We should take a lead from Europe

ozelise

ozelise

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It never ceases to impress me the way European cities embrace cycling, and the respect motorists and pedestrians give cyclists. Bikes are rarely locked, and cycling lanes are abundant especially in the heart of most cities. I know you all know this, just wish we could have the same respect, facilities and philosophy downunder. Just took this in Copenhagen outside a suburban Metro:

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As good as it would be for Australian cities to be more bicycle friendly, i think that it will never actually become a reality. We are a nation built on the love of the automobile after all. It would take a ban on unnecessary traffic in cbd/inner city areas to bring about the right conditions. From there things would evolve nicely but realistically i'd say hell would freeze over first. Which is a damn shame because the weather down under is far more suited to cycle transport in the first place.
 
dont forget that australian cities are in a lot of cases much larger area wise hence commuting by bike for a lot of people appears way too far. On the other hand european cities are much more densely populated which makes cycling more appealing due to the already existent congestion
 
I believe it to be the pure lack of infrastructure for cycling. The NSW govt. is removing lanes through lane cove to push more cars through the tunnel, why can't they do the same to push people to cycle, it really wouldnt be that hard, but in reality, the money grubbers wont make a dime from it, they'd most likely lose revenue and hence its never going to happen.
 
I honestly believe that change in Australian capital cities will happen eventually.. it will just take time.

Even in America its happening, case Las Vegas, which had the worst infrastucture for cyclists a few years ago and now has one of the best. Most buses now have bike racks which allow you to travel longer distances and combine the forms of transport.

The reality is many factors are going to conspire to make cycling more attractive to people in urban areas and the tide will turn when more people take it up as a form of transportation. Already in Sydney you are starting to see a dramatic increase in some areas, (note the inner west) but the local/state government is taking far to long to upgrade the roads.

The only to really get effective change in government is through effective lobbying, and its up the the bicycle fund, cycling organisations etc to put the pressure on..And this doesnt happen unless they have the funds!
 
RaID said:
dont forget that australian cities are in a lot of cases much larger area wise hence commuting by bike for a lot of people appears way too far. On the other hand european cities are much more densely populated which makes cycling more appealing due to the already existent congestion
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Ummmm Yes and No.

Not sure where that picture is taken. From my experience, that tends to happen at train stations, or other key areas.

While the cities are more densely populated, you also find that a lot of people commute into the city from small towns for work etc. What then tends to happen is, they ride to the train station / bus terminal. dump their bike. Catch bus / train, into the city, and then repeat at the end of the day.

To increase cycling, you need to do lots of things. ie, improve infrastructure (roads, storage facilities, changerooms), public transport etc.
 
Pete J said:
We are a nation built on the love of the automobile after all.
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In 40 000 odd years of Aboriginal history and 220 odd years of European history cars have only really been accessible since the late 1930's and of course after the second world war.

The pre-Federation nation building of the 1890s was a pretty car free time.

Granted the car has had a pretty significant impact since its introduction to the Australian cityscape. Like a feral animal or noxious weed it quickly pushed trams and bicycles out of the way as the transport of the working class. In all cities but Melbourne Trams became extinct, and pockets of bicycles cling to small sub-cultures. The mobility of the car created a new habitat of suburbia, where walking was no longer an option and the distance between work and home increased.

However the car opend up new links and spaces. Beach Culture was built on the possibility of the family car to bring the suburbs to the beach. It changed the way and the places where Australians could spend their leisure time. People were no longer stuck to train lines to the Blue Mountains to experience Nature and the outback.

The urban landscape relies on the car to function, and this creates a car culture. A Car culture in turn blinds us to alternatives, and we keep creating a world based around the motor car.
 
That is exactly how it is! Spent a good hour sitting in the Square getting an eyeful while the missus shopped.
 
McBain said:
Ahh, Copenhagen. Yes please.
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Awesome site, cheers :)

Anyway back on topic, yes things are getting better but they have a long way to go. Just imagine some of the girls on that blog site above trying to ride throught the streets of sydney, gotta be pretty damn brave to take on some of the crap ive seen/experienced when riding up there.
 
