Momentum Mag on cycling in cities:
A nice video in Momentum Mag highlighting the pleasure and benefits of cycling in cities!
Posts tagged "environment"
The Times: Motorman Clarkson praises cycling
Progress!
Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear presenter and one of Britain’s most outspoken motorists, has come out in praise of cycling, hailing Copenhagen’s cycling culture as “fan-bleeding-tastic” and comparing it to the streets of London where a state of “undeclared war” exists between cars and bicycles…
…“In Copenhagen, [cycling] is just a pleasant way to get about. Nobody wears a helmet. Nobody wears high-visibility clothing. You just wear what you need to be wearing at your destination.”
He adds: “The upshot is a city that works. It’s pleasing to look at. It’s astonishingly quiet. It’s safe. And no one wastes half their life looking for a parking space. I’d live there in a heartbeat.”
Conversely, Clarkson describes cycling in Britain as a “political statement”, where cyclists need to wear cameras on their helmets to document the motorists who “carve them up”.
In Copenhagen, he explains, most journeys are made by bicycle:
“Now I know that sounds like the ninth circle of hell, but that’s because you live in Britain, where cars and bikes share the road space. This cannot and does not work. It’s like putting a dog and a cat in a cage and expecting them to get along. They won’t, and as a result London is currently hosting an undeclared war. I am constantly irritated by cyclists and I’m sure they’re constantly irritated by me.
“City fathers have to choose. Cars or bicycles. And in Copenhagen they’ve gone for the bike.”
PRESTO – “Promoting Cycling for Everyone as a Daily Transport Mode”
A nice guide from PRESTO that focuseson developing and nurturing cycling cultures in cities. The guide is informed by lessons learned from their own work promoting cycling in 5 differenct cities with varying levels of cycling culture.
The starter city section is relevant to London!
One of the reports key recommendations for starter cities looking to improve local cycling levels is unsurprisingly the provision of adequate and credible infrastructure which is the best possible promotion for cycling.
This document is the final report of the European PRESTO cycling project, summarising its main achievements and recommendations from 33 months of experience and practical knowledge in building cycling cultures in five European cities…with different cycling conditions, modal splits, starting situations and local challenges…
This document sums up our main recommendations for different aspects of cycling infrastructure, cycling promotion and pedelecs, structured by “starter”, “climber” and “champion” cycling cities. It is intended for local and regional authorities across Europe, bicycle retailers, European institutions and NGOs, or anyone who is working on building a cycling culture…
PRESTO activities ran from May 2009 to January 2012 and focussed on the three pillars:
• improved infrastructure planning
• targeted promotion to encourage the use of bicycles
• pedelecs
The five PRESTO cities – with their varying levels of cycling – are Bremen, Germany; Grenoble, France; Tczew, Poland; Venice, Italy; and Zagreb, Croatia. Together, they provided an ideal testing ground for some creative measures for “starter”, “climber” and “champion” cycling cities and enabled us to learn some lessons which we can now share with you…
Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and German
The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands,Denmark and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programmes, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking. Moreover, strict land-use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling.
Cool! Cycle bus it to school!
Some lucky Dutch schoolchildren can now put their seemingly endless energy to good use, by powering their own school bus. Dutch company De Café Racer produced an eco-friendly bicycle-bus that is steered by an adult and pedaled by up to 10 children.
The bright yellow bus is designed for riders aged 4 to 12, and its stability and high visibility provide a safe, early introduction to cycle commuting in a country where bicycling is a way of life and 95 percent of teenagers bike to school at least some of the time.
The bus has a base speed of 10 miles per hour, and a motor for backup if the students are too tired to pedal or need help with hills. Other features include a music player and a canvas cover for shelter on rainy days. There’s even a bench seat where two additional children can sit back and enjoy the ride. —Kate Malongowski
Photo: Kate Malongowski/ Yes!
The Telegraph: London's cycle accident black spots mapped
Interesting reading and graphics in the telegraph today. They have published a map detailing all of the reported bicycle accidents in London between August 2010 and July 2011.
Details of every accident involving a bicycle reported to Transport for London between August 2010 and July 2011 have been released…
Mapping the incidents reveals some of the most dangerous areas for cycling in London.
The junctions north and south of Blackfriar’s Bridge are notable for being the site of seven serious accidents and over a dozen non-serious accidents in the 12 months covered by the reports.
Transport for London recently announced plans to increase the speed limit for cars over Blackfriar’s Bridge, and restructure the northern junction.
Cycling groups staged protests against the changes, claiming the new designs didn’t take cyclist needs into account…
• There were 4,274 reported accidents on London’s roads between August 2010 and July 2011.
• One in ten accidents result in a serious injury (471 out of 4,274).
• 16 cyclists died on London’s roads in 2011, the highest annual figure since 2006.
• Eight accidents involved emergency service vehicles, including five ambulances and a fire engine.
• 36 cyclists involved in collisions had recently consumed alcohol, 11 of which were serious accidents.
Monocle Video: Best Urban Farm Projects
Photo: Monocle
Cool short documentary by Monocle on 4 different urban farms.
Monocle’s favourite cities combine small-scale neighbourhoods with green spaces, but not all cities were built with the right foundations for future growth and sustainability. We champion four urban innovators who see potential in derelict spaces and find creative approaches to make some of the world’s more challenging neighbourhoods bloom into richer and more pleasant places to stay
Photojournal: Cycling Infrastructure in Portland, OR
It’s no secret that Portland leads the way for innovative bicycle infrastructure among US cities, but many cities still seem reluctant to take note of their successes. The above photographs were taken during a recent trip and begin to illustrate the prevalence of a deeply embedded cycling culture. The cost of such infrastructure is negligible and the dividends are endless.
