Taking a bike on the street, cycling to the city next door using bike paths that look like roads and returning the bike when you arrive at your destination is something possible in Washington and its surroundings. The American capital has one of the largest loan systems in the country, with more than 600 points in seven municipalities.
In addition to bikes, there is a network of bike paths that connect the American capital to its suburbs. They are complete routes, which allow traveling distances of more than 20 kilometers on exclusive roads, sometimes on the side of highways, and going from the center of one city to the center of the other
The feeling is similar to taking the road by car: without traffic lights and with rare intersections, you can pedal faster and cover long distances in a short time. There are also several entrances and exits to other cycle paths, with indicative signs at the bifurcations.
Some of the routes pass through trees and close to rivers, which makes the path even more pleasant (and shady). Along the way, there are also walkways and bridges exclusively for cyclists.
There are loan stations near the bike paths too, making it easy to start and end trips. The service, called Capital Bike, offers unlimited travel of up to 45 minutes each, for a fee of US$95 a year (R$538). Beneficiaries of social programs pay US$5 (R$28) per year. The vast majority of bicycles are conventional, but the fleet, of more than 5,000 vehicles, also carries some electric models, at an extra charge.
Having such a structure in Brazilian metropolises such as São Paulo would greatly facilitate circulation by bicycle and would provide an option to solve the lack of transport between neighboring cities. Sometimes, a trip of five kilometers can pass through three different cities. Intercity buses, often the only public transport option, are more expensive and often take longer to pass.
In the city of São Paulo, the creation of a network of cycle paths got off to a good start in the last decade and is gradually growing, although there is still a lack of integration with neighboring cities. And the bicycle loan system, Bike Sampa has more than 200 stations, but it still passes far from the outskirts of the city and arrived in the north zone this year alone.
The Pinheiros River bike path, renovated last year, is a sign of how such a network would be useful. It connects the Interlagos region to Cidade Universitária and has stopping points with water and toilets along the way, but it still has few entrances and exits . And there are no lane-side bicycle loan stations like in the Washin network.
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