Here’s the full text.

René Rice: news@thelocal.se

Here’s a photo of a bicycle in Sweden I took on a recent trip.

]]> http://www.bicyclingculture.com/2009/02/bicycle-culture-in-sweden/feed/ http://www.bicyclingculture.com/2008/09/what-makes-a-bicycle-city/ http://www.bicyclingculture.com/2008/09/what-makes-a-bicycle-city/#comments Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:00:32 +0000 admin http://www.bicyclingculture.com/?p=18
The term “bike friendly” generally refers to either drivers or places. A automobile-centered place can be bike friendly if the drivers are cautious towards cyclists and give them the space they need, but more-commonly it is used to places that have infrastructure designated to cyclists.

Virgin Vacations has named their 11 most bike friendly cities in the world based on the “Five E’s”: Engineering, Encouragement, Evaluation & Planning, Education, and Enforcement. The Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign lead by the League of American Cyclists has make way for this easy definition.

It is clear, though, that A positive feedback loop exists between bicycling infrastructure and bicycling culture. When one is strong, the other develops and creates more of the first.

Here are 11 examples:

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, a.k.a. the bike capital of the world, has 40% of all traffic movements by bicycle. They have created a bicycle friendly city that promotes a healthier, more active lifestyle for its residents. An extensive network of safe, fast and comfortable bicycle routes has been developed, the road safety of cyclists has been increased, a
theft-prevention program was set up as well as the number of bicycle sheds increased.

Amsterdam is undertaking an ambitious capital-improvement program that includes building a 10,000-bike parking garage at the main train station.

Highlights: Designated street lanes and traffic signals. Bicycle safety concerns. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Rent public bicycles. Underground sheds and outside racks, which hold thousands of bikes under guard. Large bicycle culture.

2. Portland, Oregon, USA
Portland has a varied bicycle network that connects all parts of the city. This network has proven successful in dramatically increasing bicycle use. Portland also has a strong bicycle culture where all types of cyclists can find opportunities to enjoy riding a bicycle. Portland’s Create-a-Commuter program is the first project in the United States that provides low-income adults with commuter bicycles as well as a session on commuter safety. The bikes come outfitted with lights, a lock, a helmet, a pump, tool kits, maps and rainwear.

Portland’s bicycle network has grown from 60 to 260 miles since the early 1990s. Bicycle use has quadrupled over the same period without any increase in crashes. The city still has 38 miles of bike lanes left in order to achieve its master plan. But in some neighborhoods bike commuters are as high as 9%.

Highlights: Extensive on/off road trails, designated street lanes, and traffic signals. Bicycle culture with Community Cycling Center that offers education and encouragement.

3. Copenhagen, Denmark

The city with the sixth-highest quality of life in the world is also home to the world’s most successful community bicycle program. In Denmark practically everybody has a bike, and for many years Copenhagen has been known as ‘the city of bikes’. The city of Copenhagen plans to double its spending on biking infrastructure over the next three years.

Currently 32% of workers bicycle to work and 50 percent say they cycle to work because it is fast and easy. The city’s bicycle paths are extensive and well-used. Bicycle paths are often separated from the main traffic lanes and sometimes have their own signal systems.  Already one city neighborhood, the notorious commune Christiania, is completely car-free.

The city provides public bicycles which can be found throughout the downtown area and used with a returnable deposit of 20 kroner, your money is refunded when you return the bike to one of many racks.

Highlights: Free public bicycles. Streets with dedicated lanes, paths and routes that are either clearly marked or separated from vehicular traffic by curbs. Bike paths and other bike-friendly facilities are a part of the planning of every new or rebuilt road. Large bicycle culture.

4. Boulder, Colorado, USA
Great public programs that help promote safe biking and encourage its use such as Boulder Safe Routes to School pilot program. One school reported that 75 percent of their students walked or biked to school — a 620 percent increase from before the pilot. More than 4,000 people participate in Boulder’s Bike to Work Day.

