Munich vs Vila do Conde - Planning a City vs Building a City

Munich - A Planned City

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Munich is a very friendly city for bikers. The sidewalks and the public parks are usually divided in two, with road signs telling in which side you should be, whether you're on foot or a bike.

^{A relaxed biker is a happy biker}

Many tourists aren't used to this and they end up getting in the way of the bikers. Myself included. I was nearly ran over a couple of bikers, when I wasn't paying enough attention. I got out of their way at the last second, after hearing a few shouts behind me.

^{Bikers can ride everywhere, including in the Public Parks}

Munich is a world apart from where I live in. Everything is well organised and perfectly planned. There is space for cars, not only for driving but also for parking; but there is always space for pedestrians and bikers, too. They even left space for the trees.

It's the difference between Planning a City... and Building a City.

^{A perfect example of a Well Planned Transport System}

Vila do Conde - A City Built on Improvisation

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Where I live it's the polar opposite, a place where sidewalks are mostly nonexistent and both pedestrians and bikers have to take their chances on the street itself, right alongside the chaos of automotive traffic.

^{Sidewalks? Where we go, we don't need sidewalks!}

Just take a look at these tiny sidewalks, with trashcans blocking the passage; the other side of the street blocked with illegally parked cars.

What can a biker do? There's no option but to ride side by side with the cars.

^{Portuguese Cities - A nightmare for people with special needs}

And that's when there are sidewalks. Sometimes you're not that lucky and the street is the only thing available. No, it's not always because of lack of space. I think we simply got used to do things this way.

Why should we plan in advance, when we can save time and plan as we go? (This is our unspoken motto.)

^{Cute... but a few extra lanes for pedestrians and bikers wouldn't hurt}

I guess this is part of our cities' charm but we have to face it, it's a lot more dangerous for pedestrians and bikers than it should be.

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Camera	Canon IXUS 210
Locations	Munich - Germany Vila do Conde - Portugal

This is an entry for the #streetphotography category in the photography contest by @juliank

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I hope you have enjoyed this post. Please leave your mark on the comments section. Let me know what you think.

@trincowski signing out.