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Aug 17, 2009 06:00 PM | 12
Bicycling brings many benefits over driving a car: a workout, less pollution and lower carbon dioxide emissions. So, why is it that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey, only 0.5 percent of Americans rely on two wheels to get to work?
The answer is likely a combination of obstacles: convenience, culture and collisions.
A new system in Montreal now expanding to other big cities may address at least the first two issues. Scattered among 300 cyclist stations throughout Montreal are 3,000 bikes, each ready and waiting for its next rider. Now, plans are under way for a similar bounty of bikes in Boston, according to The New York Times. And additional biking infrastructure—including new bike lanes—could also help cities overcome the third obstacle.
"We developed this product for Montreal," André Lavallée, a Montreal politician, told the Times in May. "But we were very convinced that it's good for any city."
The Bixi bicycle-sharing system offers a menu of high-tech tools. Stations for parked bikes are solar-powered and WiFi-enabled, allowing them to be placed anywhere in the city without need for an electrical connection. This also means they can be easily relocated when demand patterns change—or the snow starts to fall. And users can go online to see the whereabouts of available bikes and parking spaces.
The bikes themselves—fully equipped with everything from LED headlights and tail lights to three-speed hub gear and bell—are "designed to minimize damage from vandals, to thwart parts thieves and to keep rolling with the minimum of maintenance rather than for lightness or speed," the Times reported. Riders can simply scan their credit card and pedal away.
But convenience isn't the only barrier to biking in Boston. The city suffers from a confusing array of old narrow streets and notoriously aggressive drivers, which combine to generate high rates of bike accidents—from cyclists colliding with moving cars to car doors opening into bike lanes. (The author has personal experience with being "doored" in the city.)
In contrast, the model city for accommodating biking is Portland, Ore., where 300 miles of protected bike lanes inspire riding rates about eight times that of the national average, according to The Boston Globe.
"Skeptics wonder whether Portland is just filling a niche and attracting bicyclists from elsewhere, instead of changing the habits of residents," reports the Globe. Others see the nature-nurture argument for city cycling differently, including Rex Burkholder, a Portland Metro Councilor and former Boston resident. As he told the Globe, "It's facilities that make people switch over, not philosophy."
Now, Boston is working to emulate its West Coast cousin, adding miles of bike lanes to go with the upcoming introduction of the Bixi System (as soon as next summer).
Other cities are keeping watch as their own bike cultures evolve. In New York City, for example, biking is the "fastest growing mode of transportation," City Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan told Newsday. Over the past decade, the number of New Yorkers cycling has climbed 80 percent while the number of accidents has dropped by more than 40 percent. In addition to some added bike lanes, many attribute this improved safety to the sheer numbers. "It's like a snowball effect," Noah Budnick, a senior policy adviser for the Transportation Alternatives advocacy group, told Newsday. "The more cyclists there are on the street, the more drivers are aware of them and are looking for them."
With an additional couple thousand borrowable bikes cruising Boston's minefield of paved-over cow paths, perhaps the same safety in the herd will take effect.
Picture of bikes along Boston's Charles River by gkristo via Flickr
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12 Comments
Add CommentMany municipalities have been developed and designed without accomodations for cyclists. Growing up in the 100,000+ city was frustrating as there were almost no bike lanes to travel. I welcome this in all towns.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe same goes for the mentality of NIMBY. Many neighborhoods lack local markets because no one wants traffic in or around their abode. This lends itself to having to drive 10+ miles to go to the "store" in their cross-over SUVs. Let me not forget to mention having to drive to the gym to workout. Many preach the religion of being "green" and doing their part to buy carbon-neutral products. Yet, they thwart any real progress that minimizing the effects of civilization on the environment because it would inconvenience them is some respect.
It's the dreaded door prize -- a.k.a. my biggest fear. I live in Montreal and have my own bike and while I think Bixi is a great idea, there has definitely been a transition period. Most notable:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. The new cyclists are not familiar with the rules of the road, especially during heavy traffic. And trust me, there is heavy traffic on our bike paths during rush hour.
2. Bixi provides you with a bike, but not a helmet. While we're in the midst of creating (reinforcing) a cyclist culture here, promoting helmetless cycling may not be the best idea.
Otherwise, I love the idea of being able to just leave the bike wherever you happen to be; no worries about locks and thefts!
There was a bike program here in Provo, Utah. It was sponsored by Dasani. It's pretty much gone now, people stole all the bikes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with tlinget. Those who run our fair cities all ride around in their SUV's and don't like to be inconvenienced by cyclists on their streets, can't see the need for bike lanes on their streets---since they don't ride bikes---and, here in Linn County Iowa, they're talking about prohibiting bikes on county roads
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt takes critical mass. Good facilities are a prerequisite, of course, and in principle they suffice, but they don't change common expectations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn Google Maps, Portland seems quite comparable to Amsterdam, which is a little smaller (700,000 inh) and more compact in shape. Amsterdam has about 300 miles of bicycle paths, but more importantly, where there are none, cycling is still safe: every destination is expected to be easily reached by bike. This makes cycling often the fastest and/or most convenient mode of transportation for inhabitants. Many areas aren't accessible by car for visitors at all, or with great difficulty, and parking fees are substantial.
The same is true for The Netherlands in general: there are bicycle paths everywhere, and as a cyclist you have to be pretty stupid to end up in a situation where it would be unsafe to continue on bike.
There are drawbacks, of course: for instance, each year, roughly 10% of Amsterdam's 600,000 bikes is stolen. So you don't see too many new or special bikes.
Speaking of helmetless cycling, and Amsterdam - I don't think I've ever seen a helmet on a Dutch head. Quite shocking to the North American eye, but they seem to manage just fine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTerrain is another issue in getting people on their bikes. Amsterdam is flat, whereas Vancouver, BC (where I live) is a bit... not flat. If you aren't at least moderately fit, good luck getting anywhere in a decent amount of time, if you make it at all. Fortunately, a lot of Vancouverites are, but I imagine cycling isn't really an option for, say, many seniors. Then there's also the issue of feeling like you need a shower by the time you get to work, if the trip was uphill...
Various European countries, unfamiliar with cycling in general, have taken to the bike with increasing enthusiasm.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHowever, bike thefts in these countries have risen dramatically.
As examples, in the UK a bike is stolen every minute of every day and in Paris, where the local govt has joined with business to promote a hire scheme, over half of the original fleet (in the first 18 months) of 15,000 bikes have been stolen whilst 11,600 have been vandalised.
In London the sight of armies of cyclists riding to work is something to behold but until a fail-safe method of avoiding such devastating numbers of thefts is found then the tax payer will undoubtedly pick up the tab for their cities well-meant but niaive enthusiasm.
I feel bad for the author - getting doored must be awful. I hope she was OK.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this#1 reason for me - sweat!
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBikes are the most fascinating and highly mobility providing vehicle of the auto industry. There are number of specifications and points of excellence which are filled into this motor because of which the market is flourished with number of types and models of Bikes for sale. http://www.themotocycles.com/
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