The children who attend school in the city of Oulu, Finland is proof that with the right gear and attitude you can still enjoy a non-vehicle commute no matter the season. Of the 1200 kids who attend one of the schools in the city, over 1000 commute to school via bike, walk or ski during the heart of the winter.
Pekka Tahkola, an urban well-being engineer for Navico Ltd. and a cycling coordinator for the City of Oulu, took a photo of the local school’s bicycle parking lot in -17C to show that no matter what the conditions, nothing is keeping these kids off their bikes.
Ei @oulunkaupunki'a turhaan kehuta pyöräilykaupunkina. Tänään kurvailtiin @pekkatahkola'n kanssa aamusta alkaen pitkin priimakuntoisia pyöräteitä. Kuvan 1200 oppilaan kouluun saapui aamulla lähemmäs 1000 oppilasta pyörällä, kävellen, potkurilla ja hiihtäen. #pyöräily #hiihto pic.twitter.com/WMFtvO7HAC
— Tapio Kettunen (@TapioKettunen) January 31, 2019
Translation: “Today we watched @ pekkatahkola along the prime bike paths this morning. In the morning, a school of 1,200 students came closer to 1,000 students by bike, walk, propeller and ski. #cycling # skiing”