OK, this thing is pretty cool. My world-traveling friend E took these photos for all of you. The Trondheim Bicycle Lift is a bit like the bunny slope at a ski resort, but instead of getting little kids up a snowy hill "Trampe" gets big people on bikes up the hill (probably in the snow too).
You can buy/rent the a key card for 100 kr from a bicycle repair shop, a kiosk, the Dromedar Coffee Bar, or at the tourist office.
The sign says
"The bicycle life TRAMPE was intstalled in 1993 as an important part of our program to encourage cycling in Tronheim.
This is the first bicycle lift in the world.
You need to be at least 10 years of age to use the lift. Only cyclists are allowed to use the lift.
The Public Roads Administration advises you to wear a helmet whenever cycling.
In the event of any technical problems with the lift, please ring ..."
"He's got a ticket to ride..."
Up, up, and away!
E tells me that his right foot was resting on a little metal "starting block" type thing that was powering him up the hill.
This hill doesn't look terribly steep to me, but I know that hills don't ever photograph as steep as they are. The lady walking certainly looks like she's going down a steep hill. Additionally, the road is clear now but I could imagine that riding up it in the snow would be a challenge, a bit like the hills of Somerville. Indeed it sounds from their website like their community is a bit like ours.
Trondheim is a hilly city, the third largest city of Norway, yet it has the highest share of cycling in all of Norway. Trondheim is a university city with 30,000 students, 90% of whom using their bicycles as their main transport tool
In a user survey, 41% of the lift users claim they're using the bicycle more often due to the installation of Trampe, which has pushed 220,000 cyclists up that hill.
I'd love to try it someday.
4 comments:
I remember seeing a similar sort of conveyance in the subway while visiting Japan a few years back, though admittedly, the Japanese one was more for helping you push your bike up a stairwell to the exit, rather than pushing you while riding on your bike.
.... I wonder how the Trondheim lift would handle curves on a hill...
I've seen this before, but with a woman and stroller getting lifted up. I've also wished for it many a times while pushing my bike up Wait St, the hilly bane of my existence.
Here's a YT video which not only shows the lift in operation, but gives a better idea of how step the hill is. The top section is actually vaguely impressive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1PgmMbug8
my bike is a cruiser I took over from my 18 year old daughter who got it as a Christmas present this year from her dad (about 10 years too late). Anyway, I ride to/from work (2.5 miles each direction) every day and to run errands. Only problem is it has no gears. I live in a hilly terrain. Getting better on the hills, but there are still a couple I have to get off and walk.
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