehicles (HPV) the masters of the roads. It's not the motorists that we hate so much, it's the obsolete, senselessly huge resource-consuming, human and nature unfriendly, unhealthy way of moving around, that they are so persistently pursuing, when the final countdown of our sustainable life on this planet is on.
We realize that human power has its limits, but we also figure out that even today's 19 century-design bicycle covers a great deal of our routine local transportation needs more efficiently than any car can do. It is also a key solution to the problems of keeping fit, healthy, emotionally inspired and mentally active for long years on.
We can't even imagine how far can bicycle designers go in the construction of the latest nanotechnologies aligned with, utterly efficient, light and compact, and still robust and multi-practical, multi-functional, electrically assisted, all-season, all-weather, all-daytime ready for human powered vehicle of the 21 century.
We understand that to make it possible we should, first, clear the place for man-powered vehicles in minds and hearts of people of all age groups by means of bicycling propaganda and bicycling education since early childhood. This means making both the society and administrations cooperative in accepting this new green way of life.
BTU is only 2 years old. We have just started our work. On this site we shall reflect all significant evens in the Russian bicycling life and we shall be immensely grateful to those of you having some practical experience in defending the bicycling rights who are ready to share their views with us.
Let us together make the Earth Bicycle planet for us and the generations to come!

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Radio: Programs: Not so

Radio: Programs: Not so vicious cycling : Voice of Russia

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