Recreational and sightseeing potential of walks by bikes in the city
The paper analyzes the entertainment and recreational potential of cycling and sightseeing city tours. Current popularity of bikes in Europe is the result of government policy, as the promotion of bicycles helps to unload the centres of cities from cars, improve the environment and health of people. To popularize the bicycle and cycling, the following measures must be taken: to make bike lanes and other infrastructure, and to facilitate the use of bicycles in combination with public transport. Over the past ten years, the number of bicycles in Tomsk has increased dramatically. However, the existing road network, approaches to planning and traffic management, and the absence of urban development policies of cycling led to the poor conditions of use of bicycles in the city for cyclists. At the same time, there is evidence for the theory that one of the main factors affecting the safety of cyclists is their total number on the roads. In addition, it was shown that in Western countries the positive impact on the health of the biker by far outweighs the risks to health from getting into an accident. There is a subjective feeling of safety on a bicycle, and more people start using it. In Tomsk there are no special lines for cycling. A number of companies offer bicycle rental service and maintenance. However, all these routes are based only on the entertainment and recreational component and do not contain a cognitive component of the tour. At the same time Tomsk can offer a range of recreational and tourist routes, which include natural and historical objects. Cycling as a form of recreation is more comfortable as it does not require a dedicated time - a walk can be combined with other activities, going by bike to school, etc. However, in order for cycling to become popular among young people, it requires institutional support. There is a need to develop a network of bike routes, make information available to young people on bicycles about peculiarities of the routes and their load, provide medical and physiological rationale for the choice of routes and modes of cycling with the health and physical shape.