Self-Made Bicycle

Taiwanese are genuinely creative - not only, but expecially as far as their means of transport are concerned. They do not only use their scooters creatively to transport goods or even their whole family on them (see the post "Scooter"), but they also adapt some means of transport exactly to their wishes and demands, which can be seen on the following photo:

This bicycle serves as a secure child-transportation device, inclusive of some toys for the little girl. She is safely placed behind mum or dad and cannot fall out. And, what is more, she can look around, admiring the word around her. And the bike is perfectly individual - self-made. What more can you want? The only "flaw" might be the fact that the bike does not come with a roof... .

Hommage to the Bicycle

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Taiwan is not really a country of cyclists. With petrol getting more and more expensive, however, more and more of them can be seen in the streets - be it in towns or in cities. In the past few months, some bike producers had to run extra shifts to cover the growing demand for this timeless means of transport. And recently, the really bad, extremely polluted air in Taiwan has improved substantially. It is not a surprise, then, to see that monuments are being created in honor of the bicycle as is the case in Yuanling, a town in Central Taiwan - and this monument is a really environmental-friendly one, a green monument in the word's best meaning:

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This "plant bicycle" surrounded by flowers, located close to the train station, reminds people of leaving their cars or scooters unused from time to time so as to enjoy the pleasure cycling. It remains to be seen whether or not people will really change their attitudes. This idea, however, is of great originality, and it points to the future. In the years to come, most probably, more and more people will use their bikes and change the appearance of towns and cities substantially - for the sake of their wallets, and - last but not least - for the sake of their health.

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