Carlin said:
In 40 000 odd years of Aboriginal history and 220 odd years of European history cars have only really been accessible since the late 1930's and of course after the second world war.

The pre-Federation nation building of the 1890s was a pretty car free time.

Granted the car has had a pretty significant impact since its introduction to the Australian cityscape. Like a feral animal or noxious weed it quickly pushed trams and bicycles out of the way as the transport of the working class. In all cities but Melbourne Trams became extinct, and pockets of bicycles cling to small sub-cultures. The mobility of the car created a new habitat of suburbia, where walking was no longer an option and the distance between work and home increased.
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Prior to the car being such a mass vehicle, HORSES and carts were the main form of transport.;)

The roads required for then were basically the same structure as now (but not paved back in those days). Of course distances travelled have changed, but the roads were already in place.:)
 
That site actually hits on a pretty important point - the people you see cycling as transport in european countries, ie denmark, france, italy etc, are all wearing their normal clothes.... This is because they largely commute shorter distances and in flatter areas. you look at the cycle commuters here in australia and they are generally kitted out in cycling gear and therefore have to change into something else when they get to work, which means having to transport clothes and have a shower at work.

if we did have better cycle paths, then this would be a closer reality, but still only for people travelling the shorter distances (say less than 5 km) and in flatter areas....

I personally don't commute on a bike because of the hassle involved in having to store it somewhere, bring all my work clothes (suits) in a backpack and having to shower at work. I wouldn't ever ride in work clothes because the hills involved would be too much to do in work clothes.

I think encouraging people to ride the short distances to train stations and the like is a really good idea though, and given the number of cars at most suburban train stations, would be a good way of reducing traffic and parking woes.
 
After working and travelling through Europe a lot. A big factor, especially in Copenhagen and somewhere like Amsterdam, they are flat, hence all the single speeds.
And as has been mentioned, they are not the urban sprawls like we have here, if people do live in the suburbs then they tend to use public transport. This is a big hole in Australian public transport, yes I am involved in it, there is not enough tranpsort from small towns, which are now becoming parts of the city, into central areas.
Anyone who has been to Amsterdam, compare it to the way transport is handled in Melbourne, both cities have the same modes, but the Dutch handle it all much better, including integrating different transport modes such as bike racks at stations, and generally places to leave bikes anywhere.
 
scblack said:
The roads required for then were basically the same structure as now (but not paved back in those days). Of course distances travelled have changed, but the roads were already in place.:)
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Not sure that is strictly true.

If you look at a road infrastructure map of any major Australian centre say from 1970 to current day, there are in most cases massive differences, all bought on by population boom and the car as an enabling device for urban sprawl.
 
Turner_rider said:
Not sure that is strictly true.

If you look at a road infrastructure map of any major Australian centre say from 1970 to current day, there are in most cases massive differences, all bought on by population boom and the car as an enabling device for urban sprawl.
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You are right of course.:)

But in essence, roads have been around for hundreds of years. A road like the F3 would have been folly in the days of horses. Roads in the Sydney CBD (for example) though would be not that much changed for about a hundred years though.
 
scblack said:
You are right of course.:)

But in essence, roads have been around for hundreds of years. A road like the F3 would have been folly in the days of horses. Roads in the Sydney CBD (for example) though would be not that much changed for about a hundred years though.
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Location maybe... ability to handle different loads... definitely not.

A roads ability to take a horse and cart to a semi trailer / bus etc, is very very different.

The impact of a car a car compared with a bus / truck is negligible. A horse and cart compared with with a car is also negligible.
 
skybustim said:
After working and travelling through Europe a lot. A big factor, especially in Copenhagen and somewhere like Amsterdam, they are flat, hence all the single speeds.
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A lot of single speed as expected, but also a very high % of Nexus hubs, which is really what they were designed for.
 
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