Comments on Copenhagenize.com - Building Better Bicycle Cultures: Behavioural Challenges for Urban Cycling

@Gareth, that's not what I got out of this lecture...

2010-02-24T01:58:13.232+01:00

@Gareth, that's not what I got out of this lecture. I don't think it's in any way putting down the subcultures, just pointing that the important thing is to promote cycling from the point of view of all traffic users, and also to act as if there were a strong group of more mainstream cyclists - riding slowly for practical trips in everyday clothes - when creating advertising or cycling infrastructure.

I really liked the point that bad behavior - which is WAY too often used to justify rules against cycling or to stop the development of bike infrastructure - is usually a sign of inadequate infrastructure!

This whole lecture is amazing fuel for promoting cycling as transportation in the US.

@Portlandize, I agree with the anonymouse poster that the unquestioned desire for car-owenership seems to be reaching a point where it has less stranglehold over the American psyche. The combined rise of in "coolness" of environmentalism, cycling, walkable urban areas, and slowness is leading to a powerful meme that cars are uncool on many levels. Combine that with more mainstream at failing car companies, outsourcing jobs to other countries, and the general decline of the "American" automobile, and the average American is ripe for a strong intervention in favor of alternatives to living life in a car. One small example, is that more and more I'm hearing from people who notice I don't drive, "I wish I could bike to work." Most often, when I find out how far they live from their work, they could, if they were brave enough and/or crazy enough and/or had adequate infrastructure. But they important is that DESIRE is there, where a decade ago maybe everyone was totally happy and satisfied driving. Now we know better.

Regarding (c) - perhaps this is exactly what I mea...

2009-11-26T15:58:02.796+01:00

Regarding (c) - perhaps this is exactly what I mean and the core of the point I'm trying to make, although you make it sound harsher than my actual convictions.

Your message is very clear: (1) mainstream cycling...

2009-11-26T15:21:47.628+01:00

Your message is very clear: (1) mainstream cycling won't come about by growing cycling sub-cultures; (2) so if your aim is to increase cycling it makes no sense to target your promotional activity at those sub-cultures, as this just promotes the idea that cycling is sub-cultural; (3) so being effective at promoting cycling means marginalizing the sub-cultures.

I agree definitely with (1) and (2), and there's clearly some truth in (3), though maybe I need a bit more persuading.

However, for people coming from cycling sub-cultures, it's hard not to hear your (3) as meaning something like "the sub-cultures are harming the prospects for mainstream cycling and should shut up". Perhaps you could go to more effort to make it clear that you don't actually mean this.

Sub-cultures ought to welcome the emergence of mainstream cycling, because it means that they can go back to (say) being bicycle racers, instead of being cycle campaigners who do a bit of racing on the side.

just for the sake of debate (I find this post very...

2009-11-20T12:01:23.034+01:00

just for the sake of debate (I find this post very interesting, and very generous of you Mikael to share it with us):

I find the point about the subcultures rather patronising.

As with any sort of culture, I rather have a rich and diverse bicycle culture, with its fringes -some of which I might dislike. As in any human activity, you'll have antisocial, selfish individuals who harass and try to muscle out of their way the rest of the people, but that's just inevitable.

As bicycling becomes mainstream in new places, there will be temptations to over-regulate it and control it (look at Barcelona, where the city council has now made it an offense to lock your bike to anything that's not a designated bicycle parking facility... without providing more of these, thus alienating many cyclist).

People should be able to express their individuality with their bikes too. And respect other citizens, but not just when cycling, always! this is a given if we are to live in civilised societies.

Oh! and BTW, I invite any of you to stand at a set of traffic lights here in Amsterdam and count how many cyclist skip them. You might be surprised.

I've never understood the great fuss about cyclist...

2009-11-16T04:10:45.174+01:00

I've never understood the great fuss about cyclists using headphones.
Car drivers are not expected to use audible cues neither the motorcyclists (the ability of MC helmets to silence is a main selling point). This while the higher speeds of motor vehicles arguably place a higher demand on the drivers reaction times.

portlandize, While I can see your point, I disagr...

2009-11-15T04:09:31.327+01:00

portlandize,

While I can see your point, I disagree. Intelligent Americans don't fall for Car=Happiness=Wealth.

I know some healthy, educated, and wealthy Americans who despise cars and driving. They choose living life over life in a car, and move to places where they have transportation options.

Many Americans are becoming aware of the car/single family house ponzi scheme (mainly youth) and the new American status symbol is not just walking or cycling, but LIVING in a walkable/bikeable place with high social capital.

Saschi- How is Mikael supposed to address the poor...

2009-11-13T09:37:21.725+01:00

Saschi- How is Mikael supposed to address the poor road skills of riders across the globe? Isn't there some point when individuals need to take ownership of their own ability to recognize a one way street and that it might not be a good idea to ride the wrong way on it? The best way to stop that behavior is to get enough riders on the street that poor cyclist behavior and substandard skills lessen through tremendous peer pressure and sheer numbers.

Is the glass half-empty when you look at it, Sasch...

2009-11-13T09:33:55.039+01:00

Is the glass half-empty when you look at it, Saschi?

