In Oulu, Finland, students rode their bikes to school on a recent winter day, despite the minus 17 degrees C temperatures, and lined them up in tidy rows in the snowy lot outside Metsokangas Comprehensive School (1-degree F).
Even in the dead of winter, almost a thousand of the 1,200 pupils make the daily commute on two wheels. One hundred and fifty to one hundred and fifty people stroll. The remainder uses skis, kicksleds, and automobiles. Metsokangas has a diverse student body, with ages spanning from 7 to 17.
The above snapshot was taken by Pekka Tahkola, who is not shocked. He works as a city of Oulu bicycle coordinator and an urban well-being engineer at Navico Ltd. He plans trips on intelligent transportation and winter riding master sessions for avid cyclists.
Tahkola adds that although it’s unusual for American parents to allow their children to ride bikes to school, it’s the standard in certain regions of Finland.
According to Tahkola, who is also the vice president of the Winter Cycling Federation, the location is suitable for cycling all year round.
It must be since Oulu receives snow every year from November to April. The cycling routes and walkways are so well-kept that regular bicycle tires and equipment are sufficient for use.
Tahkola received an incredible volume of comments, particularly from those living outside the United States when he tweeted the picture. Many said they wished their neighborhoods had the same level of bike culture as this one.
However, Tahkola acknowledges that not all schools in the nation are as innovative as hers.
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