The Institute for Conservation Research of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University joined the Hungarian Cyclists' Club's initiative to promote urban cycling, the Bike Breakfast. Volunteers served breakfast to cyclists passing by the church on Kálvin Square, including many students from Károli.
On 19 September, in the framework of the European Mobility Week, a bike breakfast was served to cyclists passing by at a makeshift stall in front of the Calvin Square Reformed Church. The favourable weather attracted many people, and volunteers from the Institute for Environmental Research of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University, the Ecological Church Movement, and the Hungarian Cyclists' Club welcomed more than 200 cyclists. Over breakfast, tasty conversations about the importance of protecting creation, university life, Christian responsibility, and cycling issues unfolded.
The slogan of this year's action is very apt: "No time, no energy? Get them both, cycle to work!" How true, since we often put off exercise because we are busy and in a hurry and travel by car for convenience. But cycling is the obvious solution to a sedentary lifestyle and to protect air quality. Cycling is an extremely healthy activity that keeps you fit, boosts your immune system and stamina, improves mental health, and relieves stress while improving your general well-being, it is also faster than driving or using public transport at peak times. Furthermore, cycling is an environmentally friendly way to travel, with no emissions, and it saves money because you don't have expenses on fuel, and maintenance costs are low. Cycling also helps build community ties and provides an opportunity to connect with people, such as the cycling breakfast or lunch organised this year by the Hungarian Cycling Club and its partner organisations in 80 locations nationwide.
Infrastructure, the integration of cycling and public transport, and transportation culture still need to be improved. Still, it is encouraging to see that in Budapest, too, significantly more people are getting on their bikes in recent years. The approximate number of cyclists can be tracked using the Budapest Transport Centre's measuring points, which record cycling. The figures show that more and more people are recognising the benefits of cycling, creating a more liveable city not only for themselves but also for their surroundings. The counter on Museum Boulevard, close to the university's central buildings, is in third place in the ranking, with the help of the local residents, who have contributed to this result with their MOL Bubi public bikes or their own bikes.
PHOTO GALLERY OF THE EVENT:
