Well yesterday a young girl (teenager I think) got hit by a bus in central São Paulo and died on the spot. My fiancee was walking along the street where it happened and saw her body underneath some sheeting. (I wont link to the news item showing this scene).

I really can’t ever see myself wanting to ride in São Paulo, not yet anyway. It is not just dangerous, it seems that culturally drivers have no respect of cyclists at all.

My fiancee went into a newsagent near the scene and the vender there blamed Globo News (a bit like Sky News). They and other channels have been running news items encouraging people to cycle, and this guy totally blamed the media as opposed to the bus driver.

Thing is the city is on the brink of gridlock in terms of traffic jams. You often read news stories where maybe 20 of the motorway network is stationary. (São Paulo is so big, it is linked together with motorways, as opposed to artery roads etc.) And also there is the pollution and the fact that you can waste hours being in traffic etc etc.

This is such sad news, but as I am learning Portuguese I am signed up to many Brazilian bike related twitter feeds and it is quite amazing just how many bike activist groups there are. This is really encouraging.

Around an hour after the accident, some cyclists staged a protest in São Paulo, trying to highlight the many issues cyclists face. This news story shows them being removed by the police:

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/1056247-manifestantes-deitam-na-paulista-em-protesto-contra-morte-de-ciclista.shtml

Brazil is making slow progress, but a few bike lanes are now being built in the city which is encouraging, and also more roads are getting closed on Sundays to enable cyclists of all ages to be able to cycle without any danger of traffic. These closed roads link up to various parks, so at least cyclists can get out for a few hours each week in as safe an environment as you can get really, one which even kids can be as good as safe too.

I don’t know if any is interested in this story, but this report has a good video with footage of the evening’s protests.

http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/noticia/2012/03/video-mostra-protesto-apos-morte-de-ciclista-atropelada-por-onibus-em-sp.html

Some speak of the dangers to cyclists, the lack of respect, and others talk about the eco benefits of biking and the benefits to the city.

Sad news…wasn’t it Sao Paulo where that bloke drove through a load of cyclists on a critical mass type thing?

It was Porto Alegre, stumpy01. Linky.

Traggic even more so someone blaming those that encourage cycling.

It is tragic, but I keep saying to my fiancee that it really is encouraging that there are groups trying to make a difference.

Last week (I forget his name) the founder of Critical Mass came to Brazil to speak at a conference on cycling.

best not mention his name on here!

Oh right OK – I guess I have missed something then.