Slow Factory

First Bike Corral in NYC!

2012-01-04T21:45:00.000+01:00

Just uploaded to Streetfilms, a short piece on the first "bike corral" - NYC DOT calls them "Street Racks" - in NYC (Brooklyn). This is definitely a step in the right direction. Better for small shops and all street users... bonus points for not improving things for cyclists at the expense of pedestrians.

Questions!

* Is this intended to be overnight, i.e. instead of carrying a bike upstairs in a walk-up apt., or just short-term parking?

* Even with a good lock - no, the best lock - do people feel their bike is safe at a rack like this all day long - i.e. if it is parking at a subway station - and even overnight, e.g. if they go out after work and have a spontaneous "sleepover" in Manhattan?

* Does it fit cargo bikes, without inconveniencing/disrespecting users of normal bikes?

* The block association supported it, does the CB (Community Board) have to approve it?

* How is cleaning handled? (Normally a street cleaning truck comes by...)

* Will it remain free of snow in the winter?

* Any ADA issues? Is there sensory info on the sidewalk which lets people know it - and not a parked car - is in this location?

The bike parking seems necessary in any case, but the initial impetus seems to have been a bad marriage of two too-fast streets. Neighbourhood streets like this one, even if they have a sort of semi-arterial use, are narrow and encourage perpendicular movement: The NYC speed limit of 30mph is simply too fast for this location (I would bet the vehicles that flipped over as we can see in the video were going faster...). This street definitely needs a 20mph limit. The bikelane seems kind of marginal in relation to anti-dooring properties, and I am assuming that a NYC-style 20mph street - as is being experimented with in at least one other part of the city - will have no soft(paint) demarcation of space.

This is a good solution, and it would be great to know more about how it fits into the overall strategy for parking AND traffic calming/safety. Not sure if speed-issues were discussed but left out of the edit, but I've noticed that before, e.g. in discussion about bike lanes in San Francisco on Streetsblog SF.

The parklets and this parking were mentioned by Ms Harris-Hernandez as being innovative, but not sure they are as they have been done already in Portland and San Francisco. But that does not matter! Copying or replicating existing best practice is great on its own!

I have inquired with Transportation Alternatives about parking secure enough for overnight use and expensive cargo bikes, and hope NYC DOT gets something going in that direction. The solutions already exist -- they just need to be introduced, discussed, approved, purchased and bolted down to the street.

What the mayor doesn't always tell you about bike modal share - Pure & Real Bike Modal Shares

2011-12-26T18:26:00.002+01:00

Part Three of this Series. Please first read Part One - originally published in slightly different form in Cycling Mobility issue no. 4 - which gives an overview and the context for the focus for this entry - click here. For Part Two, focused on cycle training of immigrants to the Netherlands, click here.

Don't take it out on pedestrians, or blame the cyclists who have to use it. A street in the Moravian town of Uherské Hradiště personifies the "Hey, Get Outta My Way!" Malus. Photo: www.cyklostrategie.cz

Since bike mode share percentages do not tell the whole story about who, how and where people are cycling, I propose the concept of:

PureBike Modal Share

It means that:

1- All citizens – between the ages of 8 and 80 (inclusive), withoutregards to gender, gender-preference, national, religious, political,cultural or ethnic self-identification, able to use some form of ahuman-powered (motor-assist) wheeled vehicle generally understood tobe a bicycle or variant thereof, and within the municipal boundaries– cycle at exactly the same rate...so a 50% rate of cycling as aprimary means of travel is exactly that and impurities are subject tothe Who is Not Cycling Malus, and;

2– All cycling is done within the law andaccordingto custom agreed by 2/3 of municipal subjects and transgressions aresubject to the Anti-Solidarity Malus, and;

3– All cycling is done on infrastructure which was not previouslyused by pedestrians or not unreasonably taken from exclusivepedestrian use and violations are subject to the "Hey, Get Outta My Way" Malus.

Here is how it works:
+ Measure bike share in the simplest way, i.e. only gross counting, e.g. with bike counters in major cycling corridors. The result is the base bike modal share.
+ As much as possible, record who is cycling (see 1, above), how they are cycling (2) and where they are cycling (3).
- Subtract the second from the first, separately for each three catergories. The results are the bike modal share subtotals.
/ Average the combination of all three. The result is the

Real Bike Modal Share.

Real bike modal share in its worse form should – to be fair – never beworse than half the official rate.

Hereis an example methodology for point no. 2:

“Anti-solidaritymalus points” (“Douchebag demerits” in American English/forthe US environment) are recorded for illegal activities/behaviourgoing against custom and awarded to the mayor or city council,whichever is more appropriate, and it is with these awards that theymust adjust e.g.results of primitive modal share rates recorded nearly blind e.g.only at the district or citywide level.

Thisanti-solidarity malus can be recorded roughly, for example bycounting cyclists at any time of day and then subtracting one fromthe total based on any observed violation of law and custom. It canalso be recorded more precisely, but noting the specific violations –some – e.g. riding without lights at night and scaring pedestrianswill receive more malus points than others, e.g. riding on thepavement (sidewalk) on the way from the street to a front door orbike parking for a distance longer than provided by the closest openstreet-pavement transition point.

Citingor fining these cyclists is the job of law enforcement and isseparate from malus counting. The point of the malus counting is topunish the local government and to keep them honest.

***

In the coming days I will continue the series to further detail my arguments in Part One. Please join, follow or otherwise watch this space.... and have a safe and truly representative holiday!

What the mayor doesn't always tell you about bike modal share - Immigrant-focused cycle training?

2011-12-22T22:31:00.000+01:00

Part Two of this Series. For Part One - which gives an overview and the context for the focus on training people of immigrant-background - click here. For Part Three - about "Pure and Real" bike modal shares, click here.

Cultural and societal empowerment via bike. "L" is for learner... and laughter: Meryem Mouncif, from Morocco, apparently enjoys a cycle-training course given by the Centrum Buitenlandse Vrouwen (Centre for Foreign Women) in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

“Unfortunatelythere are not really municipalities or politicians that want to 'go'for this topic. It has not been so in the past, and not now either,”says Angela van der Kloof, asustainable mobility consultant working at Mobycon in the Netherlands.

Thevast majority of training happens informally, like in many otherplaces – well, where parents bother - typically where parentsteach their kids. Children receive traffic theory classes in theirschools starting from age 6, and many take an on-street test by age10 or 11.

Angelacontinues: “Formal cycle training in NL has focused on women whowere not born in the Netherlands. In the 1970s, women - mostly fromthe Mediterranean-area - were able to join their husbands who hademigrated for work. They had instruction in language, sewing,knitting and handicrafts, and then started to ask for cyclinginstruction. The formal training began in the 1980s, organised atfirst in a grassroots way by volunteers.”

Thesedays there is cycle training for children and also elders who havecycled their whole life and might need to be advised on things suchas the advantage of lowering a seat, or – for men – using alow-step over bike, or a side mirror if they are unable tocomfortably turn their head.

“Afterabout 30 years of small scale or grass roots cycle traininginitiatives, hardly any municipality takes it seriously,”, saysAngela. “Sometimes there is a sentence in a cycling policydocument, but these years it has become more popular to either ignorespecific needs of immigrants or other less powerful target groups, orridicule them.”

Shecontinues: “There are some exceptions. In my hometown of Tilburg [acity of just over 200,000 persons in the southern Dutch province ofNoord Brabant] people who were not born in the Netherlands have beenincorporated into the cycleplan as a specific target group.Asa member of the Tilburg Fietsforum,which is anNGO that advises the municipality on cycling issues, I contributed tothiscycleplan.

“Soin Tilburg it has been pretty well arranged for quite a lot of yearsnow. At the same time, last year the city council asked themselveshow effective cycletraining and swimming lessons were for theintegration and emancipation process of immigrant women. Anotherconsultancy did a study and they found that the courses were veryeffective. So there was no basis to stop the subsidy. But each time,in every city, the people need to fight for it.

“WhatI mean is, that local politicians tend to look at the personalbenefits for the participants of the courses only. And not look atthe societal benefits in the short and long term: more health, lesspollution, congestion. They just do not see why the municipalityshould bother and subsidize this or stimulate it otherwise.”

In2008 and 2009 Angela was involved in supporting the setting up of acentral cycle training point in Amsterdam. The project has since beenstopped and the policymakers and politicians decided to focus oncycle training for children in general, not for specific targetgroups.

“Theofficial version for the halt of the programme is that it is hard toreach women with educational programs and it is more easy toreach the children through the schools, said Angela, “The realityis that there are waiting lists for the adult cycle training (somemen have also expressed their need for cycle training) and schoolsare overwhelmed with educational programs and topics. Practical cycletraining is often not a priority at schools and it is not easy toorganise. It is not a good idea to train children in schools and nottrain the parents. Cycle training only makes sense if you have thepossibility to cycle outside the school and children need theirparents or other experienced cyclists to guide them in traffic. It isimpossible to organise and finance enough on-road training forchildren in schools. It is much more efficient, effective andempowering to train the parents to cycle and give them tools to traintheir children themselves. The basic rules in traffic are beingtaught at school and of course they should keep on doing this!”

Sohas the focus on non-Netherlands born people increased their levelsof cycling compared to other transport means closer to the Dutchaverage?

“Well,on a national level we have some information on how much these groupsare cycling,” concludes Angela, “but, in regards toa balancing of mode share, very, very little research has been doneon the topic and I think all of it is qualitative.”

Angela van der Kloof

Furtherresources and links:

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In the coming days I will continue the series to further detail my arguments in Part One. For Part Three click here. Please join, follow or otherwise watch this space.... and have a safe and truly representative holiday!

What the mayor doesn't always tell you about bike modal share

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000+01:00

Part One of this Series. For Part Two - going beyond what was published in Cycling Mobility - focused on cycle training of immigrants to the Netherlands, click here.

Intro: For the fourth (and sadly, final) issue of Cycling Mobility, which has just hit the street, I wrote a long blog-style article which was edited down considerably into an opinion piece. This follows immediately below, though the version in the magazine is somewhat longer. It was originally titled by the editors as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" which I objected to as it had both nothing to do with gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military -- and as some kind of word play it also did not describe accurately what this whole thing is about...
The whole thing starts with the opinion - part I - and follows with four parts originally intended to be sidebars/boxouts with the original text. In part I have added some clarifications or emphasized certain things [in brackets] based on the original text. - Todd Edelman, Slow Factory.

Reality...

AsI walked in Copenhagen one night in December 2009, I joked with mycompanions that portraying it as a leading cycling city was soimportant to the mayor that he would pay cyclists to ride around sothere were always bicycles on the streets [or even show a live CCTV video with computer-generated cyclists added].

NeitherCopenhagen nor Amsterdam need to exaggerate how many people cyclethere, or the percentage of cyclists as part of overall traffic.These figures are in hundreds of blogs every month and increasinglyin mainstream media.

...or illusion? Frame grabs from "Protektor"(Czech Republic, 2009)

Butas more people get on bikes in any given city, is it enough to simplypublicise cycling’s share of journeys? I would argue that it isn’t.Instead, it is increasingly important to analyse how these figuresare arrived at and what they tell us about cycling. It is more than asimple percentage: publicising cycling’s modal share should reflectdesign conditions, participants [e.g. ethnicity, ethnic origin, income level, gender...] and cyclist behaviour.

Thereare great infrastructure designs — the best are usually found inthe Netherlands — and there is a lot of rubbish, and that includeshigh-density areas where cyclists are added to pedestrian space. Suchshared use is normally the result of weakness; politicians arereluctant to take space from cars (either travelling or parked) dueto pressure from motorists and the motoring lobby.

I moved to Berlinin 2008, and my own street is a great example of how cyclists andpedestrians have been marginalised. Urbanstaße, in the district ofKreuzberg, was planned in the late 19^thcentury. In its early configuration, a tram ran along the centre ofthe street and wide outside lanes were shared by horse-drawnvehicles, cyclists and a few motor vehicles. Not many cars wereparked on the street.

