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However, this campaign is an ideal opportunity for us to promote sustainable mobility by setting an example for others. Improving air quality is the main goal of our project, and reducing the number of cars on the road is an essential tool to achieve this goal.

We wanted to find out how our colleagues perceive this campaign, so we asked them a few questions. We were interested in their motivation to participate in this campaign and also whether they motivate their neighbors to participate as well, what means of transport they use on their way to work, how many km they drive every day and what positive or negative experiences they have from their journeys to work. We were also interested in how they see the benefits of this campaign and how, according to them, this campaign could be further improved.

We live at different distances from our workplace and each of us has found our own suitable sustainable method of commuting. Maybe you can identify with someone's experience or someone will inspire you to try a new mode of transportation. Alternatively, you may experience similar experiences or face similar obstacles as us during your travels. We believe that in the article you will discover new positives of riding a bicycle that you were not aware of until now. The responsible choice of means of transport is up to each of us, and "Your way is your choice." became the slogan of the 10th anniversary BtW campaign.

MOTIVATION

Our motivation was mainly team spirit, the opportunity to connect with like-minded people for a good cause, to motivate others. Some of us were motivated by the competitive nature of the campaign or simply the joy of cycling.

ENGAGEMENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Several of us managed to motivate people from our surroundings to participate in the campaign, whether they were other colleagues from our project or colleagues from completely different departments. But we did not limit ourselves to the work environment, many involved their families or even their neighbors. Colleague Janka did not participate in the campaign this year, but she managed to win a bike shelter, a bicycle rack and a house for bouncers and scooters for the local school and kindergarten.

MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

In addition to bicycles, we also walked, trolleybuses, buses, trains, trams and various combinations of means of transport. For example, if someone has to cycle far to work, it is a great solution to take a bicycle on the train and cycle to and from the station.

DISTANCE

We travel different distances to work, from 2.5 km to 40 km, and the means of transport used also depend on this. But even longer distances do not deter us from using a bicycle, or a combination of public transport and a bicycle.

POSITIVE EXPERIENCES FROM TRAVELS

Everyone's experiences are peculiar and unique, we all perceive different positives as important, and it is therefore not possible to summarize it in a few sentences. We therefore bring authentic answers to this question directly from colleagues:

Michal: "I saw 2 other people with BtW t-shirts, so I could identify that they were also involved. I was pleased. I was also pleased that not having to rush to see my family after work made it easier to cycle home over hills or other directions I don't normally walk. Fortunately, there are no longer any old trains where you had to lift the bike up high when boarding. The new trains are low-floor, so I can get on comfortably."

Janka: "I'm glad that there are more of us every year, the streets are filled with cyclists and that's good. The majority of drivers are considerate, for which we owe them a lot of thanks – those who still do not accept a bike as a full-fledged means of transport (i.e. it can be transported to work, school, shopping, to offices) are fewer and fewer."

Juraj: "I rest before and after work."

Martin: "I was hit by a car a month ago. It's not a positive experience, but the positive thing is that it didn't discourage me."

Katka: "In the month of June, during the campaign, there were days when before work I had to accompany the children to school and kindergarten about 1 km from the house by bicycle. The children always looked forward to the joint bike ride. I never had to talk them into cycling, quite the opposite. They were angry when we had to drive because of the short time. According to the conversation with them, I know that riding a bicycle represents more freedom for them, they feel more independent, which I see as extremely important at their age (6 and 8). An invaluable benefit of such a trip is the aforementioned joint conversations, which always energize me. I also use the time spent in public transport effectively, mostly by reading books or watching movies, which I otherwise don't have time for during the day."

Dominik: "Whether I'm walking or cycling, I'm very happy that I can go smoothly and I don't have to stand in a traffic jam. The nervousness goes away. At the same time, I travel for free, I don't have to worry about finding a parking space for my car and I don't have to pay a parking fee. Thanks to the short distance between home and work, I get to work the fastest by bicycle."

