Spring! Horrible spring!

Spring is just around the corner, and these are problematic times for the commuter. You see, the P"N"WD (Public "Not" Works Department) outsourced the maintenance of the bicycling infrastructure to Mother Nature several weeks ago. Yes, ultimately, Mother Nature will deliver, but she won't adhere to any schedule dictated by the infamous middle management über director V. Alatyppö of the P"N"WD. Also, in the long term, she will literally clean up the bike paths, i.e. eradicate any signs of them whatsoever, by using her favourite utility: entropy.

Although, it is possible that the P"N"WD is trying to accomplish the same end result as well. At least it seems so when you witness the wreckage on the bike paths uncovering from beneath the snow. Take this stretch for example:



What is that? Is it a moat? Or an abandoned WWII trench, filled with oily water and trash? Or perhaps a passageway for the multitudes of fish in the neighbourhood to use for safe crossing of this bike path?

Or this one:


Is it a moonscape? A potato field? A recreational area for mountain biking?

No, these are examples of routes meant for pedestrians and bicyclists. The pictures are not taken in forgotten rural areas of Albania or the darkest, steamiest jungles of the Transilvanian mountains either. This is what the public infrastructure for pedestrian usage and bicycling looks like in a rich, Western European city, the capital of the best country in the world: Helsinki, Finland.

Doesn't matter though. Finns famously are a happy, positive, educated, optimistic and healthy people, so these petty annoyances can't dispirit us. Each of us also is as skilled a bicyclist as Danny McAskill, so we can easily jump over these obstacles with our expensive mountain bikes at full speed. And real roadies ride on the road (which is fine) anyway. The pram-pushing housewives really need the challenge and the exercise, and the handicapped people in their wheelchairs can... uh... drive... or take the bus instead... or something. That's it, I've used up all my optimism. I'm depressed. Gotta go get drunk now.