Photo: Kylbabka/Shutterstock

Ride a Chicken to Work in Sao Paulo, Brazil

by Eileen Smith Nov 4, 2011
Transportation problems solved in Sao Paulo: Ride a chicken to work.

In a tongue-in-cheek commentary on just how slow the traffic in Brazil’s megacity Sao Paulo moves during rush hour, a website called Vá de Galinha (ride a chicken) posits that chickens actually run about as fast as the traffic in Sao Paulo moves during rush hour (about 15 km an hour) So why not just ride a chicken to work?

“Our cities need serious transportation solutions: chickens,” the site says (in Portuguese).The site launches with a catchy tune about commuting, and shows a riderless chicken strutting across the screen.

Though there are six million cars in Sao Paulo (no word on the number of chickens), and chickens may run just about as fast as cars move, riding a chicken may not actually be that practical. For one thing, I get the feeling that chickens are sprinters, not distance runners. How long could they keep up their 14 km/hr pace? The site also points out that there are weight considerations, with the cargo capacity of chickens being somewhat less than the weight of your average human (they estimate it at about 8 pounds). No chickens? Then what? The site suggests other options include ridesharing, walking, biking and taking public transport.

To promote ridesharing, the site provides links to two different rideshare sites, Campusaberto (open campus), a site aimed at getting Sao Paulo university students to rideshare, and also the website Caronetas (lifts), which registered members can use to find rideshares to work. Since many major companies have large campuses in the outskirts of the city that may take an hour or more to drive to, this is a smart option.

The suggestions apply to many major cities, and the bike/foot/transport/rideshare suggestions are spot-on, though perhaps not quite as much fun as riding a chicken to work. Unless you can catch a ride in the chicken car pictured above.

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