Until roughly mid-20th century: Facade – garden – footway (sidewalk) – trees/planter –multi-use street lane – double-tracked, centre-running trams[streetcars] – multi-use street lane – trees/planter – footway– garden – facade

Today: Facade – footway – bike path – trees/planter – carstorage – motor-vehicle lane – motor-vehicle lane – narrowcentre divider – motor-vehicle lane – motor-vehicle lane – carstorage – trees/planter- bike path – footway – facade

Bythe early 1960s the layout had changed, and it is still like thistoday. Cyclists are now in the former pedestrian space and thepedestrians are in the former garden area. The pedestrian and bikeareas are at the same level, so cyclists who need more space (forinstance to pass each other) ride in the pedestrian space. In recentyears cycling has increased significantly and this has put ridersperilously close to facades and doorways. Many riders go the wrongway, and it seems most are unaware they are breaking the law. Ifchallenged, they say that “others do it” as a way of justifyingtheir own actions.

Thisis the worst of Berlin’s cycling mobility — it is at the expenseof pedestrians and other cyclists. The best way to describe it is“cycle-colonisation”. In terms of infrastructure, the currentsituation is a layout created over time and without much thoughttowards anything but improving the flow of motor traffic. Itencourages and facilitates bad cycling behaviour. Bike trips in suchlocations are low in quality and dangerous — or often simplyannoying for pedestrians. Suchcar-friendly/people-ignorant street designs have led to an explosionin the number of bike salmon, the term coined by NYC Bike Snob todescribe people who ride illegally against traffic. As the cyclingrenaissance gathers pace, it is important to remember that one-waystreets created for cars, such as the main routes in Berlin on eitherside of wide and fast streets, will suffer from an increasing numberof wrong-way cyclists.

Some examples of how authorities see who is actually cycling - From top to bottom: Berlin results strongly hints at ethnic origin and income level (e.g. central districts are wealthier); Bogota chart is nearly explicit about income level (e.g. Zona Chapinero is the Colombian capital's most exclusive district); Netherlands info is quite specific about ethnicity of both parents ("Autochtoten" means both or only parent born in NL). All three ignore gender (though other research from these authorities does not).

Sowho is cycling and who isn’t?

Cyclingaccounts for about 15% of journeys in Berlin, but that variesconsiderably by district, and is often dependent on residents’income or ethnic or national background.

Let'slook at two districts. Broadly speaking, Mitte is gentrified withmiddle- and upper-class people of European origin. Neukölln is morevaried and is home to a high number of people of Turkish descent,among others. It is middle- to working-class, except in the south,outside the S-bahn ring road.

Neuköllnhas a 12% cycling modal share, but just who is cycling? Is it men,women or children, the better-off, those on average incomes or thepoor? In the northern part of this district, there are ahigh number of bike-happy newcomers from Europe and Canada/USA whoprobably make up a sizeable proportion of the 12%.

Weneed to know what lies behind the figures. Is it Neukölln’sterrible cycling infrastructure, or the social status that someresidents attach to car ownership? All of this needs to be taken intoaccount when quantifying bike use.

Dr. Jekyll? ...

Who ispaying the penalty?

Ispent weeks looking for a flat in Berlin before I moved here. It waswonderful and initially liberating to be in a city with a fair numberof cyclists. I was generally on a bike myself — but that meant Imissed something significant. It was only when I was settled into mynew home and brought my old and frail dogs from Prague that I startedwalking a lot.

Onceon two feet rather than two wheels, I began to notice cyclists ridingwithout lights, not using a bell, going too fast or going the wrongway. My impression is that Berlin is worse for this than other northEuropean cities. Even when I was walking the dogs in the right placeon the footway, I felt that we were threatened by cyclists. WalkingPrague with its low number of bikes felt safer than doing so incycle-happy Berlin.

We’reprobably all familiar with poor behaviour by cyclists, but thesepeople were misbehaving for four reasons, all of which which feed onthe other:

Bad infrastructure — as described
Antisocial behaviour — some cyclists and pedestrians react badly because they are at the bottom of the pile due to poor street design. It is also a reflection of Berlin itself: people here respond in different ways to the freedoms they enjoy when compared with the social disciplines expected elsewhere.
Sharp sticks but soft carrots — cyclists who misbehave can be fined, but enforcement is patchy. Most of the time these riders are ignored by the police, and other street users rarely speak out. There is no encouragement to behave better.
Lack of training — few Germans over the age of 50 have had any cycle training in school. Likewise, many immigrants have little experience of cycling in cities.

Thefour points combine to affect other street users, including othercyclists. In my view such poor quality cycling should not be countedor represented in in any publicised figure for cycling’s modalshare.

... and Mr. Hyde? Grabs from a promotion video for "Neber der Spur. Das Fahrradhasserbuch" ("Off the Track. The Cycle Hater's Book", published in Germany in early 2011) , which suggests that normal, peaceful people become aggressive when they get on a bike.

So whatabout your city? Mostpeople will not know how many people ride bikes. It probably only matters to politicians at election time. On a personal level, whatcounts is that you and your friends can cycle.

Anynumber for modal share is, therefore, abstract. Not all cities countcyclists in the same way, even if they use the same mechanism.Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Waco — they are not on a racetrackin adjoining lanes.

Thenumbers are bandied about by mayors and city councils and theirrepresentatives. They use it for marketing. And experts pass thefigures on.

Pleasedon’t get me wrong — Berlin does have a few great examples ofcycling infrastructure and education. Any hope of building on thatis, however, dashed by the public’s collective reaction to badcycling, usually expressed in the media. This backlash is too muchfor politicians to address within a term or even three.

But thenwhy should cyclists expectmore? Germany is addicted to the car, though some deny it. Nearlyevery cyclist stopped by police can point to a nearby driver doingsomething worse [if just because of physics]. Our politicians need to work with city dwellers toend the domination of the car and car culture. We have to rememberthat many of today's drivers are tomorrow’s well-behaved cyclists,and work out a way to manage that change. This is not some romanticideal, but a realistic view forged in the heat of the debate over theenergy shortages to come.

Weneed to be equipped to face the new reality — which will be with usnot too many years hence. To prepare for this there needs to besignificant investment in infrastructure and education, startingimmediately.

Berlin, summer 2011 - Sign reads "Fight the Aggressive Cyclists. Consideration Takes Priority on All Our Paths" Photo by Steffen Zahn.

*****

For Part Two in this series, click here.

In the coming days I will upload the intended boxouts/sidebars which further detail my arguments herein. Please join, follow or otherwise watch this space.... and have a safe and truly representative holiday!

NYC: Haiku Hi-viz! Commissioners' Conflicting Missions?

2011-12-01T09:34:00.001+01:00

Old skool messaging...? The well-known(?) signage in Queens, NYC, by NYCDOT, 2007. Photo by Joe Shlabotnik.

Foreword: I lived in NYC from late 1996 until early 2000.

Since Occupy Wall Street began, I was curious to see if any organizations, publications or blogs etc in NYC or abroad focused on sustainable mobility and better streets, or at least the major ones, would show support or even comment on, amongst other things, the actions of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. The lack of mobility choices of many of the 99% is clearly connected with the policies of the 1%, and, after all, what good is a public space if you get attacked by the state for being in it?

Time's Up! in NYC did respond, as did J. H. Crawford of Carfree.com (the latter with a video "Occupy All Streets!" linked below). But as far as I can tell no other groups etc. did (tell me if I missed something).

What is keeping these organizations quiet? I knew that - just to name one example - in 2009 the Bloomberg Foundation donated 125 million dollars to a coalition including EMBARQ, and that within a year EMBARQ praised Bloomberg policy in a video without mentioning this funding (and in the meantime a deputy mayor of Bloomberg had been appointed to simultaneously head his charity (!).... and that, generally speaking, sustainable mobility professionals working in NGOs find it personally prudent to separate a friendly issue from a sticky one. At least a couple people told me privately to do this in my related blog comments, Tweeting and so on.

BUT I don't roll like that. For me it's about solidarity and sustainability. And I don't want to single out Bloomberg: As I write this the Portland police are evicting Occupy Portland - wonder how this affects the street cred - or whatever - of the mayor of that city famous for cycling (in the USA context.)

Recently in my gentrifying neighbourhood in Berlin, I complained to a friend and neighbour - he is about 50 and has been active in local politics at a grassroots level and has lived in the same co-op since the 1980's - about all the anti-social cycling that happens in the somewhat traffic-calmed neighbourhood. He passively encourages it, and does not mind if the restored cobblestone pavements (sidewalks) are covered with trash.

He said "We made this neighbourhood so nice that we can't afford to stay in it."

***

Gritting and gnashing my teeth as I leave aside gentrification (!), the "stop & frisk" policy of the New York City Police Department, lack of city support for animal shelters, support of the abusive carriage horse industry, and, connected with Occupy Wall Street, the destruction of a library in public space, arrest and harassment of journalists and pepper spraying of peaceful protesters -- all of which NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is ultimately responsible for, I, like many, appreciate what the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) has recently done for surface transportation safety in NYC, as part of the goals of PlanNYC, created by the Bloomberg administration.

Mike Bloomberg and his partner Diana Taylor, out for the evening, dressed in black. Photo from Business Insider.

Separated bike paths, bike parking, bike share (depending on its yet un-named sponsor) ... good stuff. Bloomberg's "lieutenant" in charge of this, the NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, is popular for good reason. Her personal style is well known, too. She dresses in black, like the night, when riding a bike.

Curious if Sadik-Khan wants a bike with a proper, full chaincase so she doesn't have to keep on begging people for extra rubber bands. Photo by Fred R. Conrad/NY Times.

Last Tuesday NYCDOT introduced a new traffic safety awareness campaign. "Curbside Haiku" is meant to "... draw attention to the critical importance of shared responsibility among pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in keeping New York City’s streets safe."

New skool messaging?

One of the signs - also a woman in black! The signs are small. Very small, so that they won't distract drivers, says Sadik-Khan in the NY Daily News (but then how does the "shared responsibility" of motorists get "attention"?).

Indeed, why is the campaign focused on blaming the victims? It might be because the budget - sourced from drunk-driving fines - was so small that larger driver-focused signs were impossible budget-wise. It could be because this was not very long in planning, and the connection was simply a 2010 New Yorker mention of the artist John Morse's earlier haiku work in Atlanta.

Why is the campaign biased towards owners of smart phones which can read the QR codes? Half of the images will be presented with a QR code only, but perhaps only 1/3 of people walking and cycling in NYC have smart phones.

And now a few more of the signs:

It is not clear if the intention is driver vs. pedestrian here, but if it is, comparing the aggression of a driver and a pedestrian is an absurd non-starter. An aggressive pedestrian might push and shove on the sidewalk, but what can they do (compared) to a driver, let alone a car? An "aggressive pedestrian" is most likely to be injured themselves, or possibly make a cyclist fall, but no chance of doing the same kind of damage as a driver.

The blame the victim thing seems to be artist Morse's thing. In the anti-Sadik-Khan New York Post he says "... think about the fragility of your body. You're just a human. You're nothing against these cars. Poetry underscores the harshness of this reality. That's why it has this power."

This is strange because the NYCDOT seems to recognize this. It is why separated bike paths - the best insurance against cyclist injury and death in a city (and world) where most people are still not prepared to stay or be carfree - are being built in NYC. This makes me think that NYCDOT is confused about how it wants to handle this "power".

Well, Ms. Sadik-Khan, if the bike lane is this dangerous why is it not a separated bike path?

You may have noticed the partners of NYCDOT in "Streetside Haiku". The Safe Streets Fund includes both the Toyota Foundation and the American Automobile Association of NY. While these groups have every right to be involved with driver behaviour, I am not surprised that they support this partial pedestrian and cyclist victim-blaming action. They also support the NYCDOT's free helmet programme, which uses statistics on helmet safety - e.g. "Wearing a [...] helmet reduces the risk of serious head injuries by 80%..." which I believe are quite exaggerated, and then tosses out hyperbole like "...helmets are a good idea for cyclists of all ages..." while - I am sure - never telling parents something like what is in the proposed label at the bottom of this advert.

