I wish you freedom

Thus begins the New Year’s greetings of the popular Russian photo blogger Ilya Varlamov. Of course, he immediately explains it, lest anyone misunderstands him:

“The car is freedom. Without freedom, we do not go anywhere nowadays. In the new year I wish you all good and comfortable public transport, safe cycling infrastructure, wide and clean sidewalks, proper zebras and, of course, jam-free roads, where you can quickly and easily drive along by car. I wish you all freedom, convenience and safety in any city. This is not mere fantasy. This will certainly be so both in Moscow and in the other cities.”

Nevertheless, the pictures from the post, not devoid of overtones, portray how far removed the reality is for the time being from such ideal conditions. We are, however, captivated – especially in the wake of Boris Indrikov’s post, where the bicycle becomes a symbol of freedom – rather by the first picture, the lonely bicycle on the neglected, but deserted road with a boundless perspective, in the direction opposite to the mass of cars creeping along, or rather just stopped on the one-way road. To the metaphor, if you want, you can also add the fact that in the given situation the cyclist photographs the cars and the whole context, and not vice versa. This freedom I wish to you all in the new year.