At least 95 percent of arterials have bike lanes or trails on them. They recently completed two major underpasses, and offers online bike mapping. Boulder has spent an average 15% of its transportation budget on building and maintaining bicycle traffic over the past five years

Highlights: Designated street lanes, traffic signals, and an in depth local bike map. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Boulder’s Bike to Work Day. Education and encouragement.

5. Davis, California, USA
This small city of 65,000 people has over 100 miles of bike lanes and bike paths. 17% of Davis residents commute to work on bicycles.

Davis was one of the first cities in the U.S. to actively start planning for and incorporating the bicycle into its transportation infrastructure. Davis residents enjoy an extensive network of bike lanes, bike paths, and grade-separated bicycle crossings. The flat terrain and temperate climate are also conducive to bicycling. City residents voted to get rid of public school busses many years ago, so many children walk or bike to school.

Davis has a comprehensive local bike map with tips and resources on the back. This map is multi-colored, it is free, and it is distributed through the city, university, and local bike shops. Bicycling is so core to this community’s identity that the city’s logo is a bike. The City of Davis and UC Davis are in the process of establishing a west coast bicycle museum. Davis has more bikes than cars and is the only place to earn platinum status on Bicycle Friendly Community’s list of top cities. The city is about to build a $1.7 million bike-only tunnel under a major road.

Highlights: Designated street lanes, traffic signals, and an in depth local bike map. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Month-long celebration of the bicycle called Cyclebration in May. The university, UC Davis, bans almost all car traffic. Major development funding. Vigorously Enforced Laws and regulations regarding bicycle use on both bicycles and motorized vehicles.

6. Sandnes, Norway
In 1990 the government decided to start a 4-year pilot bicycle project in order to reduce car traffic and Sandnes was chosen to be one of two pilot towns. The two main goals of the project were to make the town more friendly for cyclists as well as to make more people use the bicycle. The campaign has continued well past the 4 year mark and Today Sandnes has the best facilities for cyclists in Norway.

The public bike system in Sandnes starting in June 1996 as the first city in Norway were you are able to subscribe to a plan of use.

Highlights: Designated street lanes. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Rent or subscribe to public bicycles. Great bicycle parking. Large bicycle culture.

7. Trondheim, Norway
Yes, Norway is 6th and 7th on the list! They have invented the worlds first Bicycle Lift (Trampe) which actually has become one of Trondheims most popular tourist attractions and has become a success.

The bicycle lift carries cyclists uphill. Inspired by the ski lift technology, the cyclists could be pushed uphill without having to get off of the bicycle. Taking into account the topography of Trondheim, it is no surprise that the idea of a bicycle lift was conceived here.

Trondheim is an environmental friendly city that promotes cycling. It has a public bike project were you can rent bikes. 18% of the population of Trondheim is using their bike as a daily means if transport to work or school. Norway aims to raise bicycle traffic to at least 8% of all travel by 2015.

Highlights: Bicycle lift. Designated street lanes. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Rent or subscribe to public bicycles.

Bicycle Lift in Trondheim, Norway video:

8. San Francisco, California
San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the U.S, so a core bicycle system is key here and it also is consistently ranked by Bicycling Magazine as a top city for cycling. Bicycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco, with about 40,000 residents commuting to work regularly by bicycle. There are 63 miles of bicycle lanes and paths throughout the city.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition endorsed eight candidates for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and all were elected. The board, which is the transportation authority for the city and county, puts highest priority on pedestrian and cycling needs, followed by mass transit.

With the number of commuters growing, all public transportation has been equipped to carry bicycles, and driving lanes are being converted into bike lanes.

Highlights: Designated street lanes and traffic signals. Biking is core to its transportation infrastructure. Large bicycle culture with some political influence.

9. Berlin, Germany
Berlin is the country’s largest city, and the second most populous city in the European Union. In Berlin where less than half of residents own a car, it has become downright common to ride a bike every day.

City officials pledged to work toward bikes comprising 15% of the city’s traffic by the year 2010. After devoting 2.5 million Euros last year to expanding on the bike lane system they are on track. The city already has 80 kilometers of bike lanes in the wide streets and 50 kilometers of lanes on sidewalks. Cycling has doubled in the past decade, and now the city’s 400,000 riders each day account for 12% of total street traffic.

