Why is cycling so popular in the Netherlands?

Here's a great article by BBC News Magazine reporter Anna Holligan, with a comparison between cycling in the Netherlands and the U.K.

Add cycling to learning cycle

Columnist Bob Groeneveld writes about cycling in the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Times:

JULY 29, 2013

Add cycling to learning cycle

Practically every day I see cyclists pedalling along the highways and byways that take me from home to work and back.

Practically every day I see them breaking the rules of the road - in fact, it's rare that I don't have a cyclist in my line of sight for more than 20 or 30 seconds without witnessing the shattering of one traffic law or another.

Practically every day I see stupid motorists nearly fulfilling a cyclist's apparent ambition to see tomorrow from a hospital bed - or not see tomorrow at all. And I think to myself... "More people should ride bicycles."

In fact, I wish more people would spend more time riding bikes before ever getting behind the wheel of a car, as opposed to under one - which happens far too often, as things currently stand.

I'm not a sadist, and I'm not hoping I can snap a gory photo of a mangled cyclist to fill a corner of the newspaper.

And it has nothing to do with my basic belief that the world would be a better place with fewer people in it (provided, of course, that I'm one of those "fewer people").

On the contrary, I believe that if there were more people riding bicycles to and fro, there would be less carnage in the long run.

Potential motor vehicle drivers should be required to spend a couple hundred hours on a bicycle before applying for a learner's licence.

And it shouldn't be just some recreational riding around a quiet neighbourhood, around the local park a few times, or mountain biking along some backwoods trails.

More cyclists rolling along with traffic (not against traffic, like pedestrians... which they are not - probably the most common Motor Vehicle Act transgression perpetrated by cyclists) would create a "safety in numbers" scenario. Motorists would be more aware of cyclists in their midst, because there would be more cyclists to remind them to pay attention.

Motorists would also gain from the experience of having ridden a bicycle amongst idiot drivers who eat, drink, comb their hair, fix their makeup, and otherwise occupy themselves with endangering the lives of the people around them.

You cannot truly understand the concept of "defensive driving" until you've ridden a bicycle alongside the stupidest, most oblivious creatures populating the face of the earth: the texting driver (followed closely by the cellphone-addicted driver - and don't give me that "hands-free" nonsense, as studies clearly show that hands-free cellphone use, while not illegal, is equally as dangerous as using hand-held devices).

And having had the benefit of experiencing the stupidity of the average steel-enclosed motorist first-hand from the vantage point of a bicycle seat, the newly licensed driver is less likely to want to become one of those average idiots.

Understanding would also flow both ways, as more and more cyclists become motorists - and they begin to teach their children how to ride safely, instead of actually teaching them dangerous behaviour.

It is disconcerting in the extreme to see young cyclists follow their parents straight through stop signs and red lights, and passing lines of slow traffic on the right, sneaking up on the unsuspecting guy who doesn't realize it has suddenly become dangerous to make his right turn. Parents on bicycles lead their kids along sidewalks, putting pedestrians at risk and creating the danger of uncertainty in the minds of motorists who, faced with such unruly behaviour, can't know what the next move will be.

They lead their kids against traffic lights through crosswalks where they have no business being.

And when they get hit... stupid motorists!

Column: Reducing residential speed limits would increase safety

Here's the latest column in The News by HUB Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows:

Published: July 21

 

At the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention in September, the City of Victoria is putting forward a resolution proposing a reduction of the maximum speed limit on all B.C. residential roads from 50 to 40 km/h.

This initiative is led by Coun. Shellie Gudgeon, who says a majority of Victoria residents are supportive, but admits that there is some strong opposition from the very vocal auto-centric crowd.

Read more...

HUB input on Transportation Plan Update

Click here to view HUB's local committee's input on the Maple Ridge Transportation Plan Update.

Cyclists Sought For New Port Coquitlam Advisory Group

Love to ride? In conjunction with Bike Month in June, the City of Port Coquitlam is looking for people who like to get around on two wheels for its new Cycling Advisory Group, which will help set the direction for future cycling-related projects in the city. The application deadline is July 14.