Confusion within NYCDOT communications, while possibly chronic, is perhaps nothing compared to how its gains in subjective (real) and objective safety are at least partly offset by the dangerously passive behaviour in regards to safety by the NYPD.

The situation is now being investigated by Transportation Alternatives (TA). On Tuesday it "... delivered over 2,500 citizen letters to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly demanding that the NYPD crack down on dangerous driving, and announced a comprehensive probe into how the department handles traffic crash investigations." The press conference video is here.

Stop & frisk is also, obviously, anti-freedom, so it works against the freedom increased by public squares and bicycle infrastructure.

Another Bloomberg "lieutenant", Ray Kelly, in black! He is also quite popular. Some say he is a kind of general to Bloomberg's commander-in-chief. Photo from Brooding Cynyx.

The NY Daily News story mentioned above reported that TA responded to the NYCDOT haiku action with:

Safe street designs. check,

But where is the enforcement?

It's your turn, police.

In the same vein, coverage in The New York Times "City Room" blog, comments were - by request - in the form of haiku. The most popular, by Steve in Brooklyn:

Drivers kill and maim

Hundreds die every year

Police ticket bikes

***

As you can see above Bloomberg (and his partner) plus his two commissioners most directly responsible for safety of NYC's surface transportation wear black often and very likely at night. They - like anyone - should feel free to do so. NYC - and all - drivers following reasonable speed limits should be able to see them. If they cannot see them, it is because they are driving too fast (and that the street might have too fast a speed limit or other designs which prioritize motorized traffic flow over everything else).

***

To be fair to the artist Mr. Morse (and NYCDOT), they did do one image and haiku I really like.

The Downfall of Bike Share in Australia

2011-11-19T15:08:00.001+01:00

http://helmetfreedom.org

Everyone is wearing a helmet, even if they aren't! Two Contests from Nutcase Helmets!

2011-10-31T15:36:00.000+01:00

To celebrate the change in position on mandatory helmet laws from Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), in Oregon, USA, Nutcase Helmets is holding two contests!

As the BTA will start to phase out photos of riders not wearing helmets in all publicity materials. BTA Executive Director Rob Sadowsky said "We've traditionally showcased people with and without helmets. In the future, it will only be riders with helmets."

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

People should send in a digital photo of themselves wearing a Nutcase Helmet. There have to be other - and only - helmeted cyclists in the photo. Whoever has the most helmeted cyclists in a photo wins the contest, and for every photo we receive with more than 10 helmeted cyclists Nutcase will give BTA 100 dollars. Also, it is okay to use Photoshop*.

*http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/03/good-news-from-over-there.html

SLOGAN CONTEST

This requires a bit of explanation: Scientific research provided the impetus for Nutcase's well-known slogan "I Love My Brain". We found out that people - not just cyclists - who do not wear helmets are self-hating, and that their most vicious malice is reserved for their "grey matter". This slogan has served us well by creating divisiveness among lovers and friends -- and we are proud that the magazines we place advertising in and retail outlets which sell our product don't seem to notice that! But we think it may be time for a new slogan to put on our helmets.

There will be two categories: Short slogans and long slogans. Short slogans have to be six words or less. The long ones will not be on the helmets themselves; they will be represented by/linked from a QR code that will be on the outside of every Nutcase Helmet starting in 2012.

Here are some examples of slogans created by our staff:

Short slogans:

"Helmet-Wearers Think"

"Real Cyclists Wear Helmets"

"This Is Not Amsterdam"

"I Am Scared Of Spiders"

Long slogans:

"In the Netherlands, nearly 100% of cyclists killed on the roads aren't wearing helmets!"

"In modern professional cycle racing, nearly 100% of cyclists killed are wearing helmets."

Rejected slogans (staff-members were terminated, also for other activities):

"Think Rationally About Risk"

"I Love My Driving Helmet"**

"Safety Through Infrastructure, Not Armour."

"Proud Victim of Fear Mongering."

See the Nutcase Helmets website for more info.

** Driving is safe

Slow Factory is a proud partner of this initiative for safety and hopes to see you in Vancouver for Velo-city in 2012!

How Do We Please the "American" God of Bike Helmet Compulsion?

2011-08-01T19:05:00.005+02:00

From Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. Helmet imagery everywhere is bad enough, but showing bad fitting is pathetic (and I told them directly and indirectly many times about this photo).

Well, well, well...

You would think that they (Alta Bicycle Share, various govt. officials with the honourable and good intentions of implementing bike share, etc.) would have learned (a lesson in/their lesson in) Melbourne.

Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. is bad enough, seemingly not strictly requiring helmets but limiting liability of the operator if injuries are incurred by helmet-less users (helmets are not required under D.C. law for people old enough to use the bikes) See Section 26 of User Agreement in the previous link and their Safety Page. (This programme is partly funded by taxpayers; one wonders why people who ride collective public transport in D.C. do not have to sign a safety pledge about e.g. proper foot attire.)

Sadly, with the new bike share system in another USA right-coast city which opened last week, it gets worse.

NYC's bike share operator may be decided this month. Whoever the winner, given the high amount of helmet-wearing there, endorsement of helmets by Janette Sadik-Khan and Transportation Alternatives, and general victory of the "Everything is Good" Committee, I would not be surprised if the rules there also mandate helmets.

Draw a Line in the (left-coast Canadian) Sand against Helmetism at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver!

Update - 9:44pm: @BrooklynSpoke Tweeted earlier this evening: "I don't think they will enforce helmet use. Seems like a way for Hubway to cover itself against litigious Americans." - This is clearly the case, but - as I mentioned above - why does collective PT not have the same conditions, and how about just using the pavement (sidewalk)? Compulsion is compulsion.

When someone yells at you from their car...

2011-07-30T14:28:00.004+02:00

from System Comic.

This post inspired by "Road Rage in Holland?" on Workcycles's Bakfiets-en-Meer blog.

Carmageddon!!!

2011-07-14T10:48:00.008+02:00

In El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula this upcoming weekend is something filling the brains of USA drivers (and their dependants) - with the possible exception of some New Yorkers and San Franciscans - with total horror but which I hope is making many others around the world laugh out loud: Carmageddon!

A three-day closure of an important rubber-tyred road vehicle link in Los Angeles. Sigh. I am from the West San Fernando Valley (what was once Owensmouth, then Canoga Park and now West Hills) and from before birth until around age 17 was driven over the hill - along with my older brother - between the Valley and West L.A. thousands of times.

First from my house to the maternal grandparents or the paternal grandma, then also to my dad's after the divorce, then - after a move - from my dad's to where my mom later moved closer to the Sepulveda Pass, which is what the San Diego "Freeway" - or 405 - goes through between these two main parts of L.A..

This was the real horror. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. My mother would come pick us up or my dad would drop us off almost every weekend. This is not quality time. Sitting. Sitting. Sitting. Stuck in traffic. Ugly. Ugliness.

How nice it would have been to go by public transportation. If I remember correctly, my father told me remembers seeing a L.A. streetcar arrive from the Valley with snow on its roof in the pre-Freeway days, must have in the late 1940's.

http://sbb.filepool.ch

Yes... wonderful to do something a bit more constructive than sit strapped up over the years on the red vinyl seats of my mom's Volvo, the gray fabric seats of my father's Volvo, the synthetic something or other seats of my mom's Oldsmobile, and some VW's, a Ford, a Chevy plus whatever my grandfather drove.

http://sbb.filepool.ch

The great news is that after this final stage of construction the new regional railway vehicles over the Pass will have playrooms for children, similar to above.

And then I woke up to reality.

SkirtGate & What happens at a Cycle Chic Bloggers' Conference?

2011-06-19T17:08:00.008+02:00

Last things first. This guy seemed to have written that it was invite-only, but that was probably just cheekiness and then I DID receive a Facebook invite from a Catalonian. I did not go and am wondering what happened. We should know soon enough through the regular channels but here are my guesses:

* Building on their Manifesto, deciding punishments for activities such as illegal use of the trademarked Cycle Chic name and typeface;
* Teaching newbie Cycle Chiclets and the male version, Chucklets, about why identifying as a "cyclist" is a no-no but proclaiming that one is a "citizen cyclist" should be encouraged;
* Deciding on the minimum-quality body suitable for pixelation;
* Establishing rules on only photographing women on bikes from behind.

I am sure the story of Jasmijn Rijcken - the short-skirted Dutch woman on a bike stopped by a cop in NYC - came up repeatedly. As various people from this non-sub-culture proclaimed this

"Puritanism", and, more specifically....

... called the cop "Taliban-esque", I would guess that they are planning a short-skirt flash mob Citizen Cyclist tour in villages in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Or indeed in Saudi Arabia. I wish them luck with that.

But seriously....

In a follow-up to the Streetsblog entry mentioning Saudi Arabia, there is a discussion of this was a hoax or not -- some kind of viral marketing. In this entry Noah Kazis concludes that there is not, but others - sorry, no reference for it - think it is. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between: Rijcken was cycling innocently as pictured, did get harassed by some primitive, sexist police officer and then only later on did she and colleagues decide to make the most out of it.

There are plenty of difficult barriers for women to do any kind of cycling, and fashion - whether individual, or branded, globalized and trademarked - should not be another one. Cycle Chic (TM) and cycle chic are both great and fun, but my suggestion for the people involved in e.g. a related solidarity ride is to not just look in the mirror, but consider more good ways to use their wheeled, sartorial power to re-clothe the actual city streets in a fashion that directly addresses the needs of all women, or everyone.

The Ultimate Bike Helmet-related Letter to the Editor

2011-05-11T23:39:00.001+02:00

OK, just kidding (sort of). The May/June 2011 Momentum magazine features "The Helmet Debate" by Elly Blue (four pages long), as well as two bike helmet buying guides, a separate short helmet review, a full-page helmet ad, a contest with a helmet as a prize, lots of nice photos of both helmeted and unhelmeted cyclists and also several letters regarding helmets, which were submitted in response to a request in the March/April issue. They printed/posted a short letter of mine. Following is the longer version from which it was excerpted (I sent it at the end of March and tonight I added some additional paragraphs).

Dear Editor,

Very detailed information related to your question of mandatory cycling helmets has been done by the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation. Beyond that, I am quite interested in the imagery of helmetism, i.e. how promotion and compulsion of cycling helmets are, perhaps, closer cousins then we think:

To start, nearly all urban cycling promotion organizations suggest that helmets are safer and implying or explicitly state that you are smart to wear one. This includes both the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Transportation Alternatives (NYC), the latter with their Biking Rules project, which irritatingly conflates their recommendations of helmets with laws for cycling. An exception is C.I.C.L.E, from Los Angeles, which had what I would call a very pro-choice helmets page, with simple, objective information and links (including to the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation). (Just added: That link is dead now, the C.I.C.L.E. website is in the midst of a re-design and the only new helmet link is typical of most other bike orgs. Will update if it changes back. Sigh).

Consider that most of the other local organization's publications and websites have helmet imagery which might support the view of the organization which created the page but often does not reflect the real helmet-wearing rate in their area and this is worse if the photos are more general, i.e. of how cycling looks in the city they work in.

I believe a good solution for that would be to determine roughly what helmet-wearing rates are and pick and commission photos of helmeted and unhelmeted cyclists to accurately reflect that.

Beyond that, cyclist pictograms in e.g. bike lanes in USA cities without mandatory helmet laws have helmets! As an illustration of a consistent approach to compulsion via promotional bombardment: Washington D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare website has a cyclist with a poorly-adjusted and thus useless helmet. And this from the company which runs that scheme. And that company's president. (I like much of what Alta does but just want to make a point about how helmet promotion can be both directly and indirectly connected with various initiatives.)