A few notes:
- There are no gaps in designated bike routes, meaning that cyclists are not exposed out in the middle of a busy road after a mile or two of bike lanes or road demarcations. Continuity has been thoroughly designed.
- There is debate in Portland as to the value of their infamous green bike boxes. Whether or not the added safety is immediate, it does raise awareness and foster a culture of coexistence for motorists. There is immense value in this, as riding on a normal road feels much safer in Portland than other cities simply because one knows the motorist is much more likely to be courteous to cyclists. They’re used to it. Culture is important.
- Bike racks are more than niceties, they are vital for encouraging the average person to ride. I’d venture to guess there isn’t a single commercial block in Portland proper without bike parking of some type, and many have small shelters built to protect bikes from rain. Even better is the on-street bike parking that has become a desirable asset for local businesses, as so many more customers can be accommodated in a smaller space.
- The bike boulevard concept can’t be captured in a single photograph, but it is perhaps the greatest innovation to come out of Portland’s infrastructure. A bike boulevard is a road designed first and foremost for cyclists using a combination of traffic calming measures (low speed limits, shallow speed bumps, curb extensions, cyclist-only cut throughs) and markings (wayfinder signs, sharrows, lanes, brightly colored intersection markings). The end product is a marvelously peaceful bicycle route with the added benefit of quieter streets for those who live on them. This holistic street design can and should be replicated.
Note: I’ve turned on the photo reply option, please feel free to submit your own photographs of excellent bike infrastructure!
(via rpgsa)
Judges verdict on a recent cyclist assault case
The Telegraph reports on the outcome of a recent trial relating to a cyclist who was assaulted by a motorist in Kent.
The attack had been captured on camera by another cyclist and posted on YouTube in a bid to identify the perpetrator. Through this the police were eventually able to identify and track down the attacker!
The judge fined the attacker £400 with £100 compensation to be paid to the cyclist. Whether or not this was adequate is debateable, but more importantly, when sentencing the District judge said:
“Cyclists are very vulnerable and they feel exposed and feel threatened when a car comes too close to them.
“Car drivers need to respect cyclists and understand that.”
A fear of traffic is frequently reported as one of the primary reasons why people dont want to cycle. Here in London (and the UK) - it is clear that drivers for the most part fail to recognise that cyclists are more vulnerable road users. If you go to Copenhagen or Amsterdam, drivers are courteous to cyclists in areas where they share the road, slowing down and giving them right of way. In the UK it can feel on many occasions that drivers are making a direct effort to stay as close to you as possible and make you fearful.
Disappointingly legislators and highway teams in London condone this attitude through policy and highway design, failing to provide segregated cycle facilities, narrowing cycling paths or obliterating them altogether and by refusing to adopt a road user hierarchy, as is the case with the current conservative led London Assembly.
Without a significant change of emphasis, more education and active, committed campaigning by the government, a notable shift to bike use is unlikely to take place.
I was interested to read the comments made by jahnnasbrain on this post, who has firsthand experience of cycling in Omaha as a former resident of the city! However, despite the signs arising out of laziness, they are visible form of cycling endorsement by the city and offer a clear reminder to drivers that they should expect cyclists to take the lane when required.
MAY USE FULL LANE:
These signs are laced all along designated bike routes in Omaha, Nebraska (among other cities). A simple, effective reminder to motorists that cyclists have the right to safety via full visibility.
Thriving Cities: Integrated land use and transport planning
A new report from the Passenger Transport Executive Group on land use planning and transport! Nothing new but good reading!
The report…highlights the Government’s forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework as a key tipping point for whether transport provision for new development will be an afterthought (with all the sprawl and congestion that implies) or whether transport and land use planning will be integrated in a way that ensures green, smart and efficient development.
In highlighting good and bad practice from the UK and beyond, the report shows how much the functioning of towns and cities can be improved when transport is central to land use planning. It concludes: ‘…the evidence leads to one compelling conclusion: where sustainability of transport is an integral consideration in the land use planning process, non-car modes of travel become dominant, but where development proceeds without due regard to transport considerations then car dependence is the outcome.’
The report recommends ‘three golden rules’ for future planning policy
- All major development should be public transport centred
- All major development should aim to achieve a design where car journeys are a minority of mode share
- Development should primarily occur as infill, or at least adjacent to, major centres
The report also calls for local authorities, and Local Economic Partnerships, to be encouraged to proactively draw up highly sustainable masterplans for development sites of key significance – including for new Enterprise Zones. More widely planning processes (like those for major planning applications) should universally include the bodies responsible for local transport.
This is a brilliant idea! It helps to market cycling as trendy, accessible and convenient and also serves as a hub to allow cyclists meet other cyclists!
The Bicycle Library is a new project that offers people the chance to borrow bicycles instead of books. The headquarter is a double-decker bus in London (UK) where there’s a variety of bicycles, each designed to adapt to all urban conditions. You can ask suggestions to the “Librarian”, test the bike for a few days and even buy it direct from the manufacturer.
Take it to the streets.
ITDP Report - Europe’s Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation
Interesting read from the ITDP! This report was referenced in the National Geographic article below. Paper reviewing European parking practices….good series of strategies and case studies!
Guardian: Has London's cycle hire scheme been a capital idea?
Tim Lewis of the Guardian reviews the success of boris (or Kens) bikes one year later! Nice statistic at the bottom! 6 million journeys and fewer than 100 accidents, none of them serious!
