12 replies to this topic

[amor de cosmos]

Where Are the Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities in the World?

By Marty Jerome November 09, 2007 | 3:43:59 PMCategories: Car Culture

We all know Amsterdam leads the list--since bicycles account for 40 percent of all traffic in that city. Virgin has put together a list of the top 11 friendliest cities for bikes in the world, based on criteria advanced by the League of American Bicyclists. And what would those criteria be? Why, they're enshrined in the Five Es:
1. Engineering (bike parking, designated lanes, etc.)
2. Encouragement (events and campaigns)
3. Evaluation and Planning (ongoing political bodies that make changes to existing laws and plan for the future)
4. Education (bike maps and awareness campaigns)
5. Enforcement (making motorists heel)

And the 11 most bike friendly cities? Read after the jump.

1. Amsterdam
2. Portland, Oregon
3. Copenhagen
4. Boulder, Colorado
5. Davis, California
6. Sandnes, Norway
7. Tronheim, Norway
8. San Francisco, California
9. Berlin
10. Barcelona
11. Basel, Switzerland
Source: TreeHugger

http://blog.wired.co...-are-the-m.html

I like the 5 Es

[Ms. B. Havin]

This is my idea of a BEAUTIFUL bike lane:



That's from flickr, specifically Rob Wrenn's photo stream, and it substitutes for an equally good image on Project for Public Spaces' latest newsletter (that image doesn't want to hotlink, though).

From the newsletter:

Creating the city of the future

Paris, London, Rome, Copenhagen, Zurich and now New York are setting the pace for 21st century cities. They are redefining the whole idea of “city” around a new paradigm of culture, service, commerce, and livability. We can already see that in the future there will be fewer automobiles and more ease in our urban environment.

Paris has already taken huge steps forward with the installation of bike lanes throughout the dense urban center. And Mayor Bertrand Delanoe is nothing short of historic in his goal of reclaiming broad swaths of the city from the automobile and giving them back to the people. Learn More...
http://www.pps.org/i...n/jan08bulletin

I especially love the absence of grimness in the European photo. No spandex? No helmet? No uniform? No problem.

[G-Man]

The problems with that kind of bikelane IMO are:

1. Passing - Trust me there is nothing more annoying then biking up Fort Street and getting stuck behind some snail with their weeks shopping on the back of their 1930's era bike. You need to be able to move out into another lane (after a shoulder check of course) and passing them.

2. Road ownership - The seperated lane makes the cyclist feel like they cannot enter the domain of the car when in actual fact bikes can take up a lane from cars if they so please. In addition a seperated lane allows car drivers to say that cyclists have their place and should not be allowed in theirs. I think that unless you have those lanes on absolutely every street then perhaps they do more harm than good.

[jklymak]

^ I agree with both these points.

Separate bike trails like the Goose are great, but curbed lanes like this are confining to cyclists and create confusion at intersections. How does the bike turn left? Who has right-of-way if a car wants to turn right? The way this is handled now, if the car has passed you on your bike, they have right-of-way and you should pass them on the left. If you look at the downtown bike lanes, the car right-hand turn lane is to the right of the bike lane, as it should be. If there was a curb there, you couldn't do it.

I had the pleasure of driving in Taiwan, where the right lane is for scooters, and let me tell you, turning right was a pitched battle every time!

[Nparker]

Many bicycle riders I see must be truly confused indeed. I can't even count the number of times I have seen them cross over multiple bike lanes and vehicle lanes, pull in front of motorists without signaling and when all else fails ride onto the sidewalk to get where they want to go. I don't know how many times I have been shoved to one side of the sidewalk when a cyclist decides to stop being a vehicle and become a "wheeled-pedestrian". I often wish people had to pass a test before taking their bike out onto city streets.

Let the comments fly.

[jklymak]

^ They should be ticketed for such behaviour. Last I checked riding on sidewalks is illegal in Victoria. As for crossing lanes, they are entitled to do so (as long as they signal).