Online bicycle router BBBike determines the best bike route between two points in Berlin. Just enter your origin and destination point.

Highlights: Designated street lanes, independent bike paths, traffic signals and bike maps. Bike rentals. Events, education and encouragement. Online bike router. Large bike culture.

10.  Barcelona, Spain

On March 22, 2007, Barcelona’s City Council started the Bicing service, a bicycle service for public transport. Once the user has their card, they can take a bicycle from any of the 100 stations spread around the city and use it anywhere the urban area of the city, and then leave it at another station.

Barcelona City Council is working day and night to expand, rationalize and improve the network of routes and cycle paths in the city. The city has created a ‘green ring’ that surrounds the metropolitan area of Barcelona with a bike path. There are currently 3,250 parking spaces for bikes at street level. Barcelona City Council is constructing a new underground car park for bicycles; this forms part of a pilot program to prevent theft and provide security for bicycle users.

In September, deliberately aimed to coincide with Car Free Day, the Sustainable and Safe Mobility Week takes place, in which a whole day is dedicated to the bicycle. Bike Week was held for the first time between May 21 and 26 in 2002. It’s another step forward along the same path that was started by the Festival of the Bicycle , which is integrated into Bike Week. Apart from the festive and leisure activities or the presentation of various projects that are centered around the bicycle, it is a call to use pedal power to get around.

Highlights: Designated street lanes, independent bike paths, traffic signals and bike maps. Activities and events that raise awareness and education for bike safety. Ample bike parking.

11. Basel, Switzerland
The City of Basel is surrounded by a rich agricultural region where fruit trees and grapevines are cultivated and cattle are raised making for beautiful countryside bike tours with clearly-marked networks of bicycle routes and paths that criss-cross both the city as well as the surrounding region.

Basel is a very bicycle-friendly city, with many well-marked bicycle lanes throughout the city, and even traffic signals and left-hand turn lanes for bikes. Special route maps are also available for cyclists.

Bikes can be rented locally from the Rent-a-Bike underground bike park. Besides local commuter bike lanes, there are specific bike trails that connect to other parts of Switzerland. These bike trails are indicated by signs at some intersections.

Highlights: Designated street lanes, independent bike paths, traffic signals and bike maps. Bike rentals. Events, education and encouragement.

Karen Burshtein’s piece in the National Post called, “Stilletos on Wheels: Cycling goes Chic” brings attention to the the fashion of bicycle culture.

How valuable should  we consider this kind of contribution when we read phrases like, “Fashion, they say, comes and goes in cycles. Now, it’s cycling that’s in fashion; the style brigade has taken up the two-wheel ride and, in doing so, is changing the image of the cyclist.”

On the other hand, let’s not keep cycling culture for the most radical activists or messengers; cycling is an activity for everyone, stylish or awkward. What I like most about this global trend is that the stigma of cycling being for the poor or the political is dying away.

Contact us for the pdf of her article.

Gil Penalosa runs the not-for-profit Walk and Bike for Life in Port Credit, Ontario and is one of the world’s leading bicycle infrastructure consultants. He’s also an excellent public speaker and recently gave the keynote address to an active audience at the Carfree Portland conference, this summer. You can listen to it here.

He also gained his experience working as the Commission for Parks and Recreation in Bogota, Colombia, which with the help of his brother and mayor, Enrique, became a very bicycle-friendly city, and launched the the Cyclovia which has been copied in Ottawa, New York, Australia and many other cities.

When asked in an interview with BicyclingCulture.com if he thought part of what makes cities bikeable is bike culture he said:

Part of it is with culture, but it not the culture that was their 200 years ago. It’s part of the culture that has been created. In Copenhagen, the last 30 years. The first pedestrian street was closed in Copenhagen 35 years ago, it wasn’t 200 years ago. It was a very car-oriented city. Then, they took the cars out of one street and the retail were very upset. And then they created a pedestrian street and they were very successful. And then they did another and another and another. So they created a cultural change. So it is a change of cultures, but it’s not because it’s in their genes, or because they were born different, or because they eat something different for breakfast.

