tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post5678802968206983588..comments2024-03-27T12:53:39.298+01:00Comments on A view from the cycle path: Things that don't scaleDavid Hembrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-43987996011903384362008-10-26T08:22:00.000+01:002008-10-26T08:22:00.000+01:00Cycling as an extension of public transport is, I ...Cycling as an extension of public transport is, I think, an interesting idea. I saw it in Barcelona, who have followed the lead of other cities (Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam I'm sure) by offering easy, straightforward bicycle rental: http://manchestreker.blogspot.com/2008/08/barcelona-and-bicing.html).<BR/><BR/>As for bike security, Manchester is such a mixed bag. At first, parking on the streetcocosolishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040377173478647027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-86084604415386688152008-10-25T08:45:00.000+02:002008-10-25T08:45:00.000+02:00I'm afraid that encouraging people to "take the la...I'm afraid that encouraging people to "take the lane" is anything but improving subjective safety. You can't make conditions more subjectively safe by training people - you have to change the environment to make the conditions safe. Most people are, quite reasonably, not interested in any activity which requires positioning themselves in front of motor vehicles. That's why so few people cycle in David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-4317674575343577052008-10-24T22:52:00.000+02:002008-10-24T22:52:00.000+02:00David,Some of us are fighting the good fight here ...David,<BR/><BR/>Some of us are fighting the good fight here in Jacksonville to improve subjective safety. The city likes bike lanes, even on strip-mall dense areas. The repetitive right turning driveways make is unsafe for the cyclist stuck in the right shoulder (bike lane). They are better off controlling the lane. <BR/><BR/>A segregated bike lane in such situations will have a similar problem Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-33243051607143894842008-10-24T18:49:00.000+02:002008-10-24T18:49:00.000+02:00Fortunately for me and my fellow employees, my emp...Fortunately for me and my fellow employees, my employer provides a parking area for bikes along with several bike lockers. All of which are inside our secured area.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-50028593713625936512008-10-24T14:58:00.000+02:002008-10-24T14:58:00.000+02:00I can't say I'm surprised that Indian people are m...I can't say I'm surprised that Indian people are making that choice. From where they're sitting I'd say it's the obvious choice. It's a shame, though, that people who might have wanted to make a different choice will be prevented from doing so because, as you've pointed out, there's a lack of <A HREF="http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2008/09/three-types-of-safety.html" REL="nofollow">subjective safetyDavid Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-54412500003866154302008-10-24T14:45:00.000+02:002008-10-24T14:45:00.000+02:00David,Your idea of the middle class making that ch...David,<BR/><BR/>Your idea of the middle class making that choice to go car free is a noble one. Since the middle class is rising from poverty, they want the American lifestyle. That means cars. A lot of cars. <BR/><BR/>The size of the middle class in India is the size of the entire population of the United States of America. Even though petrol prices are not artificially subsidized in India like Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-25757757577680787912008-10-24T13:58:00.000+02:002008-10-24T13:58:00.000+02:00I regularly left my bike locked up in London - in ...I regularly left my bike locked up in London - in a spot where stripped bike carcases and broken locks were regularly seen, and as Dave says, having a bike that's worth less than the lock is the best way to avoid trouble. Also, locking your bike next to something much shinier and newer, and having a cable to secure both wheels. The worst incident I had was when my front light brackets kept Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-14695651361468645162008-10-24T10:42:00.000+02:002008-10-24T10:42:00.000+02:00Abhishek, your observation about India is very int...Abhishek, your observation about India is very interesting. You refer to bicycles being used in large numbers due to poverty. I can understand why people will view the idea of owning and using a car as a good thing if cycling is forced on them for that reason.<BR/><BR/>However, it's not the reason why people cycle here. It's easy to afford a car in the Netherlands, but people are quite commonly <David Hembrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543024940730663645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-6144139666428881082008-10-24T01:00:00.000+02:002008-10-24T01:00:00.000+02:00Bob, Bicycle theft is a huge problem here in Amste...Bob, Bicycle theft is a huge problem here in Amsterdam as well. I recall seeing statistics that 100,000 bike are stolen per year though its difficult to measure because few people bother telling the police. Regardless its a lot of bike theft for a city of under 800,000 people.<BR/><BR/>Here the scale provides an advantage if you wish to use it: Your bike is never even close to alone. Ride an Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-66005298180958602052008-10-23T20:21:00.000+02:002008-10-23T20:21:00.000+02:00Here in the U.S. theft is a problem. Several times...Here in the U.S. theft is a problem. Several times I have passed a skeleton of a bike because it was stripped while it was locked to a bike rack. If I felt my bike was safe I would gladly leave it at a bike parking facility.<BR/><BR/>Bicycling needs and cyclists here in the U.S. need to be viewed by the public as the norm and not a special interest group if progress in bicycle infrastructure is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102538965694240940.post-19034884210975514072008-10-23T16:15:00.000+02:002008-10-23T16:15:00.000+02:00Europe and Asia are very different markets for bic...Europe and Asia are very different markets for bicyclists. Bicycle is one of the major modes of transportation in those regions where as in USA, they are a mode of recreation and recently being converted on a larger scale towards commuting (hence the birth of the fender less and chain guard less hybrid bikes!). <BR/><BR/>I have lived in West Bengal, India where due to poverty, bicycles (mostly Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com