Added tonight: Capital Bikeshare sounds successful from all reports I have seen, however I am curious if all members have read the fine print in the contract, which requires them to sign a safety pledge (i.e. to agree to abide by recommendations on the safety page of the website, which of course includes wearing a helmet.) In addition, the contract says that Alta Bikeshare is "...not liable for any claim including those that arise from or relate to [...] failure to wear a bicycle helmet while using a Capital Bikeshare bicycle...".

What I find most troubling with all this is that while Washington D.C.'s helmet law only applies to children under age 16, users of Capital Bikeshare have to be 16 or over. The system is funded in part by taxpayers through Federal and local funds and because of this and also its design function it's a form of public transport. So while the D.C. government does not require helmet-wearing for people eligible to use Capital Bikeshare users via its democratically-created laws, it does require it via membership contracts for this system which it supports financially.

Perhaps someone with better legal knowledge can enlighten me about why there is not something peculiar about this.

On the other hand, B-Cycle - and I mention them because at this moment they and Alta Bikeshare are finalists in getting the NYC bike share gig - makes no mention of helmets in their membership page (at least in this one for Denver -- there is no statewide helmet law in Colorado for anyone). But to be fair to Alta, I assume there are other contracts in the USA which are similar to theirs, though I do know they will be doing something similar with their new operation in Boston.

At some point formal helmet compulsion becomes unnecessary when there is a never-ending barage of helmet imagery. (I am arguing that it does not matter if an org. which strongly promotes helmets say that they are also against laws to mandate it.) If people only see helmeted cyclists, they might not even ask if it is required to wear them or not. They will just assume so. I know that recently in NYC a police officer gave a ticket to an adult cyclist for not wearing a helmet, when actually there is no requirement to wear one, unless the cyclist is doing commercial activity. That is how crazy this gets. It might also be useful to compare how even a majority of opinions against mandatory cycling helmets in response to your query can compete against not just helmet company advertisements in Momentum, but all the other likely ads which have helmeted cyclists in them.

Finally, consider something else: If a serving politician promoted driving helmets they would be voted out of office (If they were running for election they would never win). Another: This is an issue of personal freedom, since helmet wearing - or not - only affects its user, and parents should be able to decide this for their children for the same reason. And one more: Required labels inside helmets do not clearly state under what kinds of crashes are simulated in helmet testing and their marketing is even less precise. I have a suggestion for this.

My accepted abstract for the last Velo-city in Seville, Spain, "Helmetism & Hyper-illumination" provides further information and references. I have a Facebook Page on the subject focused on Velo-city in Vancouver next year.

Kind regards,
Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory
Berlin, Germany

Decade of Action for Road Safety: We are all "Steve"?

2011-05-11T12:48:00.130+02:00

Today starts the "Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020", a collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners. The "Wear. Believe. Act" website, which is the official page of the campaign, is hosted by the FIA Foundation, which also supports the campaign's "Road Safety Fund". The Road Safety Fund - a legally distinct UK charity - is co-chaired by the Director General of the FIA Foundation (FIAf - the reason for the little "f" will become self-evident shortly). Confused? Well, anyway, before I mention the graphic above, I will explain why I have not included a link to FIAf: This is because none of the pages above link to FIAf, or - I really did look around - describe what it is.

FIAf "... established in 2001 with a donation of $300 million made by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the non-profit federation of motoring organisations and the governing body of world motor sport..." which came from - "well, finally!", you might be thinking - this link.

This partial obfuscation - intentional or not - on the rather professionally-done "Wear. Believe. Act" website - oh, and by the way the first WHO website mentioned above is supported by the World Bank - is consistent with the video which is the source of the graphic above.

The video is produced by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), another partner of WHO. (The link to IFRC on the "Wear..." links page is dead), in support of the launch of the Decade of Action.

The video "...aims to give the viewers a different perspective on road safety by focusing on the hidden danger on the roads...". It is worth noting, first and foremost, that the video makes clear in gross terms that there are over 1.3 million annual road deaths, a statistic many carfree campaigners started to spread years ago.

So, when I first watched this I was pleased that that was mentioned (and it is included on the "Wear..." website, if less prominently).

The problem then is that the video goes completely and ridiculously overboard in two ways, the first I describe might not be intentional but the second definitely is.

Firstly, the reaction of fellow blogger David Hembrow to the video was "WTF was that all about ? All I know is that I'm now very very scared indeed, and am wondering if a Hummer would maximize my safety on the streets. I think they somewhat missed the point of their own message - i.e. that cars kill the majority of those 1.3 million people per year." This is so overwhelming it could just get people to turn off (and indeed the video suggests no solutions, just a link to the campaign website). In any case, this provides a segue to the second point, which is that the video says "we" created this system, and thus that we are all "Steve" (the sole character in the video, in multiple roles).

This is of course rabidly irresponsible, and - as my blogger friend says - misses the point about cars. By homogenizing responsibility, the message totally overlooks the fact the majority of victims are poor and in the Global South, the majority of beneficiaries in terms of ownership of companies is in the North, most people in the Global South do not have cars and are rarely in cars, that children cannot vote in elections and of course that a great many people in the Global South do note vote in free and fair elections (the last two points showing how creation of the system has been anything but democratic).

Now, back to the "Decade of Action..." - in the end of the video you will see that Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) is another partner (and they are supported financially from the get-go by Michelin).

The campaign mentions nothing - at least I could not find anything obvious on the website which is as far as the average person will go - about emissions or other direct or indirect effects of automobile dependency, from obesity to urban sprawl. Emissions is something that WHO deals with, as in obesity, so why are things not mentioned in the goals of the "Decade of Action..."?

In this clip, from BBC4 radio, the interviewer does her best with a good intervention with Lord Robertson, chairman of the Decade of Action for Road Safety, but at the end an essential fact is not joined up. (Robertson does everything to avoid it, a truly shameful and ultimately murderous act of deceit.) Can you hear what is missing?

That interview includes words by Ian Roberts, who paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2007 writing about the establishment of the GRSP - questions if Formula One racing (as a symbol, but it is also the raison d'être of FIA) can really be responsible for public health and proposes that "...it is time to establish a truly independent Commission for Global Road Safety that will put the daily toll of 3,000 road deaths before any commercial concerns."

***

Related:

A 2009 article in the Road Danger Reduction Forum, based in the UK, serves as a good introduction to John Adams's fine work on seatbelts. The RDRF also today issued a press release about the launch of the "Decade..." (apparently Formula One race drivers are visiting 10 Downing St.)

Amend, based in NYC, supported by the FIA Foundation and with programmes in Ghana and Tanzania, has a poster for its "See and Be Seen" initiative:

(click on image to enlarge)

On the other hand, children in many cities in the North (and NYC) are now being told to play in the road, albeit a road calmed by various methods or philosophies. Do children in the Global South deserve less? Of course not... so do Amend and similar orgs. think that this "Don't play in the street!" warning from 1960's to 1990's era mothers (and fathers) is somehow the most relevant communication, i.e. enshrining - for a time - countries in Africa and elsewhere to this stage in transport development? Once automobilization gets established is it really hard to eradicate, as we in the North know so well, so why don't we help the Global South leapfrog to the next stage? (If FIA was supporing anti-malaria programmes there would be posters telling children to seal themselves in plastic bags.)

Seville: "Great is the enemy of good"

2011-03-24T17:39:00.009+01:00

The People for Bikes website has a nice, short article about the recent very rapid increase in cycling mode share in Seville, Andalusia (Spain), location of the Velo-city cycling conference which ends tomorrow. The separated cycling infrastructure - Seville was awarded the UN Habitat Best Practice Award for it's creation - was cited as the main reason for this.

The bike mode share is about 7%. What is the breakdown regarding gender, age and income level?

I am also curious about this excerpt:

“Great is the enemy of good.” The city’s infrastructure emphasizes network connectivity, not perfection. It’s far from the polished bikeways of Northern Europe, but the protected bikeways of Seville are safe, convenient and get you where you need to go without interruption.

First of all, I am happy to find out that most bike space was taken from car space.

But I don't understand how bike space taken from pedestrian space can be compensated elsewhere. After all, it's not like carbon and e.g. trees -- and how do pedestrians move in these spaces after losing space? Of course it is just political.

What is the lack of "perfection"? I would guess that the writer from People for Bikes was referring to what a Catalonian mobility consultant told me about: The two-way paths such as the one in the photo above - and this seems to be the most common design - which are narrow (two wider cargo/child-carrying bikes passing would need to veer into other space if available and of course if people are allowed to/want to ride side-by-side it is dangerous and/or illegal and one would constantly need to accelerate in front of or drop behind their travel partner.)

Certainly this lack of perfection - and conditions are certainly not perfect in many Northern European towns or even the best of them - is less important if unwarranted by the great but still low 7% mode share - but what if demand increases further? Will there be enough pressure to, for example, make double lanes single and a counterpart added to the other side of the street? The example photo in the linked article has a two-way on a one-way street which looks a 3- or 4-lane motorized traffic canal with parking removed on one side for the bike stuff.

And regarding "without interruption" I would like to see an example of major crossroads. Hopefully some colleagues and others who are there can fill us in.

Last but certainly not least, do the citizens of Seville deserve less than people in Amsterdam, Copenhagen etc. ? Certainly not, and regarding budgets and politics the very important question that needs to be made is if infrastructure for motor vehicles is just as far from perfection there.

From what I have read and heard there are other things which help make Seville great. It is certainly always a bit nicer to cycle in the sunshine with a good meal of fresh food at the end of your journey.

Rita Hayworth's father is from Seville (from Rides a Bike).

Don't we want honest labeling on bicycle helmets?

2011-03-23T06:49:00.021+01:00

(Please click on image for full effect. The original advertisement is used for visualization purposes only. Nutcase, Inc. is not connected with Green Idea Factory.)

Bike helmets are getting more colourful these days. Perhaps they are also better designed, but the fact remains that they are not designed for typical crashes between a cyclist and a motor vehicle, when the latter is operating at typical speeds (above 30 km/h or 20 mph). They are tested to simulate a cyclist falling without the involvement of a motor vehicle, and very slowly, at less than 15 mph.

I would bet, however, than most bike helmet users do think they are tested and make a big difference in a crash with a car. It is clear that helmet producers are not interested in pro-actively communicating information about this design limitation to their customers.

I am pro-choice on helmets, for helmet freedom, and if wearing a helmet gets you on a bike that's great, but correct information is just as important as subjective safety.

If you are interested in helping research what helmet users really think, and pressuring the helmet producers to help create more honest labeling and marketing, please comment here or write me at edelman(at)greenidea.eu.

***

For more information on bicycle helmets see the website of the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation.

To join the Facebook (Fan) Page "No Mandatory Bike Helmets at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver" click here.

You are free to download this image, print and distribute. You may also download a smaller PDF (should print okay in A4 or 8.5 x 11 with white borders) at this link.

Non-profit pro-helmet group in Canada sponsored by automobile producer

2010-12-08T20:52:00.005+01:00

In September 2010 Prohab organised some kind of helmet-themed art show, and in a subsequent entry in their blog they thanked this sponsor for their support of the show.

In a related video, the (presumably) staff of Profab pilot "borrowed" samples of sponsor's product in order to show how they could avoid obstacles in a modern city.

p.s. Also related.

***

Join "No Mandatory Helmets at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver" on Facebook.

The Conditional Surrender

2010-11-22T04:18:00.009+01:00

Traffic congestion in the Dutch capital, including a Prius and a bunch of brand new cars. From The Hamperium.

A video from Mark Wagenbuur in the latest post at Copenhagenize is an extremely dangerous (way to talk about) history. Please watch it before proceeding.

First of all, in response to Mikael Colville-Andersen's brief comment, a comparison of the situation which "vehicular cyclists" deal with (and perhaps enable to some extent) with that in the Netherlands leaves out at least one alternative...

I love what Mark Wagenbuur does. Many videos on his You Tube Channel are also on the excellent A View From the Cycle Path (this a direct link to a post with another great Wagenbuur video), often accompanied by interesting comments.

