Velonotte event gathers bikers in old Istanbul

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

The aim of the Velonotte event is to to raise awareness of the decreasing number of bike routes and the chronic traffic situation in Istanbul.

Drawing attention to the decreasing number of bike routes in Istanbul, as well as the city’s chaotic traffic situation, members of a touring cycling event staged a mass bike ride from Sultanahmet to Ortaköy on the night of May 18.

Can Elmas, the Istanbul consultant for the event, known as Velonotte, said many cities were hosting the gathering and that aim was to reveal local areas of cultural value.

After Istanbul, the event will continue in London on June 22, where it will have a special “Victorian” theme. In London, the bikers will ride through the West End, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster.

Starting from Buckingham Palace, the night will focus on everything conceptually early Victorian, from the London Underground to the 1851 Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, from public museums to poetry and engineering, shopping and private cemeteries.

Velonette was started in Moscow in 2007 in order to discover and promote urban design and landscaping and inspire citizens and decision-makers about history. Around 100 riders joined the first ever Velonotte to roam areas behind the Kurski Station, a masterpiece of Konstantin Melnikov.