Urban Cycling In Athens: Challenges And Strategies For Survival
Perspectives | Interview | Athens, Greece
In the maze of Athen’s hilly streets, in between rows of parked cars and uneven sidewalks, you can spot (if you are lucky) a few brave cyclists seamlessly moving through traffic. One of them might very well be Spiros Papageorgiou, cycling mayor of Athens with BYCS and founder of the NGO Cities for Cycling. Spiros, who does not go anywhere without his foldable bike, is a vocal advocate for human-centered cities and kindly offered to show our researcher
what it means to be an urban cyclist in Greece’s capital. Let’s go!
“At first sight, Athens might not seem like the best city to cycle through”, admits Spiros, “However, there are thousands of people who take the bicycle; data collected through the STRAVA app shows that most cyclists go from their house to the center, probably commuting to work; and that many more use the bike for leisure or sport. And, since it can be difficult to cycle in Athens, due to feelings of unsafety and lack of infrastructure; everyone adapts their own strategies to ease their trips as much as possible”.
Spiros talks to me while sitting at his desk at the shared office of Cities for Cycling and MBike, a communication platform that has been organizing the Athens Bike Festival for the past 12 years, the only bike-related event in Greece, attracting over 20,000 visitors. Around Spiros, cyclists look at me from paintings and pictures hanging on the walls, while the office cat cannot stop from continuously jumping up and down the desk.
“Here at Cities for Cycling, we try to promote cycling at the national level, by lobbying with the relevant ministries, mainly Ministry of Tourism and of Transportation, since we are trying to develop cycling tourism in Greece; it is a slow process, but it seems that there is serious interest, so it is rather promising for the future!” says Spiros, “A first step would be to develop a good cycling network in Athens, many people right now are afraid of moving by bike here due to the amount of traffic. Personally, I found it more scary to cycle in Amsterdam; where I even got slapped on the head once by another cyclist for not stopping in the correct way. Here, there are no precise cycling rules, urban cyclists take to the streets as they prefer; there are endless opportunities.”
In previous years, Spiros has been busy promoting cycling, and has succeeded in implementing the construction of 60 parking spots for bicycles in cultural destinations around the city, “In Athens, there are very few places to store your bike, it is very important to provide them as a form of encouragement”, Spiros explains.
As we hop on our bicycles, the happiness of cycling in shorts at the beginning of January almost cancels out the fear of moving through the intimidating traffic of Athens. Just like Spiros previously explained, different cyclists have different strategies to be safe in Athens. There are those who cycle on main roads, often taking up a good chunk of space, ensuring that they are visible. Then, there are those, like Spiros, who prefer to avoid the main avenues, and make use of the vast network of alleyways and secondary roads of Athens.
Secondary roads provide a calmer environment to pedal, and while they might extend the trip duration, they also provide the possibility to better observe the surrounding environment and immerse oneself in the life of the city. Cycling through Athens is undeniably beautiful, the city is rich in diversity and filled with people at every corner; in January, the trees on the side streets are covered with oranges and human activity is vibrant everywhere.
To experience the many options offered by the Greek capital, Spiros brings me to one of the main streets of the city, close by to Omonia square, a trafficked area filled with cars, scooters and parking spots. “The government is planning to build a cycle lane here” Spiros points at the trafficked roundabout in front of us, “I don’t think it is a good idea, because it is extremely difficult to get it approved. On the other hand, the parallel street we just cycled through is just as large as this one, and provides a quieter and easier spot to develop infrastructure”. Riding a bike in a large avenue is challenging, cars surround you with their physical presence, but also with their sounds and smells, reducing the sensory experience and creating a feeling of urgency for the cyclist, who must constantly remain alert to potential dangers.
“One of the big problems in Athens is that even walking infrastructure is scarcely developed” says Spiros as he shows me an uneven sidewalk “The sidewalks are very small, often broken and difficult to navigate if you have a wheelchair, or if you are carrying a stroller with you. This is why it is difficult to demand cycling infrastructure; how can you develop that, if you barely have any place to walk? However, this can play in our favour sometimes; as the drivers are very well aware of the lack of cycle lanes, and understand that you have to cycle in the middle of the road, you have no other choice. Personally, I think that the drivers in Athens get less mad at cyclists than drivers in other cities.”
To enrich my experience of cycling in Athens, Spiros brings me to Pedio To Areos, one of the most beautiful public parks in the city, where I am lucky to spot another urban cyclist. Cutting through parks is another strategy to avoid cars and ensure safety; here the main path is wide and the only thing you have to be mindful of is the amount of children that populate this urban landscape and run around unpredictably. Public parks, in Athens and everywhere in the world, are safe havens that remind us of what our cities could look like if we prioritized people over cars, and Pedio To Areos, with its large paths and well-kept greenery, is an example of the future, and present, we should strive for.
Due to the limited time at our disposal, we are not able to experience the main cycle lane of Athens, a 9km route that connects the center to the South of City. “This cycle lane has been a game changer for many urban cyclists, even though it was mostly thought for leisure purposes. It took more than 2 decades to complete, because it passes through different municipalities, and the designing and construction process was quite long. They built it by removing parking spaces, which was a very unpopular opinion, especially in the 80s when cycling was not that popular; nonetheless, the road was very wide and there is still plenty of space for cars”.
To gain more insights on this cycle ride, I decided to bring a friend along, someone who would not normally cycle through the city. These were his impressions: “I still think that cycling in Athens can be dangerous, you always have to be on the lookout” he tells me after the ride, “However, it was nice to realize how many more things you can notice while on the bike, the city takes on a different aspect on a saddle than behind a steering wheel.”
Personally, it took me four trips to Athens to find the courage to pedal through the city, and I have been pleasantly surprised by my experience. In Amsterdam, where I am immersed in predictability and efficiency, cycling rules are clear and respected by most people, guaranteeing an almost uniformed experience that can be replicated in the majority of Dutch cities. In Athens, cycling is the opposite; the lack of cycling infrastructure leaves space to a different kind of freedom of movement and choice; with the city providing a different path for every need. Of course, the rows of cars are a constant reminder of danger, and cycling next to a friend while having a conversation is not easy. However, cycling can be a different way to explore the maze of Athens’ streets, and to see a new face of the ancient Greek capital. This cycle ride, even with its potential dangers and steep hills, was a reminder of the human centric nature of cycling, as it made me feel an integral part of the environment around me and allowed me to fully immerse myself in the busy life of my favorite European city.
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> In Athens, cycling is the opposite; the lack of cycling infrastructure leaves space to a different kind of freedom of movement and choice
If you're an able-bodied, adult & capable cyclist maybe.
But this article can't convince me Athens provides - in its current state - the option to chose your transportation regardless of where you are in life & health