People living in Quepos, Costa Rica, don't need any bike lanes, sharrows, or separated paths to ride their bicycles. If Ticos (as citizens of Costa Rica call themselves) can safely ride with cheeks inches from delivery trucks, why are American so wimpy that we need special "bicycle facilities?"
Perhaps it's because drivers in Quepos in busses and passenger vehicles and delivery trucks know how to drive on narrow streets. They know what American drivers don't know: drive slowly and carefully, and share the road.
Photos below show everyday people and everyday bikes, and some cool customization of head gear and carts.
Bikes are used to carry objects big and small, including propane tank.
Sure, there are a few bike racks, but many Ticos simply park in the gutters, and cabs waiting for tourists just park around them.
Kids are often along for the ride in Quepos.
Almost every house has a bike parked outside:
Ticos get their bikes at the supermarket or appliance store:
And ride them to the coffee shop:
Somehow, even pedestrians manage without sidewalks on the main highway into the town of Quepos:
Eek! A pedestrian bridge without a guard rail, how do those Ticos manage it?!
It's pura vida, on bikes and on foot.
I love bicycle for transportation too!
Posted by: Surf camp costa rica | 06/21/2012 at 09:45 AM