The not-recent history of surface transport in the Netherlands is mostly new to me (and I appreciate this very much). The problem in the story starts with railways, which - relatively-speaking - introduce a kind of precursor to or early-stage hypermobility to the country. Trains, like trams, increased the distances between destinations, making speed necessary to compete, and thus addictive. But until various decades in the first half of the 20th century this still kept cycling popular and/or dominant.

The fatal error came - as the video shows, but with a different take on it - when cities introduced a design style from the countryside. It seems that this was not seen as a fatal error by enough people at the time: Either there were three options in the cities (i.e. keep streets the way they are OR separation for cyclists OR keep the motorized vehicles out) or just the first two. The video does not make clear exactly who made the decision. Were people predicting the situation about 50 years later in the 1960's (my understanding is that this was the nadir of cycling in the NL as well as in Denmark)? If so, were their voices ignored? If there were not many voices - and so not three choices - it is fair to say that this was bad and wrong, but we must also appreciate everything which has been done to fight back (very much including the new design elements in the video which I provide the link to in the Hembrow blog).

So, these days, when at its best cycling modal share is about 50% (as it is Groningen in the north of NL) and innermost parts of Amsterdam, Copenhagen etc.) is the glass half-full or half-empty? This beverage also contains collective public transport (nearly and chronically ignored in some cycle-cheerleading), but what if the non-PT and walking split is half private automobiles and half bicycles? Should we be half-happy or half-sad? (re: cheerleading, notice how that story does not mention collective PT?) It depends on who is writing or showing the history, yes? Indeed, could the private automobile lobby show a video on their You Tube channel, boasting about how they have managed to hold on to a huge modal share despite all the traffic jams, parking costs, "green" and health issues?

Cycling in the Netherlands is great - safer, etc. than here in Germany, where the separation model has been used often at the expensive of pedestrians - but I don't think it is accurate to say that the bicycle has "won" there (as someone told me recently). It is more truthful - and more objective - to say that the car has had a (very) conditional surrender (I am reminded also of something my father told me: During WWII - my Slovak father was a tween/teen at the time - the German radio referred to everything post-Stalingrad as a "strategic withdrawal").

Still, there is news which we can agree is good and which deserves strong praise: The bikes move faster than motor vehicles much of the time on separated paths in cities when the motorised lanes are congested, so actually these paths can more positively be called "mobility express lanes" (not just "bicycle highways")! But at the same time there are still a very high number of people trapped in their cars, and they are not the only ones who are suffering. Noise and gas/particle emissions still exceed allowed limits in parts of the Netherlands (and Denmark, and of course in many other European countries), and this hurts everyone.

Looking back over 100 years it is perhaps easy to condemn a decision, or how it was made, or indeed if anyone cared, but allowing (especially private) motor vehicles (which kill on contact at only half of their design speed) inside cities was a mistake, and is proving a very, very difficult one to correct.

Melbourne Bike Share: Helmet dispensers, but no one to help adjust fit

2010-11-04T10:32:00.019+01:00

Are 7-Eleven employees in Melbourne trained to fit bike helmets?

The State of Victoria, Australia, requires all cyclists to wear helmets. This reduces the chance to use Melbourne Bike Share spontaneously, a problem its operators are trying to solve by making helmets available near this 3rd Generation system's docking stations.

As I saw on the Bike-sharing Blog, 7-Elevens in Melbourne now have bicycle helmet dispensers. It is well-known that helmets have to fit properly with straps adjusted in order to fulfil levels of protection promoted by helmet advocates. The Melbourne Bike Share website - copying regulations for the State of Victoria - says:

"Bike Helmets - The rider of a bicycle must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on their head."

"Securely fitted" seems to very clearly mean expertise is needed, either from personal experience, or from an experienced friend, or of course (as the default) from the staff in the establishment selling the helmet*.

I found nothing on the Melbourne Bike Share website to indicate that any help is available from 7-Eleven staff. The vending machine (see photo) has clearly indicated large and medium sizes (perhaps the small size is hiding) and some text with the title "How to Ensure a Proper Fit", but without graphics. 7-Eleven issued a press release on 13 October which seems to indicate a lack of understanding of the importance of helmet fit:

“7-Eleven makes every effort to stock what you want, where and when you want it. Just as you might pick up your bottle of water, sunscreen and snacks for your picnic, now you can pick up a helmet for a bike ride along some of Melbourne’s scenic parks.” - from Julie Laycock, 7-Eleven Head of Marketing.

Click to enlarge the photo, which is from Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C. I am not certain if everyone involved understands how helmets are supposed to fit. (Where do all these cyclists in the photos on the website keep their helmets or is this wishful thinking?).

A poor-fitting helmet can increase injury even more than other inherent design faults of a bicycle helmet (such as rotational issues, often discussed in helmut forums). So if a poorly-fitting helmet increases the injuries to a Melbourne Bike Share user, who is liable? Who is responsible?

Also, it is my understanding that when not being worn a helmet is vulnerable (e.g. just hanging on a backpack) as it is designed to have strength in aggregate with a skull. Perhaps this can be explained in an analogy of a large ship in water, and what happens if it a large part of it leaves the water. I may be wrong about this.

If anyone can provide some answers or thoughts it would be appreciated.

- T

*Certainly, mail order helmets can create the same issues, and of course mail order can also create problems in bike fit which can terminate an interest in cycling... but as we all know the bicycle manufacturers in general prioritize selling stuff over creating more cycling.

** If you're on Facebook, please considering joining a related initiative.

The Amazing and Fashionable Airbag Bike Helmet

2010-10-20T16:07:00.008+02:00

image from Urban Dictionary.com

OK. This is so terrible that we should waste as little time as possible on it. A crew from Malmö, Sweden at the design firm Hövding has created what Treehugger calls an "airbag for your head". It normally sits around your neck as a huge, stupid, puffy, totally impractical collar. See also Bike Snob's take on it, this and David Report.

Is there some international police force, Interpol, etc., someone at the UN who can go make a visit - here is their address - and arrest them for this total garbage? A citizen's arrest, even? OK, like I said, can't take more time with this... thanks for your cooperation.

Suspects

See more on bicycle helmets here. I am pro-choice on helmets, and generally refer to the position of the great CICLE from Los Angeles - my home town! - on this subject.

** If you're on Facebook, please considering joining a related initiative.

Don't Believe the Hype-rillumination

2010-09-12T10:01:00.084+02:00

Cycling is generally very safe.

For celebrations on a "bike theme" or not, certain special events etc. the MonkeyLectric Bike Wheel Light is lovely and wonderful, but it represents an extreme version of what I call "Hyper-illumination" creating both acute (at the moment of use) and chronic (cultural) danger for other vulnerable road users (VRU's, both pedestrians and cyclists), even those - only in the case of cyclists, of course - who are legally illuminated.

Less extreme Hyper-illumination includes reflective vests (which should only be worn by emergency or construction workers or related), reflective jackets, an excessive number of normal lights or reflectors, projections of bike paths around cyclists, or even "bright clothing at night" which many authorities and organizations recommend, also for pedestrians.

Fundamentalist hyper-illumination is exemplified by having the stoker on a tandem carry a torch or flare gun, or getting the air force or army to clear your path with napalm or phosphorous.

Acute Hyper-illumination means visually-obscuring other VRU's in immediate proximity, in other words making the eyes of drivers of motor vehicles adjust to the brightest thing, which means they can't see the darker stuff (and pedestrians can wear all the black they want).

Chronic Hyper-illumination is obscuring over time and in relation to place, i.e. it relates to learned behaviour. This means that when a driver becomes accustomed to a lot of VRU's being hyper-illuminated, they will not look for normally-illuminated VRU's elsewhere.

Something both Acute and Chronic relates more to cyclist-pedestrian interactions: A cyclist with no lights and only some passive hyper-illumination device such as a reflective vest may think that they are visible to pedestrians, but they are generally not more than normally because their vest is designed with car headlights in mind.

If you agree with me on this take on things I hope you also agree that its use for commercial advertising purposes should be illegal, or least very expensive. I would not go as far to say they should be illegal for non-commercial use at any time, but this is only because bikes should just be as close as possible to wheels attached to your feet, with things like "rider's licenses" never necessary.

There are slightly less extreme hyper-illumination devices than the MonkeyLectric, such as The Down Low Glow (and I really like other Fossil Fool inventions) which to its credit seems to intentionally exclude the "unique advertising opportunity" thing. This website mentions "...cyclists feel safer..." and subjective safety is important as long as it is not at least out of balance with objective safety. It would be good to know if The Down Low actually makes things safer compared with bikes with typical, legal lighting.

These things could be useful for community police bikes, ambulance bikes or perhaps - if modified to be tamper-proof - as part of a theft-deterrent/triggered visible alarm feature. Even if they are fun (and obviously people have to purchase and install them) they distract from efforts for the promotion and implementation measures which make travel safer for ALL vulnerable road users: Slower speeds, less cars or obviously no cars, default liability for drivers and perhaps making cars softer (unless it causes risk compensation such as anti-lock brakes).

I would also be curious if cars tend to be driven closer to Hyper-illuminated VRU's.

Interestingly, the MonkeyLectric has dealers in many places, also in Europe. But not in the Netherlands, the safest place to ride in Europe (not perfect, to be very clear. No one should ever let the Dutch slack). Coincidence? Well, at this point the typical response is "... when our city is as safe as Amsterdam we will not need this stuff...". So the question is does having this stuff really move things forward towards an Amsterdam (or Dutch) level of safety?

I think the answer is no.

Updates:
* Another related attempt at a solution here, a backpack with turning and other signals. That the signals are not quite standardized might not be an issue, but having HUGE removable lighting certainly is! When it comes to normal city cycling, fixed front and rear (hub) generator lights, basic reflectors and proper turn signals with eye contact are really all that is necessary, right?)

* Continuing on in this Fall of Fear, this Autumn of Angst, see the continued rash of useless garbage cruising for a landfill in Treehugger.

* Bike Snob calls the video "Let's Get Visible" by Momentum magazine and partners the "worst PSA" he has ever seen. It features products from MonkeyLectric and Lazer helmets. See it here on "No Mandatory Helmets at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver" on Facebook.
* I also recently had an exchange with FIAB (the Italian Cyclist's Federation) about this issue. They promoted hi-viz vests (tunics, really) starting early this year and I question the connection to the more recently implemented national law in Italy requiring the wearing of vests outside of urban areas and in tunnels (France and Hungary have a similar law. The European Commission has a guide to helmet and vest laws in member states, but some of the information regarding helmets is incorrect).
* In November the UK Guardian ran an article about bike lighting. The comments are full of dozens of guys shamelessly comparing the size of their lumens.

http://www.elevengear.com/trafficmaster.html

Thanks to Workcycles for showing me the light.

Related (26 April 2011): London cabbie launches 'Lightmare' campaign against menace of HID headlights

Related: Please "Like" "No Mandatory Bike Helmets at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver" on Facebook!!

Ring My Bell

2010-08-27T07:53:00.005+02:00

Oh, I am sure the birds will love that nonsense. Further explanation necessary can be found on Treehugger.

But really, isn't something both universally-recognized and thus powerful all that is necessary, even on a motorized conveyance? Could be simulated or not. Found that here.

Or is a very low-frequency warning actually necessary? This system does not seem to go too low... are they testing it with hearing-impaired persons, who can... feel the bass?

Speaking of dancing and older machines being more appropriate, here is some music for you.

Bottom line is that users of faster vehicles in both good and worse mixed-traffic situations (in Japanese cities cyclists generally have to share pavements with pedestrians) must never assume that they are noticed until they get the necessary body language. In Berlin many cyclists riding on pavements (generally illegal) who approach from behind communicate not a thing....

Does your street have special bike clothing?

2010-07-01T10:21:00.038+02:00

This is the first of at least two parts about defining "streets".

Mikael Colville-Andersen from Cycle Chic travels to Dublin as part of events held by the Danish Cycling Embassy in the capital of Ireland. Looked like lots of chic-y fun. About the same times on it's sister blog, Mikael - the analyst-provacateur - comes down hard on "Vehicular Cycling" and gets lots of reactions (best to read that first before you continue here).

