Will Paphos ever take to pedal power?February 2004
In my late 20s, about 200 years ago, on a weekend trip to Amsterdam with my flatmate, I found myself parting with hard earned Sterling to hire a bicycle to get about town. If we were at all apprehensive about jumping on a bike after all the years we avoided them or anything vaguely healthy, our misgivings soon evaporated into the Dutch evening sky as two leggy beauties called us over to join them on what we assumed would be a cycle ride around the city. Or, whatever.
Not even our overactive imagination could ever see us taking part in a cyclists’ demonstration. Suddenly, there we were rallying against cars using central Amsterdam, stricter pollution controls and heavier fines to be levied on those that failed to adhere to Holland’s strict environmental guidelines.
As we watched ourselves on the local news at ten on the TV later on that night, the TV cameras were pointed at the ‘rent-a-bike’ signs on our baskets, emphasizing the impact the proposed no-car policy could have on tourism. Two tourists fighting for the rights of the Dutch cyclist and the good of the urban environment.Could you ever imagine that situation in Paphos? For a start, the numbers would be reversed, surely? I can see more visitors demonstrating for safer cycling than Cypriots. In fact, are there any Cypriot cyclists in Paphos? Do they meet in secret under the cover of darkness? Is it safer then?
It’s certainly not safer to ride around the so called cycle lanes, is it?
The unblinking traffic-terrorised tourist that pioneers the route will find him/herself confronted with parked cars, skips, wheelie bins and, ermm, oncoming traffic…Is there really any likelihood of a Paphian getting on his bike for a 200 meter trip to the kiosk? Not if he can drive his car up to the counter to pay for his Royals is the general concensus, I’m afraid. Even though we’ve painted parts of our roads pink and pretty powder blue and lined them with loose paving blocks as a gesture to the accession of the European Union, we haven’t followed this with any national education programme to promote cycling in any way whatsoever. Our local municipality has shown little imagination in instigating any bicycle use in Paphos. School kids are more likely to travel to school by customized, farting moped rather than mountain bike – little hope then that the new generation will have a healthier outlook than the current one. In fact, whoever had the foresight to lay out 300 concrete paving blocks around the football stadium needs to be taken aside and quietly set in concrete himself before he gets his hands on any more pen and paper and plan our general demise. Can you imagine what a deranged football fan can do to another one with one of these? He can press him like a wild flower and put him in an album, that’s what.Therein lies the problem, of course. Tradition and culture ridicule the use of pedal power here in Cyprus. Would it be suitable for your bank manager to get his local branch wearing an aerodynamic helmet, bicycle clips and a day-glo waistband? Not such a rare sight in the streets of Chelsea or Frankfurt perhaps, but in Paphos, it simply will not do. Not when you’ve got a burgundy BMW all turtle-waxed and a parking space all to yourself in the basement.
In fact, the only local I’ve seen around town looked more than slightly insane, riding what can only be called a rectal probe (there was no seat) with 12 wing mirrors, 6 horns, an assortment of bells, tassles, reflectors and rotating lights.
Not even our overactive imagination could ever see us taking part in a cyclists’ demonstration. Suddenly, there we were rallying against cars using central Amsterdam, stricter pollution controls and heavier fines to be levied on those that failed to adhere to Holland’s strict environmental guidelines.
As we watched ourselves on the local news at ten on the TV later on that night, the TV cameras were pointed at the ‘rent-a-bike’ signs on our baskets, emphasizing the impact the proposed no-car policy could have on tourism. Two tourists fighting for the rights of the Dutch cyclist and the good of the urban environment.Could you ever imagine that situation in Paphos? For a start, the numbers would be reversed, surely? I can see more visitors demonstrating for safer cycling than Cypriots. In fact, are there any Cypriot cyclists in Paphos? Do they meet in secret under the cover of darkness? Is it safer then?
It’s certainly not safer to ride around the so called cycle lanes, is it?
The unblinking traffic-terrorised tourist that pioneers the route will find him/herself confronted with parked cars, skips, wheelie bins and, ermm, oncoming traffic…Is there really any likelihood of a Paphian getting on his bike for a 200 meter trip to the kiosk? Not if he can drive his car up to the counter to pay for his Royals is the general concensus, I’m afraid. Even though we’ve painted parts of our roads pink and pretty powder blue and lined them with loose paving blocks as a gesture to the accession of the European Union, we haven’t followed this with any national education programme to promote cycling in any way whatsoever. Our local municipality has shown little imagination in instigating any bicycle use in Paphos. School kids are more likely to travel to school by customized, farting moped rather than mountain bike – little hope then that the new generation will have a healthier outlook than the current one. In fact, whoever had the foresight to lay out 300 concrete paving blocks around the football stadium needs to be taken aside and quietly set in concrete himself before he gets his hands on any more pen and paper and plan our general demise. Can you imagine what a deranged football fan can do to another one with one of these? He can press him like a wild flower and put him in an album, that’s what.Therein lies the problem, of course. Tradition and culture ridicule the use of pedal power here in Cyprus. Would it be suitable for your bank manager to get his local branch wearing an aerodynamic helmet, bicycle clips and a day-glo waistband? Not such a rare sight in the streets of Chelsea or Frankfurt perhaps, but in Paphos, it simply will not do. Not when you’ve got a burgundy BMW all turtle-waxed and a parking space all to yourself in the basement.
In fact, the only local I’ve seen around town looked more than slightly insane, riding what can only be called a rectal probe (there was no seat) with 12 wing mirrors, 6 horns, an assortment of bells, tassles, reflectors and rotating lights.
We are not the most active of Europeans, that’s for sure. Diet and healthy nutrition is confined to women’s magazines, we like to smoke in confined spaces and we don’t understand why others may object, we eat too much red meat and our idea of exercise is taking the kids to the cinema or going to the harbour for a frappe.
OK, that’s exaggerated, but the tide’s not exactly turning, is it?
You may argue that our gyms have never been busier, but I would suggest this is more in search of the body beautiful rather that a healthier lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that you say. Well, why not cycle around town rather than on the spot?
OK, that’s exaggerated, but the tide’s not exactly turning, is it?
You may argue that our gyms have never been busier, but I would suggest this is more in search of the body beautiful rather that a healthier lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that you say. Well, why not cycle around town rather than on the spot?
We have pedestrianised ‘Bar Street’ in Kato Paphos, so maybe the time has come to encourage us to make our hearts healthier by really enforcing no car zones.
And if you’re going to cheat, don’t get a taxi – get a rickshaw.
And if you’re going to cheat, don’t get a taxi – get a rickshaw.
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