You who live in cities and counties around the world with bicycle paths and bike lanes in the streets and roads can be thankful! Much of the world is still slow making bicycle transportation safe, including Costa Rica.
When I first moved here at the end of 2014 one of my initial goals was to buy a bicycle since I had already decided to live without a car. It only took one day of walking through Atenas for me to realize with such narrow streets and wild traffic, it simply would not be safe for this old man to ride a bike around town. (Not to mention the difficulty of several steep hills.) So I chose to be a walker with taxis and buses for longer trips.
In the meantime more people are riding bikes to work everywhere in Costa Rica and thus organizations and individuals are promoting bike-safety and bike-friendliness for car drivers as does this sign in Alajuela put up by the county government. It will be slow, especially the finding of space for bike paths and bike lanes, but I believe it will start happening rapidly here since autos are so expensive and so many people already ride bikes.
WEBSITE INFORMATION ABOUT BICYCLES IN COSTA RICA
- Costa Rica Information: Bicycles (General info)
- Newspaper Article (2019) About New 15 k Bike Lane in San Jose (Pros & Cons)
- World Biking: Cycling Tours of Costa Rica
- Newspaper Article (2017): Cyclists demand better protection on Costa Rican roads
- Cycling Routes & Bike Maps for Costa Rica (BikeMap.net)
- TripAdvisor’s 10 Best Bike Tours in Costa Rica
- Viator’s Top 10 Bike Tours in Costa Rica
- Bicycle Rental Costa Rica (one of many sources)
- Costa Rica CraigsList Bikes For Sale (Price in Colones, about 550 colones to $1)
- Too many bike shops to list retailers
¡Pura Vida!