Marta: "For me, it is and will certainly be a good feeling for a long time to come if I see more and more cyclists, scooter riders and skaters on the cycle path. It is especially visible in the morning. There are mornings when I "meet" a cyclist here and there on the cycle path. But there are days when I can't go around a cyclist, I have to wait for the cyclists in the opposite lane to pass. Other times I am surrounded by e-scooters one after the other. It's quite busy then and I feel like I'm on the road and not on a cycle path. 😊 I was even surprised by an interesting opinion from a young mother. She was walking with a stroller on the bike path, although there is a pedestrian path along it. When I went around the mother, I tactfully warned her that there was a sidewalk next to it, it would be safer for her and the child. She replied, "What don't you see? After all, the stroller also has wheels!". 

Peta: "When I go by bus, I'm happy for the opportunity to talk with my own children as well as with their classmates who travel to school with me by bus. When I ride a bike, it's an opportunity to sing out loud, think and clear my head."

TRAVEL COMPLICATIONS + PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

To be objective, our journeys to work are not always beautiful and positive. A person often encounters various problems and complications when traveling by bicycle, on foot, or by public transport. But everyone can complain, it is more important to be able to find a solution, how such a problem could be eliminated. And as with the positives, the problems along the way and the suggestions for solving them are different:

Michal: "People on the train do not respect the place that is primarily intended for the transport of bicycles, they occupy all the available places, and then a person blocks the space in the door with a bicycle and everyone yells at him. Only people who don't want to stand occupy the bike space and don't care. It would be necessary to find out from the carrier what the rules are, if it is to be primarily for cyclists, strollers and the immobile, the conductors on the trains should direct the people sitting there to free up this space."

Janka: "Weak/no infrastructure for cyclists, I try to avoid dangerous places and at the same time, unfortunately, I break the law, as I ride uphill on the sidewalk – I simply follow the motto "survive and do not interfere". I am impatiently waiting for the active involvement of the municipality and the solution to the problem – insufficient integration of cycling and pedestrian traffic in public space – we give too much space to cars and we have already gotten used to it in such a way that we feel that it is okay."

Martin: "The problem is the narrow roads – the solution would be one-way traffic."

Katka: "Just like everyone else, I am always unhappy with a late or canceled train. This is the biggest obstacle for me and then the technical condition of some of the trains. I mostly travel on new trains, where the air conditioning also works, but from time to time it happens that very old trains are dispatched. Especially in the summer, it is unbearable to travel in a crowded train, where, in my opinion, the internal temperature significantly exceeds the external one. On the other hand, in June I had to go from work by car a few times. Standing in a traffic jam in the city and then on the highway is also no win. In addition, I have to be alert all the time in the car, the mind has to be alert all the time, which is especially difficult for me, especially in the summer season. I think the public can define these obstacles quite clearly. First of all, it is necessary to strengthen and modernize suburban, urban and national transport in Slovakia. Appropriate infrastructure, services, and price are also decisive factors when choosing a means of transport. Furthermore, it is a motivation for people to be willing to work in this sphere and we could continue this way. Considering the dialogues that have been taking place on this topic in recent months and years, I think that the problems are quite clearly defined. We have a new program period ahead of us, new financial instruments. In theory, it should be enough to prioritize the measures correctly and start implementing them. We will see what the reality will be and whether we will see positive changes in this direction."

Dominik: "By cycling parallel to the main four-lane road, I can smell petrol and diesel in the air. It would be necessary to restore the vehicle fleet. I would seriously focus on some solutions, especially for old military and trucks, which also have exemptions for MOT. There must be some solution to allow these cars to be used and not smoke for 5 minuts greater vicinity of the road before the smoke dissipates."

