tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post5804739717514804342..comments2024-02-24T06:21:30.987+01:00Comments on A view from the cycle path: The truth about New York, and other unlikely places to look for inspiration...David Hembrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-53457359098437844462016-07-11T21:31:34.429+02:002016-07-11T21:31:34.429+02:00I found a source suggesting that Portland's cy...I found a source suggesting that Portland's cycling modal share is currently 6% cycling. Beside this, Davis, CA, the pioneer of American bike infrastructure, has a modal share for bikes in excess of 15% as per the most recent figures available. I've long held that Portland is not the most bike friendly city in the US, although it is one of the best stateside. Davis is a university townAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-51558106685262462862014-09-06T13:53:46.099+02:002014-09-06T13:53:46.099+02:00The point about the Guardian bike blog is a little...The point about the Guardian bike blog is a little more mundane than you suggest, I think. Around the time you wrote this post, Matt Seaton, one of the most enthusiastic contributors to their bike blog, moved to New York to the Guardian's US editing operation. The Guardian has more unique users for its website in the US than in the UK. Matt was happy to write for the blog about cycling Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-78275430982744190942011-04-22T11:54:47.513+02:002011-04-22T11:54:47.513+02:00I could be wrong, but I don't recall London lo...I could be wrong, but I don't recall London looking at a bike share program until Montréal's Bixi was proven a success. This is despite cities such as Lyon, Paris, Barcelona etc. all having them in place and established before Montréal.<br /><br />As for looking to NYC? NYC has looked to MTL for much of it's bicycle infrastructure.<br />I suppose NYC has more attention paid to it now Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589492356827998591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-5774387249580520802011-04-15T07:17:40.679+02:002011-04-15T07:17:40.679+02:00In this case it is less the question of good promo...In this case it is less the question of good promotion of cycling but of promoting themselves (as the USA) <br /><br />I think concerning NYC and cycling in the US it is the question of quantity of cyclist, but <br />a) the fact the bicycle raises "even" in the USA;<br />b) that the USA is in many cases regarded as example ("lan d of milk and honey") and often "Frankashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18370503893250145325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-52002124821764677162011-04-13T12:14:12.123+02:002011-04-13T12:14:12.123+02:00"The turning point is when that process get r..."The turning point is when that process get reversed and space is taken away from cars and redirected to bikes. If that process can happen in NYC it can happen anywhere."<br /><br />I think that's it, precisely. The focus is on New York because it is deeply interesting to see a highly car-centric city struggling to roll back some of that dominance. It's the battle itself that isAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-90558156139813261442011-04-12T23:31:37.948+02:002011-04-12T23:31:37.948+02:00In the field of urban planning NYC has historicall...In the field of urban planning NYC has historically been extraordinarily influential. This is why what happens NYC matters. <br /><br />What established Jane Jacobs reputation was her battles with Robert Moses and her publication of the "Life and Death of Great American Cities" largely describes here battles with Moses. <br /><br />Robert Moses had been trying to adapt NYC for age of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-92110546028193277162011-04-12T15:09:37.524+02:002011-04-12T15:09:37.524+02:00Neil: Thank-you for pointing that out. I've ch...Neil: Thank-you for pointing that out. I've changed the wording of that sentence, hopefully making it clearer.David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-88824606122582449892011-04-12T14:58:37.570+02:002011-04-12T14:58:37.570+02:00@Anothernameinthewall - I think you mis-parsed tha...@Anothernameinthewall - I think you mis-parsed that sentence (I did on first read too). <br /><br />That last part needs to be kept together as "an-average-Dutch-city-with-a-sixth-of-the-population-of-Portland"<br /><br />i.e. saying that Portland is about a sixth of the cycling rate of an average NL city.<br /><br />not "on a par with, at best, an average Dutch city"Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11443493823465136241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-35448731027497180492011-04-12T05:58:02.650+02:002011-04-12T05:58:02.650+02:00The issue is clearly political. No one is disputin...The issue is clearly political. No one is disputing the pre-eminence of Dutch bicycle engineering. The point is that most of the world did not take the pro-bicycle steps that the Dutch did in the 70s. In fact, most of the world created and expanded auto-centric engineering, embedding it into society even further. What New York is doing is challenging the dominance of car culture that much of the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-22298683782399595422011-04-12T02:16:20.635+02:002011-04-12T02:16:20.635+02:00I'm actually in the US right now (California),...I'm actually in the US right now (California), and there are actually some people cycling around. Not just poor people, not just MAMIL-roadies, but people cycling to work. Someone I know who wouldn't cycle in bristol is now out and about on an electric bicycle. The hotel I'm staying in has three bike racks outside.<br /><br />By EU standards its still appallingly under-represented SteveLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07654931341335136008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-60281767847784258452011-04-11T23:16:36.569+02:002011-04-11T23:16:36.569+02:00it's the fact that New York City is...New York...it's the fact that New York City is...New York City. and The Netherlands is...just another place in the world that is _not_ New York City.<br /><br />London and NYC are the two financial capitals of the world. They are mega-cities. Their influence extends far beyond their physical borders. This is why 'the fate of the bike in the world' rests on the fate of the PPW bike lane. (Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319342837525619844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-20994859201158335462011-04-11T23:02:35.643+02:002011-04-11T23:02:35.643+02:00Hi - I'd just like to vary the topic a little....Hi - I'd just like to vary the topic a little. About 7 years ago my wife & I visited NYC on holiday. Apart from the fact that since 9/11 NYC citizens have become a lot more helpful, we went on a couple of organised cycling trips in Manhattan. One went out to Brooklyn & we cycled back over the Brooklyn Bridge, the other went through amongst other locations, Central Park & Harlem. Brush-Headhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04302269117674427005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-73870701097236345912011-04-11T19:47:24.219+02:002011-04-11T19:47:24.219+02:00Ha! The picture on the Guardian shows a door zone...Ha! The picture on the Guardian shows a door zone bicycle lane with a huge rape-van taking up half the lane and coming up fast.benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06734098326474885040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-40851815897010597642011-04-11T17:35:00.648+02:002011-04-11T17:35:00.648+02:00Anothernameinthewall: "The word Dutch is used...Anothernameinthewall: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands" rel="nofollow">"The word <i>Dutch</i> is used to refer to the people, the language, and anything pertaining to the Netherlands."