What do people in Georgia think about cycling?

There is a category of people who believe that the bicycle is "not so Georgian" and that society will never adopt it on a large scale because its acceptance is low in our community. You often encounter comments of this nature on social media when discussions about bike lanes arise.  

How true this is has not been verified through research. (There are some studies related to bicycles, but I won’t go into them now, as they are not directly relevant to this topic.)  

We decided to observe advertisements appearing on Facebook and reflect on this matter.  

From our observations, in the Georgian context, bicycles are primarily used for advertising by real estate developers. Occasionally, you might see them in ads for water companies or banks, but such cases are rare. There’s a good chance you've come across these images while scrolling.  

They mention that when purchasing a new apartment, you’ll be able to safely ride a bicycle in the courtyard with your family. This suggests that such a scenario is appealing to Georgian families—at least, according to marketing professionals.  

But why only near apartment buildings? If streets were designed for pedestrians and cyclists, why wouldn’t that be acceptable to the public?  

Streets are places where people spend several hours a day. Why should they be dusty, polluted with exhaust fumes, and inconvenient?  

It is also worth noting that the more people walk and cycle, the more space will be freed up for cars, reducing traffic congestion.  

Returning to society’s perception—what does the bicycle symbolize for you?
 
Be sure to watch the **Euronews** documentary about bicycles.
The **Euronews** report on bicycle mobility.
The **Aversi** article.