[Ms. B. Havin]

^ good points, G-Man. Maybe these pretty lanes only work on quieter side streets?

As for cyclists not obeying the rules, we've had this one out elsewhere on the forum. I believe I wrote that I always wish I was carrying a long-handled stick or some other implement I could shove into the spokes of a bike passing me on the sidewalk. I hate it when cyclists use sidewalks.

PS/ edit: and yes, it is illegal (their riding on the sidewalk ...as well, presumably, as any attempt to attack them with sticks...).

[Nparker]

I always wish I was carrying a long-handled stick or some other implement I could shove into the spokes of a bike passing me on the sidewalk. )

My sentiments exactly. I see a LOT of people breaking the law all the time and getting away with it. I even see parents escorting their children on bikes on sidewalks. Nice example to set. The bottom line is that it is such a minor offense that our over-taxed police cannot be bothered to deal with it. I don't blame them, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant to have to dodge sidewalk-cyclists when I go for a walk.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Kids 12 and under are allowed to ride on sidewalks. It might be the case that parents are allowed to accompany them, but I'm really not sure about that. I don't mind the kids, because at least they're being encouraged to ride. But the parents should also teach them about riding on the road.

[gumgum]

How many times have I pulled up to a crosswalk with my daughter in her stroller to watch a bicycle zip right in front of our path, with not even the consideration that it is their responsibility to stop because I have right of way. And yes, they had PLENTY of time to stop.
I have yelled a few times, telling them that they were supposed to stop and I've been ignored, been given the finger, I was even threatened once. All for criticizing without being verbally abusive. All because I didn't want my baby to get run over.
Moreso than riding on the sidewalk, I think ignoring people trying to cross crosswalks the most common violation bicyclist commit. Worst of all, these people are such a cowards, because they know they can tell me to **** off or something because they know can ride off into the sunset without any negative consequences, knowing that they had the last word.

[jklymak]

This is one instance where I think pedestrians and car drivers need to be cognizant of one big difference between what they are doing and riding a bike: stopping is a lot of work on a bike. Losing momentum on a bike requires reaccelerating, which is where most of the work of riding a bike is. A full and complete stop means coming out of your pedals and then having to reclip again. Both are dangerous for the bike rider because it is all done at low speeds which are inherently unstable on a bike. Thus cyclists tend to avoid doing it as much as possible. We choose routes that don't have lots of lights, and we tend to roll through stop signs and, yes, crosswalks.

That being said, it is no excuse for breaking the law. I will always yield right-of-way. 99% of the time there is no problem. If I saw you entering a crosswalk, I would slow down, and make sure you knew I was waiting for you. If somehow things progressed to the point where I had to stop, I would stop.

I'm not trying to justify the behaviour of bad cyclists. However, there is a strong incentive to stretch the law a little in these instances, and to some degree most cyclists do so.

[G-Man]

Excellent points on both sides. I think that I have rolled through a few stops on my bike. However I always stop for pedestrians and the only verbal altercations I have had have been with car drivers.

I remember once a lady opened her door into my path I skidded to stop about an inch from her door. Then just moved to the side and kept going but I shook my head and the lady started yelling at me!

She was saying that it is MY responsibility to watch out for people opening door (which I try to do but it certainly is not my responsibility nor is it the responisbility of any vehicle on a road). I finally stopped turned around and swore my head off then fingered her and then left.

Anyways I guess I am off topic now...

[gumgum]

^^As a bike rider myself, I do sympathize with what a big sacrifice on energy it is to have to slow down, and I have rolled a stop sign more than a hundred times, but there's a balance needed between that of abiding strictly by the law, versus the act of common courtesy. I'm really not the type to care if a biker breaks a law or two, but when it puts others in jeopardy, I can't tolerate that.

^That lady's a twit. If one thing for a bicyclist to not know their own responsibilities on the road, but it's inexcusable for a driver.