The group, whose mandate is to promote a safe and convenient cycling environment for commuter and recreational cyclists, will advise the Engineering & Operation Department’s Transportation Division. Its duties will include:

§  Reviewing and advising on bicycle transportation matters,

§  Providing input on capital improvement projects that involve bicycle facilities,

§  Promoting bicycling as a viable form of urban transportation and recreation, and

§  Promoting motorist and cyclist awareness, competence and safety.

Projects that will be brought to the CAG for input include the planning of a new cyclist and pedestrian underpass of the CP rail tracks at Shaughnessy Street.

In addition to city staff, CAG members will include up to three residents, up to three business owners, and representatives from HUB (formerly the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition), and potentially ICBC, the RCMP and School District 43. The group will typically meet four times a year, although additional meetings may be called to address urgent issues. CAG will be an informal group that will generally work to achieve consensus.

Applications for CAG will be accepted until July 14 – forms are available online at www.portcoquitlam.ca/cag or in print at city facilities.

Cycling is an important component of the city’s draft Master Transportation Plan, its environmental strategic plan goals to reduce greenhouse gases, and its goal of creating a healthy, sustainable community.

To promote cycling, the city has added numerous bicycle facilities in recent years, guided by the Master Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. Improvements have included marked bicycle lanes, signed bicycle routes, cyclist-activated traffic signals, and improvements to the Traboulay PoCo Trail.

For more information about the CAG, visit www.portcoquitlam.ca/cag or call 604-927-5284.

 

Column: The key word for cycling is separation

Latest column by HUB in The News:

Published: June 14, 2013 

Both Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows are working on transportation plans.

The City of Pitt Meadows is conducting an on-line survey to get input on its plan, which builds on the pedestrian and cycling master plan that was completed last year.

Meanwhile, Maple Ridge held an open house on May 22 to get input on an update of its transportation plan, which dates back to 2003.

Read more...

Lecture: How to Increase Cycling and Walking - Lessons from Cities Across the Globe

You don't want to miss this: if you're not able to attend the lecture by John Pucher at SFU Vancouver Campus on June 14 in person, it will be webcast! He's very inspiring, and it's absolutely worth listening to what he has to say.

For all those of us in Maple Ridge who sometimes really need some hope and inspiration!

PUBLIC LECTURE

Free Lecture with Live Webcast 

How to Increase Cycling and Walking—Lessons from Cities Across the Globe
Friday, June 14, 2013, 7 pm
SFU's Vancouver campus (Harbour Centre)
515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Room 1400
Admission is free, but reservations are required. Reserve here.

This lecture will also be webcast live. View the live webcast here on June 14: 

http://creative- services. sfu.ca/broadcast
Comment and tweet your questions during the webcast using hashtag #SFUcycle

In this talk, John Pucher will document the boom in cycling in both European and North American cities. Adding to his previous talks, John will discuss how cycling can thrive even in cities with no history or culture of daily, utilitarian cycling, but only if government policies provide  safe, convenient, and pleasant cycling conditions. He'll also address the fact that similarly, government policies are key to encouraging walking and making it safer. Safe infrastructure is a prerequisite, but it must be complemented by many other supportive measures.

The hopeful message is that almost all Canadian and American cities are on the right path. Dozens of cities throughout North America have more than doubled levels of cycling since 1990, and some large cities such as Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, have more than quadrupled the bike share of work commuters since 1990. Virtually all North American cities have plans for expanding their cycling networks, combined with a range of complementary programs such as bike sharing, bike-transit integration, safe routes to schools, mass car-free street events (ciclovias), and better training of both motorists and cyclists. Even in the American southeast, which currently has the lowest rate of cycling, many cities are installing cycle tracks, bike lanes, and bike parking.

In short, North American cities have already made considerable progress in raising both cycling and walking levels, but far more needs to be done. With over 40 percent of all bike trips shorter than two miles, there is great potential for further growth. It is crucial to convey to the media, the public, and politicians the enormous economic, social, environmental, and health benefits of walking and cycling, both to individuals and to society as a whole.

