An occasional update on items from the Velo-city.
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NORMAL AND COOL
How Munich marketed a positive bicycle culture:
Highlight: the photographs. At 2:10.
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THE GHETTO DEBATE
Well, that’s one way to characterize the pro-and-con of ‘separated bike lanes’ – and the argument apparently is underway in Ottawa where they’re considering a Hornby-style cycle track on Laurier Street.
Unfortunately, that approval stands in jeopardy, threatened by a faction of cyclists who are mounting a wrong-headed campaign to oppose the downtown bike lanes.
These advocates of “vehicular cycling” believe that bikes belong on the roads along with buses, cars and trucks, and that any bike lane is an attempt to “ghettoize” cyclists.
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THE ART OF BIKING – AND VICE-VERSA (2)
Jean Chong’s documentation of 27 different pieces of outdoor public bike art in Metro Vancouver continues with Part 2.
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JOBS, JOBS, JOBS
A University of Massachusetts study estimated the employment impacts of various transportation infrastructure projects in the city of Baltimore.
Bottom line:
We find that pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects create 11-14 jobs per $1 million of spending while road infrastructure projects create approximately 7 jobs per $1 million of expenditures.
Other studies have shown that investments in bicycle and pedestrian facilities can reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life. Here we find that these investments bring an additional benefit to the community: they are an important source of job creation.
I can understand the logic of the vehicular cyclists – they feel comfortable biking with traffic, so why spend money on separated bike lanes. But that kind of thinking is selfish and does nothing to make cycling more appealing to new riders.
I used to be one of those cyclists who loved flying down congested streets on my road bike, passing cars, and weaving in and out of traffic. A 3-foot painted strip was more then enough room to avoid cars. I had no need for separated bike lanes, if anything they would slow me down.
Two years ago I sold my road bike, bought a slower commuter bike, and now go out of my way to ride on the separated bike lanes on Dunsmuir and Hornby. My commute is slower, calmer, and more relaxing because I don’t feel the need to keep up with or even pass traffic. My old commute was adrenaline-fuelled and exhilarating, but always left me angry at drivers.