Places like Portland, have become very walkable, and 20 years ago it was a very car-oriented city. Vancouver is very good for pedestrians, but it’s not because people in Vancouver are different from people in Toronto. So I think it is about a cultural change, but it’s not because the Danish or the Dutch or the people in Portland, or the people in Vancouver are different.

…

We have to have a lot of social marketing. There has to be a campaign, where in the short term we do what we call petunias, so things that are easy to do, low risk, low cost but high visibility and that will gain momentum to do things that are more difficult more risky. And then, we gotta get leaders, and communicate the ideas and engage politicians, and engage the communities and elect people that have guts. All of this.

The optimist would say, “Yipee! Bike culture has gone mainstream, we can now all relax as the bike lanes pave themselves and all people rejoice in human-powered joy!” But let’s get real. The only thing mainstream about bike culture is that it is summer. Just because gas prices are through the roof doesn’t mean we can cheer our unique brand of North American bike culture.

Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate Hahn’s bringing the bike culture idea to the attention of her and thousands of Canadian readers, but newspapers, and especially “style” critics have a tendency to write about what’s current as opposed to ongoing trends or lasting effects. What Hahn is listing with her references to Critical Mass, the Bicycle Film Festival, urbanvelo.com, “Ghost” bikes and the like a great primer for people to get involved in a growing bike culture.

I just find it hard to believe in the “mainstream” celebration of bike culture on Saturday, when on Tuesday the same newspaper’s editorial cartoon is making fun of the Leader of the Official Opposition for riding a bike, or the “Bat Cycle” and being “Cheep!”

but we must not forget that we are up against a much more dominant culture of automobiles, adds selling the sexy factor of cars and endless, traffic-free highways without sidewalks or bike lanes.

We have a long way to go.

The photo artists, Brenton Salo, and designer/editor Aaron Edge proudly display Seattle’s fixie bike culture. They portray the bikes and their riders as “Beautiful.”

Find out for yourself. Preview and buy Rain City Fix.

There is something beautiful in riding together: perhaps it is the shared sense of freedom and invigoration one receives from riding. Riding together, you are more likely to get noticed, and take up cultural space. And although neon yellow is not exactly a pinnacle of aesthetics, there is something remarkable about it, just as a neon fast-food sign lights up a grey street.

Bicycling together has a sense of common cultural experience like being at a concert, theatre or public demonstration. The beauty of riding together, however, has a more active quality to it. The rider is not just taking in the sights like on a guided tour of downtown, you are the driver and passenger all in one.

In places like Australia and Italy, a new social phenomenon has sprung up call Bike Bus. It looks and feels like club ride or a critical mass, but its for commuting purposes. Not only to people get to work or school invigorated, but they get the experience of riding together.

Check out their Website

The city of Reggio Emilia, in Tuscony, Italy, has begun a project to get people riding together early. Not only early in the day, but as young people. The innovative BiciBus program, started in 2007, now takes 380 children to and from 10 schools by riding in groups lead by a volunteer teacher, parent or grandparent. What better way to get kids into the bike culture than by starting them off early.

Check out BiciBus’ Italian Website

Today, there is a growing bicycle culture.

Recently, the European Commission has done a series of case studies on the “new culture of urban mobility” to discover and encourage sustainable transport methods within its own borders.

They discovered, among other things, that Skopje has had a municipally supported bicycle culture and infrastructure since 1999.

The case study Synopsis is as follows:

The principal objectives of Skopje’s transport policy are:

• improving existing and building new bike and pedestrian paths and shortcuts,
• planning the building of multilevel parking lots,
• reducing air pollution,
• improving the safety of specific target groups involved in the traffic,
• improving the mobility conditions of disabled people.

As a consequence, the major characteristics of its transport policy are:

• strengthening public transportation as a strategic goal;
• opening new pedestrians zones,
• re-allocating road space,
• reducing congestion by re-directing the heavy vehicles to pass-by roads,
• introducing electric vehicles in the public transport fleet.

