Don't call them cyclists
An
international cycling conference has just concluded in Adelaide.
It was a
huge event with 1,000s of overseas delegates.
The Bike
SA group has highlighted snippets and outcomes from the conference.
Here are a
few …
1. There is no such thing as a cyclist
In Australia, we're obsessed with
defining people by their mode of transport. Many speakers at the conference
were keen to point out that people don't care what mode of transport they
use... they just want to get from A to B. Time for us to move past the "Us
vs. Them" mentality and realise that we're all just people - and we all
choose different modes of transport.
2. Modal share follows the
money
If you don't invest, then you
don't get more bums on bikes. Cities that saw substantial increases in people
cycling (Seville, Nantes, Paris etc.) all decided to spend serious amounts of
transport funding on cycling. South Australia spends 0.5% of the
transport budget on bicycles. That's why Adelaide is still what Europeans call
a "Starter City".
3. Getting women cycling is
key
Want a
cycling city? Then design it with women in mind. Cycling meccas like Copenhagen
actually see more women cycling than men. In Adelaide four out of five cyclists
are male. Tearing down King William Street in peak hour traffic might attract
the "I'll run with bulls" kind of person, but studies across the
globe show that women prefer safer, separated cycling routes.
4. Data dictates how decisions are made
Whether we like it or not data is
king in transport decisions. Any spend on infrastructure will be matched with
more riders and you need to prove it with cold hard data. We need to be able to
show that getting people riding is good for the public health system. If you
want to convince a politician to put in a bike lane, you need local data and
you need to be able to quantify the impact of any decision you want them to
make.
5. Build it and they will come
No explanation needed here... but
perhaps Frome Street will be our shining example in the years to come.
6. Societies are capable of amazing transformations
Even the most car-addicted cities
can change. New York City is an impressive recent case of this – from
impossibly car dominated and choked streets to bike friendly networks in
several years. Inspirational. Adelaide can learn from the Big Apple. (Check out
our interview with Janette
Sadik-khan to find out how it was done).
7. Good infrastructure is important
Ever heard
of death by design? Many of the international bike engineers were quick to
point out that cyclists get doored because we put bike lanes in the wrong
place. What excited us was seeing some really impressive
infrastructure. Seeing blueprints for intersection designs which cyclists
can use safely was a stand out and an eye-opener.
I like the comment about don't call bike riders cyclists.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
It is just a mode of transport.
At other times they will drive a car.