As always "infrastructure" is mentioned as something necessary for lots of cycling.

But was this always the case for Dublin...

Vehicular cycling in Dublin, 1961. Photo courtesy www.copenhagenize.com (Mikael). A great photo he has used more than once to show how popular cycling used to be in Dublin and how it could be again.

Or in other cities?

Vehicular cycling in Copenhagen, c. 1950s. Photo courtesy www.copenhagenize.com. Even if this is not literally Vehicular Cycling - if the cyclists have some XXXL bike lane - they so dominate the road that any cars would need separated facilities to protect them from the cyclists!

With all due respect, am I missing something here? Why does Mikael use two examples of what is - more or less - vehicular cycling - with a small "v" and a small "c" to show that separated infrastructure is needed?

I feel very safe cycling in Copenhagen and Amsterdam and so on. The authorities, designers, advocates and activists do a great job. I am not arguing for VC in these cities under current conditions (primarily too high speeds). Perhaps the whole frame for this discussion is a little off, so I want to suggest alternative definitions of the two ways bikes and cars are dealt with in cities:

Vehicular Cycling: In its pure sense, this follows a serious underestimation of the subjective and objective danger cyclists feel towards drivers.

Separated infrastructure: While definitely better in encouraging a higher modal share of cycling, it is the result of accepting that heavy, privately-used vehicles traveling at 50 km/h (30 mph) or higher are necessary, or inevitable, in built-up areas.

A few years back - if I remember correctly - many cyclists in Dublin protested the plans for separated infrastructure, and it seems like they lost.

So... is separated infrastructure special bike clothing? Are bike paths helmets? Mikael and many others in the "Cycle Chic" movement have fantastically shown that people can wear whatever they want - or as nice as they want - whilst cycling, but how come this logic does not carry over into how the streets themselves are adorned?

What kind of street do you live on? How is it clothed?

"Freedom Muffins!!" - USA government, aided by automobile industry, prepares attack on UK

2010-06-16T11:46:00.013+02:00

The U.S. Department of State held a surprise press conference in Detroit late on Tuesday evening to announce that it would launch a pre-emptive strike on the UK on the Fourth of July of this year, the 234th anniversary of the USA's automobile-enabled victorious revolution against British rule.

At the press conference, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that English muffins would now be called "Freedom Muffins" The spokesperson for Google, the owner of You Tube, introduced a short video which it said it would help go viral.

The spokesperson for Chrysler-owned Dodge said that the video would speak for itself.

The USA ambassador to the UK, Louis B. Susman, was summoned to 10 Downing Street. But the ambassador instead went to a T.G.I.Friday's restaurant in London, where he was joined by a large, patriotic crowd of armed "American" expats, who robbed journalists of their equipment, thus ending reporting at the scene.

Sources later reported that the Yankee mob later moved throughout the UK capital, leaving armed men and women at key Italian government entities and businesses, which they pledged to protect, due to Fiat's minority ownership of Chrysler.

(Please also see this related story)

Sailing safer than driving?

2010-06-14T16:58:00.016+02:00

Probably many readers know the story about Abby Sutherland, a 17 year old "American" who just got rescued from her boat the "Wild Eyes" in the Indian Ocean. Earlier, she was trying to become the youngest circumnavigator of the planet, but she had some problems earlier near South Africa or something, which somehow disqualified her, but she decided to continue the voyage.

Of course, billions - including sailing experts - are complaining about this, some saying it is child abuse.

So, the first question to ask is how safe are different types of boating? Quite obviously - so obvious that I will not provide a reference link - the two best things to do are to wear a life vest and take classes. However, the unavoidable still happens, so probably the best thing to do is to not mix sailing and war. (Once when I went sailing --- okay at the risk of sounding unadventurous or poor, I will state more accurately: the one time I went sailing was in Long Beach harbour in 1982. At the time the USS New Jersey was being retrofitted there, destined for subsequent service in the Lebanese Civil War.). In other regards, well, think about it, boats have huge permanently-installed airbags in-between them called "water". Boats for the most part do not have brakes -- this also means that they are safer, because if you don't have brakes you don't need them.

On the other hand, cars are relatively much more dangerous, whether you are drinking sea water, milk or caffeinated drinks, and slightly more if you are drinking alcohol.

But comparing boating to driving? Perhaps traveling on the Congo River vs. driving a car (are there equivalent roads?) is possible. If someone can do it, I will make a link to it here.

In the meantime, I will start to end this voyage with a quote by Abby Sutherland's father, taken from the UK Guardian:

"I never questioned my decision in letting her go. In this day and age we get overprotective with our children," Laurence Sunderland said. "Look at how many teenagers die in cars every year. Should we let teenagers drive cars? I think it'd be silly if we didn't."

In closing, while I would support driving age and voting age being the same in USA, I think a great supporting measure would be massive investment in ocean and fresh water boating for transport (and e.g. floating "boat ins" for movies) and not just de-paving of the roads of the world, but their transformation into canals.

"Unmanned Commercial Flights Could Become A Reality"

2010-06-13T14:04:00.008+02:00

Ha ha ha, I sometimes cannot believe the crap they spend our money on.

From PSFK: "The US Federal Aviation Administration is undertaking a research project to explore the possibilities of pilotless commercial flights. The project is part of its NextGen initiative which is aimed at modernizing the country’s flight infrastructure."

At first all lifts had an operator, now almost none do and no one questions it. Driver-less metros have been operating for some time in many places and are said to have improved things by reducing operator errors, but they operate on a track, in two dimensions.

Are there plans for captain-less boats and ships? Or riderless bicycles?

Better might be unmanned, virtual reality flights :-) or at the very least, flying only when there is no convivial land transport option.

While some military investments trickle down into civilian technology (well, often not "civil", per se...), I wonder if this is a kind of trickle-up thing, and The They Corporation wants to use this tech to fly huge bombers long distances. In other words, indirect military budgeting.

Staying on the science fiction theme, 35 years ago the movie Airport '75 showed (taught) us how a justifiably crazed flight attendant could guide a jumbo jet with damaged controls through the Rocky Mountains, with no training, a bad radio connection and a joy stick. More recently, a group of better trained persons were said to have flown several normally-operating commercial airliners into high value targets in the eastern United States.

Image of Karen Black from Cinema de Merde

Se beber, não ande de bibicleta e nem a empurre

2010-06-11T11:47:00.005+02:00

From AMOBIK E, this video has two titles: The one above says "Drunk pushing a bicycle" and in the video itself it says "Drunk on the Road."

In scenes like this one of the first things I notice is the reaction of passersby. In this case, first another cyclist seems to have some concern, but perhaps it is only because he notices that this is being recorded.

But after the guy collapsed my strong assumption was that the first car would not stop... and I was happy it did: Perhaps readers could share experiences of the same or opposite... or if as a cyclist they have helped a driver. As always, the videographer's lack of intervention should be questioned.

The Netherlands: "Volvo introduces helmet to protect against Volvos"

2010-06-09T14:42:00.035+02:00

Couldn't possibly think of something better, so I took the title for this entry from the latest at Bakfiets-n-Meer, from Henry Cutler of Workcycles in Amsterdam. (Cartoon by Wulff Morgenthaler via Copenhagenize).

Volvo Cars is promoting bicycle helmet use for Dutch children.

Very sad, the Cult of Dangerization which has its object and lead symbol the styrosafetycap, is infecting one of the best practice national examples of both urban and rural cycling, ever, in the entire universe: the Netherlands. That the Ford Motor Company-owned Volvo Cars is behind it is not surprising, but also sickening. It is perhaps also ironic this campaign will very likely continue after the completion of the sale of Volvo Cars to Geely Automobile, based in China.

Up until recently these activities were focused on the south or southwest of the country, but the virus is creeping northwards, as the Volvo Cars project was focused on Amstelveen, a suburb of Amsterdam. They are targeting the kids with parents who travel to Amsterdam daily or quite frequently for work or pleasure.

So check out that new entry in Henry's Blog as it also leads to other related good places... I first heard about this new campaign in a short article in Bike Europe, which takes some info from the press release Henry refers to his Blog.

The article ends with some words by the marketing director of Volvo Cars Netherlands: “It’s important for the helmet to also withstand an accident caused by a third party, as such accidents are usually linked with high speeds and extreme impact situations. This is a crucial breakthrough in the current thinking about bicycle helmets.”

Ha. The "also" he refers to is the product he is promoting, and I think the illustration above shows how helmets deal with the "accidents" which he refers to.

But before that the article also notes that this give-away is controversial: "Volvo’s activity in this field gets a lot of flak as it would make people afraid of cycling. Critics say that Volvo should make their new pedestrian safety detection system standard on each car, instead of offering it as an option on just one model the Volvo S60. Handing out free helmets for kids was received with skepticism and seen as the next step of the automobile industry to get a bicycle helmet mandatory. Experience in countries like Australia has shown that mandatory helmet laws only results in a reduction of cyclists."

As I mentioned to a new friend in the Netherlands, pro-choice (or anti-) helmet forces are still in the lead.... so, what to do? Provinces take the lead in communication, but laws are national, so let's hope that today's election does not lead us to the right, or more specifically the wrong side of helmet regulations.

Further, we need our own pro-choice helmet campaign, perhaps loosely inspired by this, something which makes me proud of the looser end of corporate media in the USA (For some details on that Photoshop hack job please also see here).

For those fortunate enough to be able to attend Velo-City in Copenhagen, near the end of this month, I hope at least some brain-storming can be accomplished, as conference co-organiser ECF is focused on the helmet issue.

Perhaps one point which could be addressed is the conference's co-main sponsorship by Clear Channel, which has done some nice things for cycling in places like Barcelona, but also works extensively and intensively with the automobile industry in advertising and facilitating the function of its products. (No, I don't have the numbers, I am sure their business with the automobile industry dwarves their bike share activity).

** If you're on Facebook, please considering joining a related initiative.

(Full transparency: Velo-City Global 2010's other co-organizers are the City of Frederiksburg and the City of Copenhagen. The Danish capital and the adjoining local authority held the Copenhagen Bike Share Design Competition last year, in which my team shared a first prize).

Green Idea Factory wins 1st Prize in Copenhagen Bike Share Design Competition

2009-12-16T05:41:00.011+01:00

The team of Koucky & Partners, LOTS Design and Green Idea Factory has developed an innovative bike share concept, called OPENbike, for the city of Copenhagen. They have been awarded a shared first prize amongst 127 international entries in the design competition. The awards ceremony was held on 10 December, during the COP15 summit.

The City of Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the world leading cycling cities, aims at establishing a new bike share system and initiated an open international design competition earlier this Fall.

OPENbike is user-focused and proposes a system that is easy to use, flexible and fully scalable. The design goal has been to create a system that seamlessly integrates with public transport and becomes a natural part of Copenhagen’s existing bicycle culture. The system proposes a smart card system and positioning solutions integrated in each bicycle to create a fully floating bike share system.OPENbike does therefore not need special stands and bicycles can easily be repositioned to adapt the system to the city's changing needs.

"We are particularly happy the jury appreciated our intentions with this iconic bicycle design that relates to Copenhagen bicycle history and, at the same time, contributes to the new branding of Copenhagen," says Erik Nohlin, a specialist in bicycle design from LOTS Design in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Michael Koucky of Koucky & Partners, also in Gothenburg, adds, "We aimed to make this bike feel like an owned bike for a Copenhager or a commuter to the Danish capital. The bike is not meant to be on a pedestal, both literally and figuratively. It should be a natural part of the lives of local cyclists, and a great example for tourists."

"It is clear to me that leading cities are ready to embrace what is now the 4th Generation in bike sharing systems," says Los Angeles-born Todd Edelman of Green Idea Factory, currently based in Berlin. "The attention and generosity shown by the City of Copenhagen in holding this competition hopefully indicates that cities are also starting to take a leadership role in implementing this important component of a seamless public transportation solution."

See OPENbike and click here for detailed information on the Design Competition and all the other entries.