At the conclusion of his talk, John will discuss several approaches to implementing the necessary policies to increase walking and cycling while also making them safer. Public information campaigns, combined with advocacy and coalition-building, are obviously crucial, but there are other implementation strategies that can be used to enhance public and political support. Perhaps the most effective strategy of all is to make cycling and walking possible for everyone, and, in particular, to get more seniors, children, and women on bikes and on their feet. Broadening the base of public support for walking and cycling is key to getting the necessary political support and funding for the measures necessary to promote walking and cycling in our cities.

About the speaker:
John Pucher has been a professor at Rutgers University since 1978, conducting research on transportation economics and finance, urban travel behaviour, transportation systems, and government policies in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe. Over the past 15 years, Pucher's research has focused on walking and bicycling, and how to improve their safety and convenience for all age groups, women as well as men, and people of all levels of physical ability. Pucher encourages walking and cycling for recreation as well as for practical trips to work, school, and shopping to increase physical activity and to help people have healthier lifestyles. He has 
published three books and over 100 articles in academic and professional journals. His most recent book is called City Cycling (edited by Pucher and Buehler, MIT Press 2012). 

He has spent several years as a visiting professor at universities in Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Australia, and he is spending the first half of 2013 as visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the state where he grew up. 

John Pucher's website

Sponsors
We gratefully acknowledge support from our sponsors:
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City of Vancouver
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Host
SFU Continuing Studies (City Program)

Partners
HUB-Your Cycling Connection

wonderful story from Copenhagen

Wouldn't it be nice for elderly people who are stuck, day-in-day-out, in a boring old folks home to have a chance to go for a fun ride along the Fraser River? Or a ride on the dikes? I like this story from Copenhagen.

Pitt Meadows Transportation Plan

Pitt Meadows is presently developing a Transportation Master Plan, which builds on the Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan finalized in 2012. The Transportation Master Plan will provide direction on how the City can achieve better transportation facilities today and over the next thirty years for all modes of transportation, including roads, transit, walking and cycling.

Please give your input and fill out this survey by Monday, June 10.

Maple Ridge Transportation Plan Update

For those of you who didn't have a chance to attend the public input session of the Maple Ridge Transportation Plan Update last week, May 22, the display boards can now be viewed on-line.

Apparently the Transportation Plan of 2003/4, which is now being updated, was never adopted by Council, which is why it is not available on-line. So after this update has been finalized, it is hoped that Council will adopt the Plan itself, after 10 years. Interesting....

I think it would be helpful for us to see the Plan itself as well. In 2003 HUB did not yet have a local committee in Maple Ridge. Since our group started advocating for better infrastructure about 4 years ago, there has been a dramatic shift in the way of thinking concerning the need to build infrastructure that's safe for all ages and abilities, instead of just for the "strong and fearless" type cyclists. Not only did much change with regard to knowledge about cycling infrastructure and the realization that cycling has enormous benefits to the whole community, but 10 years is also a long time in the recent history of Maple Ridge. Much growth has taken place during those 10 years, and if we're doing an update, it would be a good idea to take a look at the whole plan.

I also feel it's important for the District to put in place a Complete Streets by-law, which ensures that the needs of all users - including pedestrians, cyclists and cars - are considered when new roads are built or existing ones are being upgraded. Right now with all the new development on the outskirts of town, new roads are being built without those requirements, which means that at some point in the future, sidewalks and bike lanes - where needed - will have to be built by the District with tax payers' money, and we all know that there's never enough money to do that.

Until now, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows had a joint Bikeways Plan, dating from 1994. That plan is now no longer relevant and has been scrapped. It would be good for Maple Ridge to follow the example of Pitt Meadows in putting together an Active Transportation Plan.

Please take a look at your neighbourhood and your cycling and walking routes on the display boards, and give your input, which you can send to David Pollock, Director of Engineering at dpollock@maplerdige.ca, with cc Michael Eng, Engineering Department, at meng@mapleridge.ca and Brian Patterson at bpatterson@urbansystems.ca.

Update: anybody who is interested in seeing the actual draft Plan, can ask for it at city hall, at the Engineering counter. Ask for Marry or Nola.

Thanks!