Bike paths and bike parking in Baku
In preparation for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-29), which will take place in Azerbaijan this November, Baku is creating infrastructure for bicycles and scooters.
“Of course, it’s great to use bicycles and scooters as transportation in Baku, just like in European cities. It’s both a convenient and environmentally friendly mode of transport. The infrastructure for this is already being developed. Although the new bike lanes and parking facilities are not entirely convenient yet and there are still some issues, it’s encouraging that the process has started,” cyclist Karim says.
In August 2024, Azerbaijan launched its first-ever bike-sharing service. Around 50 bike parking stations have been set up, mainly on the central streets of Baku. These stations are also equipped with information boards explaining how to rent a bike. To activate and deactivate the bike you’d like to rent, as well as to view nearby parking spots, users can connect to a specially developed mobile app by scanning a QR code displayed on the information boards.
Pedestrians and cars on bike lanes that end halfway
In the initial stage, AYNA (Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency) laid a 10-kilometer bike lane in the city. But cursory observation is enough to see pedestrians and cars using the bike lane.
“When we’re cycling, pedestrians or cars suddenly appear in front of us. This poses a danger to cyclists. But sometimes I can’t blame the drivers because Baku isn’t structurally a very suitable city for bike lanes. The roads are already narrow, and now part of the road is taken up by bus lanes, and another part by bike lanes. When the roads are congested, sometimes car drivers end up on the bike lanes.
Another issue is that the lanes abruptly end. For example, I ride down from Icherisheher, and suddenly, the road just stops. Okay, I got here by bike, but how am I supposed to continue?
What I’m trying to say is that promoting cycling, bike rental services and so on is great, but it would be better if these lanes were mainly drawn on highways and were continuous,” says Abbas, a cyclist of many years.
An hour-long bike ride costs over 14 manats
“I rented a bike for 30 days and paid 12 manats [about $7]. The pay-as-you-go rental is not cost-effective. I can’t recall exactly how many qepiks I paid per minute, but I know it was expensive. The monthly plan is good, but I wish the daily riding time under this plan would be increased to at least two hours. One hour a day is too little,” says another cyclist.
According to the APAR app on the display at the bike parking in front of the “Icherisheher” metro station, bike rentals are available for either 30 or 365 days. Renting a bike for a month costs 36 manats (around $21) with insurance and 12 manats without insurance. The annual rental costs 108 manats (around $63). With either monthly or yearly rentals, you can ride the bike for just one hour a day.
Additionally, bikes can be rented outside these rates by simply activating them, but hourly or minute rates are not specified. In this case, you’ll only find out the cost of your ride upon returning the bike.
To check the rates, I activate one of the bikes at the parking lot and set off. During my short journey, I encounter several inconveniences: cars sometimes enter the bike lane, the lane suddenly ends, and on narrow roads it’s challenging to avoid collisions with oncoming cyclists.
My trip lasts just 13 minutes, and when I return the bike, I have to pay 3 manats and 12 gapiks (around $1.90). This means that one hour of bike riding costs 14 manats and 40 gapiks (around $8).