It makes sense to me, but will "the powers that be" make it happen? I
see SUVs in full control of the road in America.
I'm afraid my bicycles will continue to rust... 🙁
CITIES TURNING TO BICYCLES TO
CUT COSTS, POLLUTION, AND CRIME
by Gary Gardner
For safer streets, less congestion, and cleaner air, the bicycle is
poised to become an integral part of urban transportation systems for
the 21st century, says the Worldwatch Institute in a new report. Too
often relegated to weekend jaunts and children's use, bicycles are
emerging as a solution to some of today's most intractable urban
problems.
Putting bicycles to work could produce enormous savings, like reduced
air and noise pollution, better land use, less congestion and lower
health costs. "Americans drive cars and taxis more than 1.5 trillion
miles each year," said Gary Gardner, author of "When Cities Take
Bicycles Seriously," an article in the September/October issue of
World Watch. "Shifting just 5 percent of those miles to bicycles would
save at least $100 billion."
Much of urban travel is already "bike-sized": 40 percent of all trips
in the United States (and 50 percent in Britain) are 2 miles or
shorter. More than 25 percent of all trips are under a mile in the
United States. "Cycling could eliminate some of these short,
air-polluting trips," Gardner said, citing estimates that 90 percent
of emissions in a 7-mile trip are generated in the first mile before
the engine warms up.
Strong support from citizens and local officials has been driving new
bike policies around the world. In several major cities in the
Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany, bicycles now account for 20 to 30
percent of all trips. In many Asian cities, the bicycle's share of
trips is even higher, accounting for more than half of all trips in
some Chinese cities-more than buses, cars, and walking combined. In
stark contrast, bicycles are used for less than 1 percent of all trips
in Canada and the United States.
In addition to bicycles' environmental and health benefits, mayors all
over the world are finding that bicycles can also fight crime and cut
administrative costs. City inspectors, health workers, meter readers,
parks and recreation officials, paramedics, and a host of other
employees can use bikes for at least some of their work.
Bicycle use by police departments has mushroomed in the past decade.
The International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) estimates
that more than 2,000 police departments in the United States, Canada,
Australia, Iceland, and Russia have bicycle units, with some 10,000
officers on bikes.
Even better, the IPMBA reports that half of the police departments it
surveyed saw a jump in arrest rates-by an average of 24 percent-when
bicycles were introduced into patrol areas. Putting cops on bikes also
improves community relations and cuts costs.
The average car costs 12 cents per mile to operate, while bicycles run
for less than 1 cent per mile. One patrol car costs about $23,000 and
requires $3,000 to $4,000 each year in maintenance. One police bicycle
costs about $1,000 and requires $100 each year in maintenance.
Gardner cites numerous examples of how cities around the world are
encouraging the use of bicycles by making inexpensive but effective
changes in their transportation systems:
-In Muenster, Germany, bus lanes can be used by bicycles, but not by
cars. Special lanes near intersections feed cyclists to a stop area
ahead of cars, while an advance green light for cyclists ensures that
they get through the intersection before cars behind them begin to
move.
-In Japan, local governments bolstered the "bike and ride" link with
railways. The number of train station bike parking spaces rose from
600,000 in 1977 to nearly 2.4 million in 1987, maintaining the high
levels of railway use despite rising levels of car ownership.
(Construction of covered and locked bike racks costs from $50 to $500
per space-a fraction of the $12,000 to $18,000 to build garage space
for each car.)
-In Lima, Peru, the city set up a micro-credit program to help
low-income citizens buy bicycles. By eliminating dependence on public
transportation, which runs about $25 per month, workers making $200
per month would see their income effectively rise by 8 percent during
the repayment period, and by more than 12 percent once the loan is
paid off.
-Copenhagen's City Bike program makes 2,300 bicycles available for
public use around the city. Users pay 20 krona (about $3) to check out
a two-wheeler, but the fee is refunded when the bike is returned. The
bikes are intensively used: a Danish newspaper reported that the City
Bike it tracked for 12 hours spent only 8 minutes at bike stands
waiting for new patrons. This program is a public-private partnership,
with businesses buying the bikes in return for advertising space on
the bikes.
"By 2025, the share of people living in cities is expected to reach 5
billion," said Gardner. "Increasing bicycle use will be key to making
the urban habitat, now home to nearly half of humanity, a far more
livable space."