Last week saw 12 articles published exploring the role of the bicycle in cities, making it the busiest week ever in terms of posts published (and visitors to the site – thanks everyone!). In case you missed anything, here’s a rundown of Bicycle Week on This Big City:
1. A City With Too Many Bicycles – Amsterdam’s Unique Problem
As cities all over the world attempt to better integrate the bicycle, Amsterdam acts as an example of a how a city might function should it achieve that goal – and it’s not all good. Bicycle use is so popular in the Dutch capital that abandoned bikes in the city centre are starting to become a problem – an urban challenge almost unique to Amsterdam.
2. Getting More People on their Bikes – Why Cycle Storage Matters
Any barrier to cycling is a bad thing – and there are many psychological barriers that can build up to such a level that you never end up using your bicycle at all. One way to avoid this is to ensure that those people who live in inner-city and high density areas have somewhere to store their bikes easily and securely.
3. Tackling Congestion in Cities by Encouraging Cycling
In Beijing, once the definitive bicycle city, authorities are responding to growing congestion and ongoing smog by setting a new target: for 23% of commuters to pedal to work by 2015. Ambitious? It may not seem so, when you consider that four fifths of the city’s population cycled to work back in the 1980s, but now the car is king and the proportion has dropped to 19.7%.
4. Five Innovations Improving Cycling in Cities
As the bicycle becomes an increasing priority in many cities, numerous innovations have followed. Whether large-scale infrastructure or smaller design changes, collectively, these developments are making cycling in cities easier, safer and more enjoyable. Here are five of our favourites.
5. Improving Cycling in Los Angeles by Learning from New York
There are a lot of problems with Los Angeles’ bicycle trails, and most of them have to do with negligence in upkeep and police presence to ensure safety along them. But problems such as these are easily fixed with a little cash, with New York’s efforts demonstrating what can be achieved.
6. Keeping it Chic on Two Wheels – Fashion and Cycling in London
London is one of the most fashionable cities in the world, and with around half a million journeys made by bicycle here each day, it comes as no surprise that keeping it stylish while cycling is fast becoming a fashion movement in its own right.
7. Will Warsaw Embrace the Bicycle? Not with Infrastructure like this
Warsaw has achieved a lot since abandoning communism in 1989. The Polish capital has grown at an incredible pace, creating a city with lower unemployment and higher GDP per capita than the Polish average. The city also has some sustainability innovations under its belt, with the University of Warsaw’s incredible green roof a noteworthy example. The bicycle, however, has not been so lucky.
8. Italians Love their Cars, but in Modena, the Bicycle Reigns
Modena, Italy, is a city located in a country famous for its car loving culture. Modena is the birthplace of Ferrari (based nearby in the town of Maranello), yet the bicycle reigns supreme in the city. Narrow, windy streets make hard work for drivers, while cyclists can enjoy pedalling fast between their destinations.
9. The Future of Bike Sharing Schemes in the United States
Bike sharing is a fledgling concept in the United States and has the tendency to be scattershot geographically. Chicago, Minneapolis, and Des Moines have programs in the Midwest while shares in Miami, Boston, and Washington, D.C. dot the coastlines. Two cities known for their high share of cycling commuters and typically progressive agendas, New York and San Francisco, are exploring their options.
10. Can Cycling Help Boost the Tourism Industry?
Bicycle tourism has moved from the margins to the mainstream. ‘Green tourism’, ‘ethic holidays’ and ‘slow travel’, has, for those who have been prepared to embrace change and diversify, led to cost savings, enhanced reputation, operational efficiency and improved profitability. Moreover consumer demand is alive and consistent.
11. Introducing the Solar-powered Motorbike
Researchers from Moi University, Kenya, have designed an electric motorbike to run on batteries which can be charged by solar PV. The first motorbikes could be on the roads by mid-2012, following patenting of the concept. Jeremy Muriuki, 26, one of the project innovators from Moi University, claims the bikes can run for an average of 24 hours on a single charge, with a top speed of 75km/h.
12. The Nine Best Bicycle Posts on This Big City
On May 31st 2010, the very first bicycle-themed post appeared on This Big City. Since then, we haven’t looked back, publishing content exploring everything from bicycle infrastructure to cycling community groups to the economic benefits of bike lanes. Here are nine of the best bicycle posts on This Big City.
Thanks to everyone who visited This Big City during Bicycle week, and to Mark Ames, Next American City, Jools Walker, Lorenza Casini, Theodore Brown, and Rachel Smith for contributing articles. This Big City will feature another themed week in the near future. If you have any ideas for a topic, please let us know in the comments section below!
