Cities Turning to Bicycles



D

DonQuijote1954

Guest
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."

http://committed.to/justiceforpeace
 
DonQuijote1954 wrote:
|| 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... :(

Well, I tell all of my friends that I sense a resurgence of the bicycle in
the US. Since I started bicycling, I see more and more people on bikes. On
the University campus where I work, the use of bicycles by students seems to
be going up tremendously - and even the campus police use bicycles (some of
them, anyway). I also think that people are starting to realize that
triple-bypass surgery is almost a foregone conclusion if they don't get off
their asses and start getting some real exercise in.

I just wished I lived closer to work - 40 miles is a bit too much and I'm
too slow a rider right now to commute that distance.

||
||
|| 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."
||
|| http://committed.to/justiceforpeace
 
"DonQuijote1954" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I'm afraid my bicycles will continue to rust... :(


Interesting article. One we see so often. Unfortunately, most often nothing
is done about the situation.

One of the initiatives I've been glad to see are the "Rails to Trails"
programs. Though often the trail doesn't pass by very many handy places, it
does at least give an enjoyable place to ride for pleasure.

I rode my bike to work for about a year at a time when we only had one
vehicle. It was 11 miles each way, mostly on busy city streets. Fortunately,
I didn't get hurt or hit. Often times, I'd take to the sidewalk to avoid
problems.

With a dedicated bike lane, a place to freshen up at work and a (better)
place to store my bike during the day, it would've been a more ideal
situation. Funny thing was, eventually two or three other people decided
that riding their bike to work was a pretty novel idea. Apparently,
sometimes it takes that one person to get others thinking about the various
health (and money-saving) advantages.

--
Malcolm
 
DonQuijote1954 wrote:

> 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... :(


Why?

Bikes are beautiful machines. They deserve to be allowed to run.

SUVs or no SUVs, cycling is extremely safe if done with any competence.
Even in crowded areas, you can usually find pleasant side streets to
ride. And once you learn a little about cycling in traffic, even most
major roads are perfectly fine for cycling.

In my experience, there are too many people who use "If only..."
fantasies to excuse their contribution to the problem. Get out there
and do what needs to be done!


--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com.
Substitute cc dot ysu dot
edu]
 
[email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> 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.
>


People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
bikes.
 
"Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message

news:<[email protected]>...
> > 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.
> >

>
> People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
> it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
> drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
> bikes.


Thats the biggest load of **** I've seen posted in ages, got some
documentation supporting it?

Of course you don't
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Frank Krygowski <[email protected]> writes:

> In my experience, there are too many people who use "If only..."
> fantasies to excuse their contribution to the problem. Get out there
> and do what needs to be done!


I'm really enjoying my new job, in large part because it
allows me to ride to various construction sites around town.
Last Friday at the most developed site, I noticed a couple
of the crew had ridden to work, too. Maybe I inspired them.
It's nice to think so, anyway.

Start time is 7:30 AM. If I'm out of the house at 6:00 or
6:30, the streets are pretty much all mine. The cool morning
air is so refreshing, I'm alert, comfortable & quite awake on
arrival. And then a pre-work cup of coffee is all the more
pleasant.

The nearest site is 20 minutes away from home; the furthest,
40 minutes. The ride home after work is sweetly stress free,
although maybe a bit slow after a hard day's physical labour.
I just use the ride as a warm-down, and arrive home unexhausted
and still limber.

Parking on-site is a cinch -- I just bring my bike right into
the site and park it in an out-of-the-way corner.

I'd bet for every excuse not to ride, there are at least two
good reasons to go ahead and do it. But I guess I'm also
blessed in being so able to integrate cycling into my lifestyle.
Or my lifestyle into cycling.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
[email protected] (Laura Bush murdered her boy friend) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > 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.
> >

>
> People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
> it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
> drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
> bikes.


We'll name you Transportation Secretary when we make it with the
Banana Revolution...

You forget one thing: The SUVs themselves are the WMDs--caught
redhanded.
 
"Mark Leuck" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<9jv%c.150515$mD.14615@attbi_s02>...
> "Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > [email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message

> news:<[email protected]>...
> > > 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.
> > >

> >
> > People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
> > it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
> > drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
> > bikes.

>
> Thats the biggest load of **** I've seen posted in ages, got some
> documentation supporting it?
>
> Of course you don't


Get out of your cave and look at how the car loons drive. You
speeders and DUIs and RLRs and CPDs are terrorists.
 
On 8 Sep 2004 07:53:21 -0700, [email protected] (Laura Bush murdered
her boy friend) wrote:

>> > People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
>> > it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
>> > drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
>> > bikes.

>>
>> Thats the biggest load of **** I've seen posted in ages, got some
>> documentation supporting it?
>>
>> Of course you don't

>
>Get out of your cave and look at how the car loons drive. You
>speeders and DUIs and RLRs and CPDs are terrorists.


I fail to see where your first sentence logically (other than through
some warped prism) leads to the second, the buying of 3 ton SUVs being
done by terrorists. The third sentence makes sense only in form - I
doubt that anyone else thinks that imprisonment of drivers that kill
and maim will have a noticeable impact on whether people will buy
small cars and bikes.

And no, I'm not a speeder. I don't drive while under the influence.
The RLR and CPD part escapes me, but I'm sure they are important
acronyms in your particular world. Probably ride a bike more than you
do.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
 
"Tom Keats" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Frank Krygowski <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > In my experience, there are too many people who use "If only..."
> > fantasies to excuse their contribution to the problem. Get out there
> > and do what needs to be done!