High resolution images for publication or viewing can be downloaded here.

"Dog and Cat Collars" (2009) by Chris Jordan

2009-11-17T01:06:00.012+01:00

Depicts ten thousand dog and cat collars, equal to the average number of unwanted dogs and cats euthanized in the United States every day*.

from "Running the Numbers - An American Self-Portrait".

Chris Jordan entry on Wikipedia.

* Statistics from HSUS seem to originate with this org., but I cannot find them.

Regarding "Compleat Streets"

2009-11-10T11:15:00.021+01:00

Transportation for America wants people in the U.S. to send this letter:

Dear Secretary LaHood, I am alarmed by the continually high pedestrian fatality rate in this country.
Just this week, a new study by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America reported that in the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Overwhelmingly, these deaths occurred on poorly designed roadways that encouraged speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs, or on a bicycle.
The study shows the strong correlation between a metro area's Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) and its spending on pedestrian safety projects. The metro areas in greatest need of improvement are spending the least.
The study also shows how many communities are creating safer streets - by making sure that every road project provides for the safety of everyone who will be using the road, including pedestrians. More than 100 communities across the country have adopted Complete Streets policies to do just that.
Nationwide, less than 1.5 percent of funds authorized under the federal transportation law, SAFETEA-LU, have been spent on projects to improve the safety of walking and bicycling. Yet pedestrians comprise 11.8 percent of all traffic deaths and trips made on foot account for almost 9 percent of total trips.
Your work on combating distracted driving and establishing a new Safety Council shows that you are passionate about transportation safety. Please add to that record of achievement by supporting Complete Streets policy adoption across the country. This is a strategy that will not only can make our streets safer, but will help make our communities more livable by providing people with attractive transportation options.
We need your leadership on Complete Streets with Congress and within USDOT.
Sincerely, (Your signature)

to which I say:

(to the tune of your favourite rap or folk song...)

Some had the space for a horse for a ride
Or trees so the neighbours and birds could hide
On others all agreed bikes could be ridden
Or a tram to sit in when you want your legs hidden

Streets were complete before cars came along
The sidewalks so wide you could dance your own song
The sidewalks so proud that they met in the middle
The compromised think that this must be a riddle.

***

"Better", "Slower" are qualitative and acceptable; "Streets for People" used elsewhere, is vague but might be okay, but please ask yourself:

* Don't these terms mean something different than "complete"?
* What about the noise and tailpipe emissions of motor vehicles, in particular private cars... they also share the street, and not in a nice way.
* Why pretend to treat everyone equally regarding safety?
* Just how much does this encourage "alternative" transport? (Probably a bit to a bunch, depending on the quality of complementary measures... so that's good.)

"Complete", re-contextualised to include private urban cars, sends a strong signal that this subgroup of automobiles (which can be appropriately used) will be a permanent feature of the built environment -- that it deserves a place as much as other modes.

So, it's a pity that local authorities are confused (and confusers), and it's a shame that various community and advocacy organizations - such as "Transportation for America [sic]" which has an otherwise decent agenda - push this new kind of "complete". It is deceptive... even Orwellian language. If enshrined as law it's very, very dangerous.

Dogs on Board! 1 of 4

2009-02-26T14:06:00.010+01:00

Click on image to enlarge and HERE for page two

JOIN our Google Group discussion!

We're on FACEBOOK, too.

Dogs on Board! 2 of 4

2009-02-26T14:04:00.006+01:00

Click on image to enlarge and HERE for page three

JOIN our Google Group discussion!

We're on FACEBOOK, too.

Dogs on Board! 3 of 4

2009-02-26T14:03:00.007+01:00

Click on image to enlarge and HERE for page four

JOIN our Google Group discussion!

We're on FACEBOOK, too.

Dogs on Board! 4 of 4

2009-02-26T13:54:00.008+01:00

Click on image to enlarge and HERE to return to the first page

JOIN our Google Group discussion!

We're on FACEBOOK, too.

BikeBridges

2008-05-13T14:47:00.006+02:00

BikeBridges is part of the Bikes on Board! (BOB) project. (EuroVelo map only used for reference; Green Idea Factory is the initiator and co-director of BOB).

Adverts: Bus vs. Car or Bus not vs. Bike?

2008-04-12T17:55:00.026+02:00

CLICK on image to enlarge.

ON the left is a well-known ad which appeared in Canada five years ago. It was pulled after protests from transit advocates. On the right is my version.

Bikes on Board! 1/4

2008-03-12T00:19:00.004+01:00

Click HERE to go the second page.

Bikes on Board! 2/4

2008-03-12T00:17:00.003+01:00

Click HERE to go to the third page.

Bikes on Board! 3/4

2008-03-12T00:15:00.004+01:00

Click HERE to go the fourth page.

Bikes on Board! 4/4

2008-03-12T00:12:00.005+01:00

Click HERE to go back to the first page.

Dogs on Board!

2008-01-28T20:51:00.002+01:00

Please Click HERE

JCDecaux, Škoda Auto and Prague Transport attack sustainability in "PT: Self-Harming Adverts" + bonus

2008-01-20T23:58:00.001+01:00

Prague is a marvellous place to be cynical!

My Flickr Set Self-Harming Adverts in Public Transport...

... continues with coverage of an absolute bombardment for the New Year, in which Škoda Auto, (owned in full by VW - which is partly owned by Porsche, aided by JCDecaux (the saviour of Paris) and Prague (Public) Transport, invite the latter's (future former) customers - among others - to BELIEVE that if you have to:

* Carry a large animal
* Move house, or
* Have unexpected visitors...

You need a new Škoda combi.

The intention of Porsche/VW/Škoda is clear, the confusion of Prague Transport in assaulting their city is not, and if anyone thinks that JCDecaux actually cares about sustainability, well, then they have their head buried in the sand at the Seine.

This next totally-predictable miracle of the Automobile Advertising Industrial Gigaplex starts here:

(Then browse forward...)

***

Bonus:

Of course, the bombardment is not just coming from Stuttgart*, Wolfsburg**, Mlada Boleslav*** and Neuilly-sur-Seine****, but also from Seoul***** and Vevey******:

HQ index:
* Porsche
** VW
*** Škoda Auto
**** JCDecaux
***** Kia
****** Nestle, the owner of Orion)

Berlin and other German cities tighten particulate emissions rules for road vehicles

2008-01-01T17:31:00.000+01:00

Germans tighten road vehicle exhaust rules - Three German cities - Berlin, Cologne and Hanover - have introduced "environmental zones" to reduce fine particle emissions from traffic.

from BBC World Service

Drivers now have to display a coloured sticker on their vehicle to enter the inner city zones. The colour depends on the pollutants the vehicle emits. The cities are gradually phasing in fines of 40 euros (£29;$58) for anyone caught driving without a sticker.

Other German cities - but not all - plan to have such zones later in 2008.

The stickers - green, red or yellow - are mandatory not only for locals but also for foreign drivers, INCLUDING TOURISTS.There is a one-off charge of five to 10 euros for the stickers, issued by Germany's vehicle registration authority and authorised garages.

Some hotel and restaurant owners have voiced fears that tourists will be put off by the requirement for stickers, reports in Germany say.

The German motoring club, the ADAC, plans to take legal action against the restrictions, the DPA news agency reports.

The EU has set the limit for fine particle pollutants at 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air, which cannot be exceeded on more than 35 days per year.

The Berlin environmental zone covers about 88sq km (55sq miles), while the one in Cologne covers about 16sq km. Officials say the majority of cars in the affected cities qualify for the stickers.

***

Here is the page on the City of Berlin site which has a link to a PDF flyer in English on the scheme .

(I hope that some Berliners on these lists can add some information or insight for all us other donuts...)

NOTE that the German scheme is not following an earlier congestion charge of any sort.

Lung Lovers in London have to wait until 4 February...

.......Interestingly, Berlin (and Paris) are also starting this today...

... and finally, see what just started in Milano.

Keep the Air Pure (but watch out for False Filters)!

***

Another Scandal for German Clean-auto Zones

Prague Central Station

2007-12-03T12:36:00.001+01:00

Praha hl.n.

2007-12-03T12:13:00.000+01:00

Praha hl.n. a okolí 1/2

2007-12-02T08:43:00.001+01:00

Praha hl.n. a okolí 2/2

2007-12-02T08:38:00.000+01:00

Click here for details on logistics concept...

Praha hl.n., nejen pro nakupující... 1/20

2007-12-02T07:48:00.002+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:46:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:44:00.002+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:36:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:35:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:34:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:33:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:31:00.000+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:30:00.000+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:28:00.001+01:00

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2007-12-02T07:26:00.000+01:00

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2007-12-01T22:55:00.001+01:00

Bikes on Board!

2007-12-01T22:48:00.005+01:00

This information has been updated. Please click HERE.

Public Transport: More Self-Harming Adverts and Positive Images in Popular Culture

2007-10-26T23:14:00.000+02:00

For this advert, it seems almost certain that a public transport operator rented out the bus to the television production company or advertising agency.

I am also pleased to bring you the poor, car-less public transport rider, the smelly one and the sick one (but also the compassionate fellow passenger).

This one is so low-budget it might have done without permission, and here we have school bus operators getting in on the action.

An interactive ad at a bus stop in London rounds out the negative examples of this collection.

Again, in possibly all these cases, PT operators or city authorities at least gave permission and at worst took money.... on my planet this is called masochism.

To end on a positive note, a musical group from Venezuela are shown having fun with their mobile electronics (this was filmed in the town which has the same type of metro vehicle which can be accessed here) and, off topic but cute, headways can be annoyingly short sometimes...

... this is part two of this series. See part I here, here and one of one my all time-favourites here. See my Flickr page on same theme.

Dogs on Board!

2007-10-26T14:42:00.001+02:00

Thanks for joining us... please see updated version of project HERE.

Shell nominated for Worst Greenwash

2007-10-17T20:38:00.000+02:00

In the 'Worst EU Lobby Awards', Royal Dutch Shell has been nominated for suggesting that their oil refineries emit flowers, not smoke.

In the wake of increasing public conviction that climate change needs to be addressed, Shell is trying to remodel its image in order to appeal to the environmental consciousness of potential customers. Advertising in newspapers and magazines in April and May 2007, the company showed a refinery emitting flowers from its chimneys with claims that it uses its “waste CO2 to grow flowers and [its] waste sulphur to make concrete”. However, in reality, less than 0.5 percent of Shell’s total CO2 emissions are piped into Dutch greenhouses to grow flowers. Furthermore, most of Shell’s sulphur waste is used for ship fuel and is finally released in the air. Sea ships are one of the biggest sources of sulphur dioxide pollution.

For full info see here.

See UK Guardian story "No bouquets for Shell press ad"

***

On February 3, 2007, nature lovers smeared oil all over the photographs at the London Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, which was sponsored by Shell.

***

The ‘Worst EU Lobbying’ Award is to be given to the lobbyist, company or lobby group that in 2007 has employed the most deceptive, misleading, or otherwise problematic lobbying tactics in their attempts to influence EU decision-making. This year’s event also includes a special ‘Worst EU Greenwash’ Award for the company whose advertising, PR and lobbying lingo is most at odds with the real environmental impacts of their core business activities.

The EU lobby awards are organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, LobbyControl and Spinwatch.

***

In 2002 Shell Foundation gave EMBARQ funding which totalled USD 7.5 million, for a five-year programme.

In 2006 alone Royal Dutch Shell made a profit of USD 26.311 billion.

The amount of money Shell gave to EMBARQ represents a very tiny little bit of the money they are playing with. And most of the rest - I assume minus some other donations - is about feeding the automobile habit of the world. Personal cars.. killing, maiming, scaring, screaming, terrorizing. Balance that against the projects of EMBARQ in Mexico, China, Turkey and so on... I don't think you can, no matter how great they are.

That's why it is Greenwash, even if it goes beyond adverts and spin.

