Cyclists To Gather In Flash Mob

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: August 1, 2012 (Issue # 1720)

A flash mob to call for more bike lanes to be introduced to St. Petersburg is planned to be held Sunday on Prospekt Lunacharskogo, located in a remote part of the Kalininsky District.

The 4.5-kilometer section of Prospekt Lunacharskogo between Prospekt Kultury and Svetlanovsky Prospekt includes one of the very few officially designated bike lanes in the city. I-bike-spb.ru project, which aims to make St. Petersburg a more cycle-friendly place, has organized the Velostoyaniye (Bike Standing) flash mob to underscore the absurdity of a major European city having only one bike path “that fulfills any sort of transport function,” as the remaining half-dozen are located in parks or remote suburban areas.

Organizers hope the flash mob will help urge City Hall to include more bike paths in its bicycle transport plan that is currently being developed, and participants in the event will be asked to sign postcard petitions to that effect.

Cyclists are invited to ride up and down the bike lane on Prospekt Lunacharskogo on Sunday, Aug. 5 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. for as long as their energy lasts.