Around Bucharest On A Bike

Around Bucharest on a pushbike? We must be mad, but as we've always been keen cyclists we couldn't help attending the launch of Cicloteque, an initiative designed to convince Romanians to leave their cars at home.

Now, there is no question that it is a great idea. Alas, the execution, at least in these early days, is a little lacking in finesse. For a start, to hire a bike you have to first become a member of Cicloteque, which costs 100 lei per year. Secondly – and this is the part that really does not make sense – you can only pick up and return the bikes from one location in the city, at B-dul Kogalniceanu 29-45, Bucharest University’s Faculty of Law. At least that is the situation as we write. The organizers of the endeavour, MaiMultVerde, have assured us that in the not too distant future we will be able to pick up and return bikes from a number of locations all over the city. When that happens this initiative should really get off the ground.

Visitors to the capital who want to rent a bike should note that they are free to do so but are not excused the annual fee, making it not all that attractive to visitors in town for just a day or two. If you are around for a week or more, it could be a good way of seeing the city. There are now plenty of cycle tracks (though the city’s notorious drivers do not like them, and use them more often than not as car parks), and as you will no longer be alone (until now cyclists on the city’s streets were a rarity) we would like to reassure you that as long as you keep your wits about you cycling in Bucharest can be fun. For more details check the Cicloteque website at www.cicloteque.ro.