We at Ampler Bikes were honoured to host Kersti Kaljulaid, the President of Estonia, in our Berlin showroom on Monday, during her visit to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Estonian Embassy in Germany. The visit highlighted the importance of e-bikes and how they drive Ampler’s mission to improve people’s commutes and environmental sustainability. President Kaljulaid presented the Ampler e-bike model Stout as a national gift to the German Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
President Kaljulaid’s official visit to Germany is marking the 100th anniversary of the Estonian embassy. The visit is the first by a visiting head of state to Germany since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions. Germany will hold the presidency of the Council of the EU for a period of six months on July 1.
During her state visit, President Kaljulaid came to show her support to Ampler Bikes and the growing global cycling trend, stating:
»I think bicycles have the power to change the world and save our planet, but also save us as healthy human beings. Being outside, for me being on my bike, this is a special feeling and I’m so happy that Ampler makes this feeling possible for more people.«
Echoing the sentiment with action, President Kaljulaid gifted an Ampler Stout to the German Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Gifting an Ampler Bike to a head of state is becoming a tradition, as the President of Ukraine received an Ampler Stout as a national gift in November 2019.
At the Ampler showroom, President Kaljulaid went for a bicycle ride with Ampler Bike’s CEO and co-founder Ardo Kaurit. Coming back from her bike ride, President Kaljulaid had only positive words about the cycling culture and infrastructure in Berlin:
»As coming from Tallinn, Tallinn is not a very bike-friendly town, I was a bit scared about all the cars and everything here, but they so nicely and comfortably fit everyone in, so I got rid of my fear. We did a couple of rounds and it was a fantastic feeling.«
On the importance and political will of improving cycling infrastructure, President Kaljulaid said:
“If you really wish and there is the citizen support, you can radically and quickly change how your town functions. For example, moving buses by one road to the left, creating a special line for bikes. Yes, that means that some places will have no space for cars at all, but then maybe more cars will go around the town or stay at home. You can do it if you have the will and of course the political will is born from the will of the citizens. So if the citizens support this kind of development, we could do the same also at home.”
Ampler Bikes CEO and co-founder Ardo Kaurit added:
“What’s great about cycling in general, is that it is really good for the environment. Our whole mission is to put more people on the bikes and we really believe that by creating better commuting solutions we are actually improving people’s lives and we are doing good for the environment at the same time. So this is a very strong drive to our company. And we are happy to see that especially in Germany people notice it and it’s deep in their hearts as well.”
Whilst the pandemic has had a tragic hit on the world, there is hope for the future by seeing how cities take action towards a greener and healthier future. The popularity of bicycle use as a daily transportation method is soaring across Europe, with space once reserved for motorists getting reclaimed and replaced with newly installed cycleways in cities such as London, Berlin and Paris.
When presidents and other heads of states start showing support to these trends, the future looks bright for sustainable urban transport.