During my fellowship I have had the opportunity to look at
bike infrastructure in no less than six cities and I am pleased to report
Philadelphia is doing very well compared to our counterparts in Australia and
Taiwan. I'll write about cycling in Taiwan in a separate post, for now let me catch you up on what I saw down under. Philadelphia has three important advantages when it comes to cycling as
means of transportation: we’re a largely flat city, we have dense residential
areas within two miles of our job hubs in Center City and University City, and
our often narrow streets (even those without bike lanes) are more comfortable
to ride on than the wide expanses and fast move vehicles that make up streets
in many other part of the world.
Australian cities are working to increase the rates of
cycling for the same mix of reasons we are: cycling is a low impact form of
transportation that when it replaces auto trips both improves air quality and
reduces congestion and cycling is a great way for citizens to become more
physically active. Australia is facing an obesity epidemic not so different
from ours and has come to the realization that how we design and operate our
communities can impact how we live.
Shocking, I know.
There are also two important differences between
Philadelphia and Australia. Transportation officials in Philadelphia are not so
much working to spur demand for cycling, but working to keep up with
demand. Australia has a mandatory
helmet law. I always wear a helmet. After an accident more than a decade ago
that put a crack straight though my helmet I have been known to harass friends
who don’t wear one. That said, I don’t think mandatory helmet make a lot of sense and the
Dutch even argue against helmet wearing all together. Speaking of
helmets, if you haven’t see the invisible helmet, check this video out.
The mandatory helmet laws have also been blamed as a key
inhibitor to the success of bike share programs in Australia. Both Brisbane’s bike share and Melbourne’s bike share are known to
be struggling and requiring operating subsidies. This is in contrast to North American and
European bike share programs that have largely succeed without operating
subsidies. In Brisbane, I think the
main inhibitor; however is the lack of good cycling infrastructure. There are
few bike lanes (though some great trails) and the wide streets lead to high speed traffic.
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| Peacefully sharing the space in Melbourne |
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| Brisbane bike share system struggles to attract riders |
Melbourne by contrast has the infrastructure and cyclists including those on bike share are a common site. The Royal Automotive Club of Victoria (like the AAA of Victoria), who operates the bike share program, is addressing the helmet program by making them available at 7-11s for just AUS$5. RACV is a major advocate of multi-modal investments and provides road side assistance for bikes. As Brian Negus, RACV's policy director told me, "Our members don't just travel by car and we have interests in representing all their transportation needs."
Sydney has made considerable efforts to expand its bike lane
network, but the political response last May from state elected officials was
to require the City to get approval for any and all transportation related
decisions. Though, perhaps to the states chagrin, the committee set up to issue
the approvals just endorsed more bike lanes.
Here are some links to bike plan documents for Brisbane,
Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. We in Philadelphia and the US may be doing well
on cycling infrastructure, but after looking at some of these sites I think you’ll
agree our government websites could use
some upgrades.
Sydney Cycling Strategy - http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/parkingandtransport/cycling/CycleStrategyAndActionPlan.asp
New South Wales Cycling Information - http://www.bicycleinfo.nsw.gov.au/
Brisbane - http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/sports-and-leisure/cycling/index.htm
Queensland Cycle Network Program - http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Cycling/Cycle-network-program.aspx
Adelaide Bike Action Plan - http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/development/major-projects/bicycle-action-plan/