Now, I don't only blame EMBARQ - but of course I also don't like that Caterpillar - the company that supplies military bulldozers to the Israeli Army used for tearing down Palestinian homes - is their other major sponsor beside Shell. I blame national governments and the people that vote them in for screwing up priorities so much that an oil addiction pusher like Shell or, again, an advertising company like JCDecaux has to come in and try to save everyone. Still, the foundations and organisations we work with do make choices. What is most disheartening is when they say that Company X is helping them right before they stick their collective head in the sand about the rest of it.

Unfortunately, the recent Towards Carfree Cities conference of World Carfree Network - Green Idea Factory is a member - in Istanbul, hosted by the Turkish Traffic Safety Association, also received some support from EMBARQ. I have not yet received any details on this, but I will post it here when I get more info. Their sponsorship was not so high-profile, but it was still a conscious effort of EMBARQ.

Finally, the Royal Green Shower of Shell gets even worse.

More information and related:
Controversies concerning Royal Dutch Shell
Sourcewatch Wiki on Shell
Shell and Ferrari advert
Very long and funny Shell advert about oil extraction
Greenwash of biggest Czech environmental foundation
WWF
Renault
Citroen
Laws on adverts in Norway

Transit Pass - Best Weapon Against Climate Change?

2007-10-17T00:32:00.000+02:00

The new report released by the American Public Transportation Association makes some interesting comparisons about various ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases. See press release, fact sheet and full report.

There is a key word or term missing from the report, and I am not sure why. What is it? Here's a hint: Complementary.

Hey bus rider, need a car loan?

2007-10-12T10:50:00.000+02:00

Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2002 - The advert is from a bank which provides financing for purchasing a car. For more examples of self-destructive advertising on public transport vehicles and related properties - from Beijing, Bogota, Prague and Tallinn - see my Flickr page.

Photo provided by Lloyd Wright from Viva in Quito, Ecuador.

UITP (International Association of Public Transport) has created a ‘Public’s choice’ Award in advance of their 4th International Marketing Conference in Malaga, Spain in November. View nominees and vote here!

Cyclists, singing and dancing

2007-10-11T00:36:00.000+02:00

What's a Girl to Do? by Bat for Lashes...

Dancing and singing ON the train

2007-10-11T00:18:00.000+02:00

Trying doing this is in your Tata or Indian-built Škoda! (Read more here).

The song is "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the movie Dil Se.

Positive Public Transport in Pop

2007-10-11T00:02:00.000+02:00

From 1999, by Luscious Jackson. This video was shot in NYC, their hometown. The singer described herself recently as a city person who always used the subway and her bike. Why can't more bus rides be like this?

Nine years later the singer, Jill Cunniff, continues having fun on public transport.

Greenwash in the Czech Republic

2007-10-10T02:31:00.000+02:00

This was featured at my stand for World Carfree Day in Prague, 22 September, 2007.

This is the "partners" webpage from Nadace Partnerství (Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation). The various companies are listed... Skanska as a builder of highways, Ceskomorasky Cement as a provider of materials for highways, Toyota etc. doing their nonsense.

More materials from the stand coming soon...

UK 'exporting emissions' to China

2007-10-06T02:49:00.000+02:00

BBC: The UK's increasing dependence on Chinese goods is contributing to a rise in carbon emissions, a report suggests.

The New Economic Foundation (Nef) says such reliance is adding to CO2 levels because China's factories produce more CO2 per item than British ones.

The report also says many similar goods are both imported and exported, adding needlessly to CO2 output in transport.

Full story.

Toronto: World Record Walk + Anti-Car and Out of Balance

2007-10-06T01:37:00.000+02:00

In this video, Toronto's poet laureate describes how walking (and smiles) create community, as Toronto participated in a World Record Walk.

***

It's time for Toronto to give less priority to cars and more to other modes of transport, a senior Toronto official bluntly told the city's works committee yesterday.

"Maybe a balance is no longer appropriate," said John Mende, Toronto's director of transportation management...

... "I think it's time now to tip the scales in favour of the other modes of transportation, and perhaps create an imbalance in favour of those other modes," he said.

Read full story.

Pollution in Paris... from bicycles

2007-10-06T00:44:00.000+02:00

"... hundreds of electric billboards have sprung up all over town. These are part of the deal in which the council provides extensive use of advertising space to an urban display company in payment for its provision of the Vélib’ service.

An anti-advertising group yesterday announced a mass outing to attack the billboards on Friday night [28 September]. The Déboulonneurs organisation, which has made a splash with guerrilla-style raids on Métro station posters, said: “This is visual pollution of the city . . . and energy pollution because each billboard consumes as much electricity as the average household.”

from TimesOnline story on Vélib’

Read press release from Collectif des déboulonneurs and summary of action and response (both in French) . Photos of action.

Prague's new parking zones - Residents use loophole to register cars in their childrens' names

2007-09-12T04:02:00.000+02:00

The City Hall's plans to introduce parking cards in the city centre as of October 1st has triggered an unexpected side-effect. Prague may soon top the world ladder in the number of young children who own luxury vehicles. People who own two or more cars have found a loophole in the new regulation which says that every citizen of Prague [in central districts one, two, three, five and seven] - including newborns and centenarians - has a right to a parking pass for the price of seven hundred crowns a month [PER YEAR, actually... about USD 35]. The price of a pass jumps steeply for a second or third car to 7 thousand and 14 thousand crowns respectively. News of how to get around the regulation spread like wildfire and in recent weeks the authorities have noted a massive transfer of car ownership to young children. The kids are happy to brag about their new Toyotas* and Volvos but the city hall is not so happy [I am sure some politicians predicted this]. However it seems that there is little it can do legally and it has decided to bide its time and see how things develop. - Radio Praha

Original story

Very related bad news

... don't miss the story at the first link which talks about fake policemen and women being stolen...

*************************************************************************************
GREENWASH ALERT NO: 1 * Toyota is a "partner" of the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation (Nadace Partnerství/NP), arguably the most important member of the Environmental Partnership for Sustainable Development, a member of the European Greenways Association (EGWA), which is itself a new member of World Carfree Network. A representative of NP is the treasurer of EGWA. Other partners include Škoda Auto, Peugeot and Citroen, plus the investment group Penta, which owns a company that produces weapons sub-systems used by the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan and Iraq. Penta is also considering developing a second international airport in Prague which is likely to target lowfare airlines.

Norway: Cars neither "green" nor "clean"

2007-09-07T06:09:00.000+02:00

OSLO (Reuters) - No car can be "green," "clean" or "environmentally friendly," according to some of the world's strictest advertising guidelines set to enter into force in Norway next month.

"Cars cannot do anything good for the environment except less damage than others," Bente Oeverli, a senior official at the office of the state-run Consumer Ombudsman, told Reuters on Thursday.

Full story

Russian mayor bans excuse making

2007-09-01T22:32:00.000+02:00

The mayor of a city in western Russia has issued a list of excuses that he will not tolerate from civil servants.

Alexander Kuzmin, mayor of Megion in western Siberia, said that officials must stop using phrases such as "I don't know" and "it's lunch time".

Mr Kuzmin said city officials should help improve people's lives and solve their problems, not make excuses.

The mayor's press office said the list consists of 27 forbidden phrases, including "there's no money".

BANNED PHRASES INCLUDE:
What am I supposed to do?
I'm not dealing with this.
We're having lunch.
The working day is over.
Somebody else has the documents.
I think I was off sick at the time.

Mr Kuzmin warned in a statement that "the use of these expressions by city administration officials while speaking to the head of the city will speed their departure."

He said he was taking action as he was tired of civil servants telling him that problems were impossible to solve, rather than offering practical solutions.
From BBC World Service

Two related stories from Spain

2007-08-31T09:05:00.000+02:00

People are allowed to kill us, each other and the place they are going to:

"...And, of course, "El Boom" has continued, with all the familiar consequences.

The Med can expect to receive 230 million visitors this year making it the world's most popular tourist destination.

It is predicted that by 2020 the influx will have risen to 350 million.

Already 22,000 sq km of this once beautiful and productive coastline are covered in asphalt and concrete and the urbanisation is bound to continue.
During a recent visit to the Costa Brava to report for Crossing Continents, I re-read a book by Norman Lewis who is, in my opinion, one of the best travel writers of our time.

In the 1950s, Lewis lived and worked as a fisherman in a small Spanish fishing village.

He was on the Costa Brava as the first wave of tourists arrived and in his book "Voices of the Old Sea", he quotes the reaction of a small-town mayor.

'Although we've come to live off these people, we intensively dislike them. Why? Because we resent what they are doing to us. It's a kind of sickness. Now we suffer from tourists. But it will die out in the end. This is only a passing fad, they'll all go and we'll be back where we were before.'..."

- By Julian Pettifer, BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents

full article

***

.... but if there is some kind of other threat all of the sudden their safety is paramount:

"...The shark, which is said to measure around 1.5m (5ft), was spotted off the coast near Murcia on Wednesday and on Thursday. Its type is not known.

Several beaches have been closed as a result of the sighting..."

- BBC News , "Spanish beach shut as shark seen"

full article

What's that you say? You're endangered? Oh, I couldn't hear you...

2007-08-28T22:00:00.002+02:00

Pandawash? WWF Netherlands has made a deal with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The deal is about carbon; this illustration is about something else. Read the press release (with translation help) and let me know what you think...

UK: Fight to save 'set aside' schemes

2007-08-23T03:54:00.000+02:00

The UK government has to make a decision very soon on the future of an arcane farming subsidy called set-aside.

Although it sounds of little interest to the non-farming public, conservationists say it has, accidentally, become a powerful environmental tool - and stopping it could be devastating to some of our rarest wildlife.

full article

Related article: EU proposes scrapping fallow land

Bicycology Manifesto

2007-08-19T02:12:00.000+02:00

To read on click HERE

Halt all expansion of airports, & ban short-haul flights

2007-08-15T09:49:00.000+02:00

"The Plane Stupid! agenda has two other demands: halt all expansion
of airports, and ban short-haul flights."

August 14, 2007
The Independent/UK

We Should All Be At Heathrow Protesting - It is collective pressure on government, not consumer choices, that the world needs now.

by Johann Hari

This week, two thousand people will gather at London’s Heathrow airport with tents and sleeping bags - not to EasyJet to the beach, but to alert their fellow citizens to the Weather of Mass Destruction we are unleashing.

If you need to know why this is necessary, take a look at the world the deniers are so glibly averting their eyes from. The two countries doomed to drown by global warming in my lifetime have already begun to disappear beneath the waves. Almost half of Bangladesh is under water as you read this, following monsoons four times more ferocious than they should be. Ten million people are now homeless in the
region. In the Maldives, a series of massive swell waves stretching to 4.5 metres drowned 68 islands this spring. The residents know the waves are getting bigger every year, and soon they will swallow their homes forever...

full article

TrashTrain Praha 1/12

2007-08-11T16:13:00.000+02:00

This is a concept for an all-electric logistics system for Prague... it's called TrashTrain BUT it's much more than that...

... cities all over Europe (well, Western Europe, so far) restrict (not just) delivery vehicles based on their emissions. See plan for London ... Milano will be implementing something similar starting in 2008.

Of course it is certainly not just about emissions! The most recent - and exciting - development in what I call "street de-chaosification" AND emissions-free logistics is in Amsterdam, with City Cargo . See longer video here . In Switzerland electric vehicles have been used for years in the mountains, and there are also cargo trams in Zurich.

For more innovative concepts in urban logistics check out Bestufs .

TrashTrain Praha 2/12

2007-08-11T16:06:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 3/12

2007-08-11T16:00:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 4/12

2007-08-11T15:56:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 5/12

2007-08-11T15:51:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 6/12

2007-08-11T15:47:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 7/12

2007-08-11T15:20:00.001+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 8/12

2007-08-11T15:10:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 9/12

2007-08-11T14:12:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 10/12

2007-08-11T14:09:00.000+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 11/12

2007-08-11T14:03:00.001+02:00

TrashTrain Praha 12/12

2007-08-11T14:00:00.001+02:00