Marta: "For me, the irresponsibility of some participants on the cycle path is an obstacle. Fast and reckless driving, tight passing, especially with e-scooters. They seem to be racing with the wind and nothing and no one cares about them. As if the rules of traffic safety on cycle paths do not apply. Another complication is that cycle paths require regular maintenance. Especially if they lead through parks. After strong summer storms in the morning, cycle paths are sometimes impassable. Fallen branches, wet leaves or large branches cannot be passed by the bull. It takes several days to remove them. Last but not least, some traffic lights need to be modified. I am lucky that I live in the city of Trnava, where the construction of bicycle paths is a priority of the city officials. However, some road traffic lights that intersect with cycle paths are not yet adapted to this, and there is a risk of collision between pedestrians and cyclists. Many cyclists do not respect the rule that if there is no crossing lane marked for them, it is necessary to get off the bike and cross the pedestrian crossing on foot next to the bike. This could be solved by the introduction of teaching in kindergartens and elementary schools – the rules of safe traffic on the roads as a pedestrian, but also as a cyclist or scooter rider. I know that pupils in the 1st grade of elementary school have 1 exercise per year on the traffic playground, which in my opinion is very little. Then you can see how the youth behaves in practice. Parents should probably also have training at work, because especially young people leading children to kindergartens and elementary schools show them the wrong way to cross the road on a bicycle/scooter, etc. The city should more often clean and check cycle paths, or roadsides, which are often dusty with deposits of small stones (not only from winter dust), fallen dry leaves, etc. Last but not least, it requires the patience of us cyclists, before the other crossings for cyclists at intersections are gradually completed and also connect the entire network of cycle routes within the city."

Peta: "Basically, only weather or people create complications. I won't do much about the weather, I can adjust the ride time or clothes, or reconsider whether I will go by bike at all. But man-made complications are another story. Most often, or daily experiences: inconsiderate and risky behavior of car drivers towards cyclists such as overtaking too closely, not observing the speed limit, not giving priority to cyclists at intersections going along the main road, entering and exiting roundabouts, poor anticipation of situations, generally such "blindness towards cyclists" as participants traffic. The second category is the personal or ethical equipment of all road users. Often without respect, with inappropriate gestures and remarks, often with swearing...and I certainly don't just mean the situations of car drivers and cyclists. Most often, however, I encounter the unempathetic behavior of car drivers during rainy weather, when very few people sitting behind the wheel in dry weather adjust their driving speed so as not to splash people walking on sidewalks or roadsides (yes, we also have municipalities in Slovakia where there is a sidewalk along the entire road in the village).

So that it doesn't seem that only drivers make mistakes, I will mention that there are still quite a few cyclists who do not signal with their hands the direction of turning or overtaking. I also personally don't understand cyclists who don't wear helmets, especially outside villages. And you could go on for a long time, and it would be enough to take your time, it's often about seconds that we "save" or seconds that can change our life forever. I have the feeling that we are not aware of our fragility at all... The solution would be real controls on compliance with traffic rules and massive support for mass transport, especially the "densification" of connections, ensuring continuity and wherever possible, establishing "bus lanes" so that public transport vehicles had priority and did not stand in columns with dozens of cars with one passenger.

BENEFITS OF THE BtW CAMPAIGN

We see the main benefit as the visibility of cleaner modes of transport. As a motivation, people try out that it is really possible to walk in a different way than by car, many like it and at least sometimes change their car for a bicycle for the rest of the year. By increasing the awareness of the general public, the acceptance of cyclists in public space also increases. Data on the movement of cyclists from this campaign can subsequently be used by municipalities for better planning of cycle routes. Well-planned and safe cycle routes are the main prerequisite for increasing the number of people commuting by bicycle. More cyclists on the roads means fewer cars, pollution, congestion – bicycle transport should be seen as a solution, not a problem.

IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE CAMPAIGN

Many of us perceive that one month, during which the BtW campaign runs, is not enough. It should be gradually extended to two months, ideally to the whole year, so that we no longer need this campaign but actually live it. Among the answers, there was also a proposal to make the prizes for the winners more attractive, so that people would have more motivation to participate in the campaign. My colleague Michal had an interesting idea, which would supplement the calculation of saved kg of CO2 with the data of saved kg of air pollutants.

"It's great that the organizers are trying to connect the topic of sustainable transport with the issue of the environment and are calculating the saved kg of CO2. But CO2 is a greenhouse gas and is related to climate change. It is not a substance that directly pollutes the air and worsens the health of people in the immediate vicinity, as is the case with PM particles, nitrogen oxides or ground-level ozone. Therefore, it would be appropriate to add, in addition to the saved CO2, an estimate of the saved kg of these pollutants precisely from the data on how many people traveled by bicycle, on foot or by public transport."