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Leucocholic
This article has appeared in the Financial Review today. What a lame arse article. Her entire reason for this tripe seems to be that in Copenhagen people ride smoothly and oh-so politely, due to having dual direction 3 metre wide cycle lanes. But Sydney has issues because apparently the single lane cycleways in Sydney ROB traffic flows from cars. What a dumb argument.
How about we get some journalists who have a clue? No wonder Fairfax Media shares have dropped through the floor the last few years. (and all other media companies.)
How about we get some journalists who have a clue? No wonder Fairfax Media shares have dropped through the floor the last few years. (and all other media companies.)
Read more: http://www.afr.com/opinion/on-your-bike-for-the-commuting-future-20150907-gjgool#ixzz3l6EDW6gaOn your bike for the commuting future
"Bicycles have long been China's main mode of transport but cars and congestion have become a reality in many cities."
by Jennifer Hewett
The morning rush-hour commuters stream past in a steady blur of traffic until the lights turn red. Everyone comes to an obedient stop, giving me enough courage to slowly join in the throng as they all start up again. I wobble a little but only for an agonising second or three, holding what suddenly seems a monstrously sized handbag over my shoulder. I regret even my modestly high heeled sandals.
But this is getting to work or school or university or shopping Copenhagen style – on a bike. There is not a piece of Lycra in sight and only a very occasional bike helmet. Instead everyone is dressed in ordinary clothes and shoes. Thankfully, few people seem to feel the need to demonstrate their physical fitness and superiority by trying to outpace the cyclists behind or ahead of them. Even the bikes look modestly functional rather than high technology marvels of engineering and ever lighter frames.
I certainly see no posses of impatient-looking men bent low over their handles and travelling at high speed and even higher flashes of lycra. No one even rings a bell, let alone mutters angrily at me for getting in their rapid way. Instead it is all about being normal in a city where one-third of trips are made by bicycle. Every large building or shop seems to have hundreds of bikes propped up outside. Parents cycle with their small children sitting in large wheeled boxes in front of the handles. Most of the women tend to dress in sensible pants for pedalling but there are a few flowing skirts too.
Naturally, this is all much easier to manage on Copenhagen's very wide, very flat streets.
At odds with Sydney
In Copenhagen, one-third of trips are made by bicycle. Matthew Evans
It is nothing like the daily dance with death or serious injury performed by cyclists on Sydney's narrow, overcrowded and irregular streets to the mutual fury of car drivers and cyclists alike. That version of ill-suited, ill-tempered, ill-managed sharing of the road is why I gave up my bike years ago. Now I am simultaneously worried about the longevity of anyone who cycles to work and alarmed at how much more dangerous passing cyclists makes any car journey of mine. In the Sydney CBD, the bike lanes are relatively little used but still manage to squeeze and slow traffic to even more of a crawl. It is not possible to make the streets any wider. The cyclist's gain is very obviously the motorists' loss.
In Copenhagen, the experience is quite different. One-way bike lanes running alongside the traffic lanes are typically three meters wide and well signed, and often separated by a footpath or cement kerb. Across the other side of the street, the bikes travel in the other direction. It is all very orderly and co-ordinated. No pedestrian dares to quickly cross a bike lane without looking first. No cars are parked in the way. Cars and bikes generally engage in a spirit of wary co-operation – especially when it comes to cars turning right across a bike lane.
There are still plenty of accidents. I am warned to be careful and stay alert and I remain uncomfortably conscious I have no helmet. But it all seems to work relatively smoothly and I don't even see a near miss or an awkward fall on my leisurely ride through the city. By the end of a few hours, I am becoming overly relaxed – although I do contemplate the reality that a ride in early autumn sunshine is radically more attractive than the exercise performed in winter rain and cold.
International resurgence
But even in bad weather, it seems, the cyclists of Copenhagen are rarely deterred. Along with Amsterdam, the city is leading the resurgence in international cycling fashion. Increasingly other big cities are trying to follow them along similar route to cycling accessibility. About 700 cities now have bike share or rental schemes. In cities like Bern, Switzerland, there is no charge for the first few hours of use at least. In Barcelona, "el bicing" is a version of public transport where subscriber residents ride a bike from one spot to another which is free for the first half-hour and at minimal rates thereafter. Stations are always situated near to metros, parks and carparks, and users have a special card. From Los Angeles to London to Sao Paulo cities are experimenting with bike lanes while trying to better and more safely separate motorists and cyclists.
It is true most of China has gone in the other direction. Chinese public transport has been revolutionised as well. But the bicycles that were the main mode of transport for previous generations have been replaced by multi-lane freeways and ring roads increasingly full of cars. Still, even the city of Guangzhou is now experimenting with bike paths. China's very obvious need to deal with gridlock and pollution means other Chinese authorities will inevitably also try to challenge the dominance of the car. Yet despite various experiments to make cities less car congested and more friendly to walking and cycling, it is still unclear how much of an impact this will have on traffic flows overall. Few cities are as well suited as Copenhagen to mixed use of the roads and it is still a relatively small and compact city.
In Australia, Melbourne has many wider roads but even they still peter away into smaller overcrowded streets. Smaller cities like Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and especially Canberra are somewhat more cycle-friendly. But for the rest, cycling remains a constant battle with cars for a greater share of overcrowded streets. The dominant image remains men in lycra rather than women in casual clothes. I will be the one in the car.