Moreover, a sustainable mobility plan will be developed after completing the analysis of the current status.

The promotion of alternative transport modes, with an accent on bicycle riding, is an important action led by the Municipality in the field of sustainable mobility. The city of Skopje has participated in every “Spreading Bike Riding Culture” event since 1999. This event has taken place from March to September every year since 1999.

The Municipality focuses first on the establishment of appropriate conditions that support the use of bicycles by all categories of users. Such conditions include:

• improved bicycle paths (extension of existing paths, bicycle parking lots, traffic signs, maps for bicycle users, etc.) and repairs of poor roads (by placing a new layer of asphalt),
• increased public awareness with the Car Free Day Campaign, public campaigns, educational events in primary and secondary school.

Torok’s major works at the La Carrera Cycles exhibit, are glistening oil tableaus that mix the cool blues, greens and dark greys and blacks of an abstracted city skyline, with recognizable bicycle-parts stenciled over top. There is no attempt at a story, other than, perhaps one of a growing bike culture within a towering downtown Toronto. They beg the eye into a streetscape demonstrate the play of geometry, movement, and subtle glowing light.

The large 5-foot by 7-foot unstretched, raw canvases called “Buildings and Gears” and “Buildings and Wheels,” reflect her respect for both the built environment’s straight lines and the detailed two-dimensional expression of stencil graffiti artists like Toronto’s Janet “Bike Girl” Attard.

The other pieces are ink-on-paper representations of bike couriers. Without pretension, Torok explains, “I like their style of dress, and I like their bikes.”

Although she never worked for a courier company, Torok did deliveries as part of her behind-the-scenes film and TV career. “They discovered I could ride fast,” she says modestly.

Being immersed in bike culture, Torok finds ways to stay busy when the film season slows. She fixes bikes — as she has since she took the training wheels off her own first bike — and sells them as a side project. When she has time, Torok volunteers at Bike Pirates, a do-it-yourself bike shop on Bathurst south of College, and the venue for an undated Summer exhibit.

She is inspired both by her friends in Toronto’s indie music and drama scene, and her physical environment. “If you are creative, then you are drawn to other people who are creative,” says Torok about the artistic community she belongs to that she calls a family. But being “a very visual person” her art also reflects a street-wise downtown culture.

After returning from a recent trip to Berlin, Torok has another culture to compare with Toronto’s in terms of bike- and art-friendliness. It’s obvious that Berlin’s drivers are more aware of cyclists, she says, “They give you space. There’s more awareness: separated bike lanes, made of different colour cobblestones between the parked cars, a line of trees and pedestrians.” But Torok has as much to say about how Berlin plays host to the artistic expressions of graffiti artists. “They welcome graffiti there. They don’t try and cover it up. It’s a part of the city. They almost encourage it to let out people’s frustrations.”

Don’t expect a political message from her art, though. She admits, we as a society need more awareness of bikes on the road, and of our own consumer culture, but Torok would rather see individuals and communities make the effort for a bike culture to thrive.

“I believe that everyone can make the switch to bikes with a little effort. And if each person who rode a bike paved one cobblestone in the road, we would have bike lanes.”

Upcoming Shows:

Summer: Bike Pirates, 457 Bathurst St., open Saturdays and Thursdays 12-5 <http://bikepirates.com>.

Fall: “Not Just A One Trick Pony” a juried exhibition of artwork made by members of the IATSE 667 camera union, September 11-21 at the Mango Lounge, 1402 Queen Street East

Feist laughed it off, and used Toronto’s area codes of 416, 647, and 905 saying that she would have preferred to use something, “more poetic” like bicycles.

Could the global bicycling culture benefit from a statement like this, or perhaps a song from a musical celebrity? If there is any doubt that celebrities love riding bikes, just look to Queen Latifah. In an interview with People Magazine she said, “When you’re on a bike, 80 miles an hour, no protection between you and the concrete, it can be a very spiritual place. I have four motorcycles, a scooter and, like, eight bicycles.

Celebrities on bikes are beautiful, approachable and environmentally sensitive.