Bikes as social technologies: Ascobike Brazil

Bikes are basically social technologies. When you ride you are very aware of the people around you, whether on bikes, motor vehicles or travelling by foot. You are not cut off from people and the street as you are when it comes to motorized transport. Part of it is not only that you are basically "nude" in terms of protection, but also that since you are travelling more slowly there is time for eye contact and even speaking with each other. Nice!

We also tend to have much closer relationships with our bikes, since they are so light and often need adjustments which we do ourselves rather than taking them into a shop on an appointment. Of, we may end up helping a neighbor or even a stranger at times. That's the way that bikes work. A social experience.

Have a look at this short video from our friends at Streetfilms, which will take you to Brazil and show you how one very big social bike project is working. And interestingly enough it pays for itself.

Innovative bike support project in Brazil

ASCOBIKE isn't your average bicycle parking station. It is located an hour out of São Paulo on the grounds of the commuter rail station in a city with zero bicycle infrastructure. And yet, ASCOBIKE houses 1700 bikes daily, and offers a series of social, legal and bicycle education services. Watch this video and see how unique ASCOBIKE really is.

* Click here to view the film

* Click here for the ASCOBIKE PowerPoint presentation.

For more information on this project:

ASCOBIKE Mauá
55 11 4541 8743 / 3439 1354
Adilson Alcantara
55 11 8510 4289
adilsonalcantara@uol.com.br
contato@ascobike.org.br
www.ascobike.org.br

ITDP no Brasil
Jonas Hagen
55 21 9483 7462
jhagen@itdp.org
www.itdp.org

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