</a>David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-84848517567763469772011-04-11T17:21:16.256+02:002011-04-11T17:21:16.256+02:00"....cycling rate which is far lower than eve..."....cycling rate which is far lower than even the lowest city in the Netherlands and on a par with, at best, an average Dutch city with a sixth of the population of Portland."<br /><br />Am I missing something here? Are Dutch cities not also Netherland cities?ferkanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05306157991853082300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-64289137639759338852011-04-11T15:41:18.319+02:002011-04-11T15:41:18.319+02:00Mark: That the Guardian should relocate journalist...Mark: That the Guardian should relocate journalists to New York is itself rather suspect. People used to complain that it had lost its way due to moving from Manchester to London. But now we have a "British" newspaper which is largely written from a different country. Would any other nation think this to be reasonable ?<br /><br />No, I've not submitted anything. I've tried David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-30932715381137104272011-04-11T14:54:03.244+02:002011-04-11T14:54:03.244+02:00I have travelled around a lot, and have started no...I have travelled around a lot, and have started noticing that English-speaking people tend to regard the "Anglo-Saxic" world as the only one that exists. <br /><br />Meeting people how claim to be worldtravellers because they visited: the UK, South-Africa, (sometimes) India, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, has made me realise that there is a significant part of the UK population Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-33217610063135490352011-04-11T14:39:26.433+02:002011-04-11T14:39:26.433+02:00David, you view this as a technical issue of where...David, you view this as a technical issue of where to look for good solutions to cycling infrastructure. But that's really not the issue as I see it. I think the issue is political, and the politics of cycling infrastructure in New York City are very similar to those politics elsewhere in North America and presumably the UK.<br /><br />North America looks to the Prospect Park West bike lanes Michael Dhttp://psystenance.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-15403184906318208722011-04-11T14:27:00.427+02:002011-04-11T14:27:00.427+02:00Sorry, just an additional point: Journalists often...Sorry, just an additional point: Journalists often prefer to 'report the argument' rather than get into an analysis of who is right and wrong. This is very regrettable, and in many cases deeply pernicious, but in this case I think the controversy is itself interesting and important for the future of cycling in very large, very dense cities which currently have car-dominated streets.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-2608893105069060402011-04-11T14:24:49.651+02:002011-04-11T14:24:49.651+02:00I agree with Mark. I don't think the article w...I agree with Mark. I don't think the article was claiming that New York is a wonderful example of a cycle-friendly city, but that the controversy in New York illustrates what might happen if and when London tries to put in segregated bike lanes on busy streets. I fully expect people to scream blue murder in 'culture war' terms in London, just as they have in New York. I don't knowJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-4271999157738771512011-04-11T13:57:24.195+02:002011-04-11T13:57:24.195+02:00One reason I think the Grauniad has concentrated o...One reason I think the Grauniad has concentrated on NYC is that the paper has relocated many of its staff there, including Matt Seaton who is one of their major bike commentators. It's probably easier for their journalists to write `in-depth' pieces about NYC (and London) than about the Netherlands or Denmark. If this is the case then it's another example of why people turn to Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05309761689321532345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-15883736072243755912011-04-11T12:38:47.791+02:002011-04-11T12:38:47.791+02:00Jim, James, Neil: I can see why they could make su...Jim, James, Neil: I can see why they could make such an elementary mistake... but it's very definitely a mistake.<br /><br />You could apply the same "logic" to any other field. I've got no experience in launching rockets to reach the moon but would like to be able to do so. Would it be better that I look for advise to our neighbour who let off a few fireworks at New Year, as David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-8161151700774200972011-04-11T12:17:27.551+02:002011-04-11T12:17:27.551+02:00I think one reason for looking at car centric coun...I think one reason for looking at car centric countries is that it is easier to understand the existing infrastructure and the steps they are taking. Whereas looking at the Netherlands is far more alien and requires more work to figure how to map that to UK (or wherever).Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11443493823465136241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-38798719025380609052011-04-11T11:52:39.789+02:002011-04-11T11:52:39.789+02:00Journalists in London don't look to New York b...Journalists in London don't look to New York because of their established bicycle culture. They see New York as similar to themselves in both size and in lack of comfort for people on bicycles. When they see something positive happening in New York, it encourages them because, "if things can change in bicycle-unfriendly New York, then why can't we do it too?". <br /><br />I James D. Schwartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04454437680686627778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-77028348688500266602011-04-11T11:44:12.212+02:002011-04-11T11:44:12.212+02:00The Guardian certainly is overly obsessed with thi...The Guardian certainly is overly obsessed with things American. But I do think the story about the Prospect Park West bike lane is an important one from the point of view of, say, London, because it is about what happens when a car-dominated city tries to actually become more cycle-friendly. It's all very well pointing out that Dutch towns and cities already are cycle-friendly, but it doesn&#Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04831368698879583744noreply@blogger.com