>
> I'm really enjoying my new job, in large part because it
> allows me to ride to various construction sites around town.
> Last Friday at the most developed site, I noticed a couple
> of the crew had ridden to work, too. Maybe I inspired them.
> It's nice to think so, anyway.
>
> Start time is 7:30 AM. If I'm out of the house at 6:00 or
> 6:30, the streets are pretty much all mine. The cool morning
> air is so refreshing, I'm alert, comfortable & quite awake on
> arrival. And then a pre-work cup of coffee is all the more
> pleasant.
>
> The nearest site is 20 minutes away from home; the furthest,
> 40 minutes. The ride home after work is sweetly stress free,
> although maybe a bit slow after a hard day's physical labour.
> I just use the ride as a warm-down, and arrive home unexhausted
> and still limber.
>
> Parking on-site is a cinch -- I just bring my bike right into
> the site and park it in an out-of-the-way corner.
>
> I'd bet for every excuse not to ride, there are at least two
> good reasons to go ahead and do it. But I guess I'm also
> blessed in being so able to integrate cycling into my lifestyle.
> Or my lifestyle into cycling.
>
>
> cheers,
> Tom
>

I rather thought this was a news group from CHINA or maybe INDIA. There
everyone wants to get a motorbike because riding a bicycle is such a damn
chore. I lived that way for several years myself, and on Sundays we took a
tonga, and the horse could not pull both my wife and me, so I had to walk
part of the distance to church. It is so romantic....NOT.
 
"Laura Bush murdered her boy friend" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message

news:<[email protected]>...
> > 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.
> >

>
> People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
> it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
> drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
> bikes.


I happen to need one. No one wants to be a terrorist. We just want to be
able to get home reliably on a dirt road with steep hills. We have to use
low gear 4-wheel drive to get in.
 
"Curtis L. Russell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 8 Sep 2004 07:53:21 -0700, [email protected] (Laura Bush murdered
> her boy friend) wrote:
>
> >> > People aren't forced to buy 3 ton SUVs. They do it cause they think
> >> > it's cool to be a highway terrorist. If america imprisoned reckless
> >> > drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
> >> > bikes.
> >>
> >> Thats the biggest load of **** I've seen posted in ages, got some
> >> documentation supporting it?
> >>
> >> Of course you don't

> >
> >Get out of your cave and look at how the car loons drive. You
> >speeders and DUIs and RLRs and CPDs are terrorists.

>
> I fail to see where your first sentence logically (other than through
> some warped prism) leads to the second, the buying of 3 ton SUVs being
> done by terrorists. The third sentence makes sense only in form - I
> doubt that anyone else thinks that imprisonment of drivers that kill
> and maim will have a noticeable impact on whether people will buy
> small cars and bikes.
>
> And no, I'm not a speeder. I don't drive while under the influence.
> The RLR and CPD part escapes me, but I'm sure they are important
> acronyms in your particular world. Probably ride a bike more than you
> do.


To Mr. Curtis L. Russell and Mark Leuck: please don't feed the resident
troll of rec.autos.driving. Trying to use logic to argue with him/her/it
will only lead to more unsupported BS from him/her/it.

>
> Curtis L. Russell
> Odenton, MD (USA)
> Just someone on two wheels...
 
On Wed, 8 Sep 2004 11:45:02 -0400, "Allen Seth Dunn" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>To Mr. Curtis L. Russell and Mark Leuck: please don't feed the resident
>troll of rec.autos.driving. Trying to use logic to argue with him/her/it
>will only lead to more unsupported BS from him/her/it.


Oh, well, we all have our trolls. There should be a troll swapping
service somewhere - if we can't get rid of them and they won't go
away, we should be able to trade them group to group. Most of the
trolls don't really seem to care where they end up.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
 
George Conklin wrote in part:

<< the horse could not pull both my wife and me, >>

That just pretty much speaks for itself.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

>If america imprisoned reckless
>drivers that kill and maim, then people would opt for small cars and
>bikes.


No, if they did that we would probably have safer roads and better drivers.
Unfortunately the idiots prefer to give out speeding tickets to safe drivers.
That way they can collect money from the fines and the insurance companies
can increase the safe drivers rates.
-------------
Alex
 
On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 11:11:45 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<[email protected]> wrote:

>In my experience, there are too many people who use "If only..."
>fantasies to excuse their contribution to the problem. Get out there
>and do what needs to be done!


I wish I had a job that let me ride to work.

My present one has me hauling hundreds of pounds of photo equipment to
sites that are pretty far from my house (I covered 150 miles' driving
today). And getting to the site very early in the morning.

I ride my bike in town, as much as I can, and stubbornly refuse to
carry my bike in the car to meet friends for rides if the meeting
point is within a reasonable ride from my house (and the pace of the
ride doesn't kill me outright). But I can't use it for work, until I
find other work that would allow me to ride.

-Luigi
 
Luigi de Guzman wrote:
> On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 11:11:45 -0400, Frank Krygowski
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>In my experience, there are too many people who use "If only..."
>>fantasies to excuse their contribution to the problem. Get out there
>>and do what needs to be done!

>
>
> I wish I had a job that let me ride to work.
>
> My present one has me hauling hundreds of pounds of photo equipment to
> sites that are pretty far from my house (I covered 150 miles' driving
> today). And getting to the site very early in the morning.


Tsk tsk. If you were a Real Cyclist (TM), none of that would be an
obstacle.

-km, ducking and running

--
С детьми воюют только трусы -- Only cowards fight kids.
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
 
[email protected] (DonQuijote1954) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> 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."
>
> http://committed.to/justiceforpeace


This means bicycles are going to become the dominant form of
transportation and that bicycles will replace car use for meter
readers, etc.
 

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