A comparison of 42 urban areas in New Zealand with 500 towns and cities in the US shows how much better local urban design has to be if we’re serious about reducing reliance on cars.
We found people from the UK and Australia usually misunderstand the impact cycle lanes have on speed limits – wrongly believing addition of a cycle lane means cars would inevitably need to go slower.
With the rising cost of gas, commuting via bicycle is a viable solution.
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We surveyed over 4,000 Victorians and found more than three-quarters are interested in riding a bike, but only in infrastructure that separates people from cars – such as protected bike lanes.
Building a culture of cycling is essential, especially where bike use is low. A global movement of community bike workshops, also known as bike kitchens, can help.
Bike-share programs don’t just cater for residents. When tourists use them too, that greatly increases the value the whole community gets from these bikes.
Launched in 2010, Brisbane’s CityCycle, like share-bike schemes in other cities, is making way for dockless e-bikes.
Paul Broben/PR handout/AAP
Australian bicycles are largely influenced by sport, not utility. We should embrace cargo bikes for their usefulness, over speed.
Bike routes have been expanded in many major cities, including Bogata, Columbia, to encourage people to avoid crowded public transportation.
(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Bike shops have seen record sales during the pandemic as people try to avoid crowded transportation. But governments must do more to keep new cyclists in the saddle.
A cyclist in San Bernadino National Forest, where e-bikes were previously banned.
AP/Brian Melley
The Trump administration has moved to allow electric bikes on all federally owned trails where normal bikes are allowed. A public lands scholar weighs in on the issues this could cause.
The use of electric bikes can be tied to improved clarity of thought, faster reaction times and a boost in mental well-being.
If cyclist-friendly cities like Copenhagen can offer abundant and conveniently sited parking space for bikes, why not Australian cities?
Grey Geezer/Wikimedia
If cities had backed their active transport goals with investment in adequate cycling infrastructure we might not be having the arguments about dockless bikes ‘littering’ public space.
Share-bikes can litter our cities and be found in rivers, up trees, in gutters, and strewn around public places.
Obikes in unusual places/Facebook
Many short-term bike-hiring programs have been launched amid much fanfare, only for their popularity to decline soon after. Several key factors need to be in place for a program to work.
Information about who rides where and when is useful for city planners and policymakers, but also a valuable commodity in its own right.
AAP
Australians can see the impact of dockless bike sharing on the streets of their cities. The huge store of data collected about user journeys is less visible, but just as important.
Cyclists on Melbourne’s Obikes next to Federation square
AAP
There is more to bike-share schemes than first meets the eye. As they grow in global popularity, the economic models behind them become increasingly diversified.
Serious injury rates are rising in cyclists, and are associated with significant disability and economic costs.
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