Earlier this year, a representative from the local cyclists’ union invited me to visit Kaunas and discuss the cycling environment with city officials. This visit took place following the cycling conference I attended in Vilnius.* On the morning of 17 May, I cycled around with Henk Swarttouw, the President of the European Cyclists’ Federation, and two city staff members. Later, we also met with the Vice Mayor and the head of finance for Kaunas.
Kaunas is Lithuania’s second-largest city, with just over 300,000 inhabitants, located at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, and serves as an important regional centre. The historic city has been beautifully restored, especially following Lithuanian independence in 1990. With several universities, there is a significant student population (40,000 in 2023), typically a demographic favourable for cycling. However, I was told that in Lithuania, public transport still holds a slight edge for students. The city centre boasts a large pedestrian area, which appeared very lively, and there are numerous tourist attractions drawing in a considerable number of visitors.
After the positive impression Vilnius had already made, cycling in Kaunas was also quite enjoyable, helped by the pleasant weather. Kaunas is slightly less flat than Vilnius but remains very suitable for cycling. We noticed red asphalt in Kaunas as well, though there were differences between the capital and Kaunas. The best cycle paths were found along a controversial new road. Not everyone in Kaunas is convinced of the road’s necessity, and every road can become a barrier. Moreover, these and other paths often ended just before larger intersections, where cyclists are officially required to dismount and cross on foot, following the pedestrian traffic lights. Naturally, few people do this, resulting in cycling on pedestrian crossings, which is unsafe and undesirable for various reasons. Unlike Vilnius, Kaunas does not have dedicated traffic lights for cyclists. The best paths seemed more suited for recreational cycling than for commuting or other everyday tasks. Some of these paths can be used all year round.
Occasionally, there was a sign along a cycle path indicating it had been funded with European support. More frequently, signs throughout the city reminded cyclists to be mindful of pedestrians, and despite designated cycling areas, pedestrians often wandered into them. More than once, the cycle paths were narrower than the pedestrian areas. Roads in (formerly) Eastern Europe tend to be quite wide, making it rather odd to have to cycle on the pavement because most of the available space is still allocated to cars. The hierarchy is evident. Although the recent introduction of an environmental zone (Reduced Pollution Zone) will maybe change that a little bit.
After the tour, we met with the Vice Mayor and the head of the finance department in Kaunas. Henk tried to persuade them to send representatives to the next Velo-City conference, which will be held in neighbouring Poland in 2025. The city could certainly benefit from attending, though it’s hard to say whether they will take up the suggestion. The meeting was very friendly. We complimented them on how some new sections of the cycling network in Kaunas look and offered some constructive feedback. In our view, making the cycling network more complete and slightly reducing the space allocated to cars to allow for more walking and cycling would be feasible improvements.
Overall, it was a very pleasant introduction to the city. Afterwards, I travelled the approximately 90km back to Vilnius by coach. The fare was only 9 euros. It’s no wonder that people in Lithuania like to take the bus…
* This extra trip was at my own expense, meaning one additional hotel night and travel costs for the round trip between Vilnius and Kaunas. People sometimes think I am positive about certain cities because they pay me to say so, but that’s never the case, and certainly not this time: I funded this trip myself.
BICYCLE DUTCH 