You are welcome to focus on the negatives - ie. your horrific tale of two girls on bicycles - but don't expect me to join you.

@portlandize: I would rather rely on good communic...

2009-11-13T09:12:37.270+01:00

@portlandize: I would rather rely on good communication (not encouaging naivety by saying "nothing can happen on a bike" but giving some valid hints on how to do it) than evolution (those who learn fast enough survive, the others not.
So I would love to see Mikel use his huge communicative skills also on that once in a while

Melb. cyclist, yes that's why I think Bike share i...

2009-11-13T07:13:45.906+01:00

Melb. cyclist, yes that's why I think Bike share is so important.

It's an intravenous injection of these sit- up bikes, baskets and all, into be traffic stream of a city.

Help me fuel the idea on my blog.
"and so to bike" Mike

Michael: re bike magazines being mostly "sub-cultu...

2009-11-12T23:55:20.776+01:00

Michael: re bike magazines being mostly "sub-culture" focussed in terms of the pictures featured etc.

I don't read bike magazines because I'm not a "cyclist", I'm a person who chooses to get around on a bike (except for my lazy days, when I choose tram, or maybe even splurge on a taxi!). Just as when I was living in the UK and driving regularly, I never read driving magazines, because I wasn't a "motorist", but a person choosing to use my car to get from A to B.

So I almost think that it's appropriate for bike magazines to be targetted at the subcultures - these are the people who are going to be sufficiently interested to pick them up and read them after all.

Having said which, we do desperately need the sit-up bike invasion, with those types of bikes needing as much publicity as possible - if we could somehow get the newspapers to include bikes in the "Drive" sections...?

Saschi: I think this is a symptom of the fact that...

2009-11-12T20:31:17.743+01:00

Saschi: I think this is a symptom of the fact that bicycling is becoming more mainstream, and will decline after a while. Those people you mention are going to either stop riding (because they only did it due to its trendiness), or get better at riding, learn the rules better, etc. In places like Denmark and The Netherlands where every single citizen grows up riding bikes for transportation, you don't have that problem, because everyone learns as a child how it's done.

Nice piece. But (as always ;-) ) a big "BUT" When...

2009-11-12T18:26:09.336+01:00

Nice piece. But (as always ;-) ) a big "BUT"
When you say:

"There's an important sociological angle worth considering. When an underground group sees their chosen culture going mainstream, it often breeds resentment. "I've been doing this for years, now everyone's doing it!" It's not helpful for mainstreaming urban cycling. This is a quote in a recent New York article:

“There is definitely a downside to biking when bikes become a fashion fad,” If you unleash a herd of teetering, wobbly fashionistas into city streets without any real knowledge of how to ride a bike in traffic, accidents can (and likely will) happen.”

Experience is important, sure. But this is a 'purist' attacking other people riding bicycles. This is a stamp collector mocking people who lick stamps on their christmas card to grandma but who don't place them thoughtfully on the envelope, like stamp lovers do."

...this sounds like you are making ignorance a valid point of view.

In my experience bikes and cars are not dangerous per se but it is the unqualified use of them. Like it or not: day after day I am confronted with "naive" cyclists going the wrong direction on the bike lane, cutting corners, using headphones, passing pedestrians way to closely and - yes - running the redlight while not having a light on their bike. This IS dangerous and lucky you that you have only seen so few accidents, I have seen many, most involving inexperienced cyclists on bike lanes (granted - not using them properly). Crashing into other cyclists but also under the bus. So maybe there IS something to be learned from experienced cyclists and cycling is something to be learned as everything else.
E.g. it cant harm to have a look at this: http://bicyclesafe.com/

Yes, cycling is for everybody, but naivety IS in fact dangerous. My key experience: two girls, dressed up pretty much like you would love it, coming around a narrow corner wrong direction on narrow bike lane, headphones AND chatting (how do they do THAT?)at 25 km/h. Had to jump into traffic to avoid crash. Similar things more the rule than the exception.

Off topic: Great use of Powerpoint by the way, nice icons...

this is absolutely inspiring. i would love to tran...

2009-11-12T16:44:26.652+01:00

this is absolutely inspiring. i would love to translate it in russian. to spread the idea. if you don't mind

Very interesting about behaviour. One does get bad...

2009-11-12T15:48:21.314+01:00

Very interesting about behaviour. One does get bad behaviour among cyclists in immature cycling cultures, and while I certainly disagree with a focus on cyclists when cars are the main safety and environmental problem everywhere, behaviour such as cycling on busy sidewalks/pavements is utterly unacceptable and creates animosity to polite, respectful cyclists.

I wrote a long common to that nasty, sectarian "Biker Chic" person, then saw I'd need a google account to sign in.

The only very minor agreement I have with her is that as a het woman, I would like a few more attractive men at CCChic!

Here is is if I can't get it up over there:

I'm in my 50s. I've been cycling in normal city clothing for well over 30 years - what you dismiss as "cycle chic". I don't wear really high heels at any time, but I do like to have attractive shoes - I only wear sneakers or jogging shoes if I'm actually doing sport or certain other "outdoor" activities. I live in Montréal and see many many cyclists of both sexes and all ages paying attention to looking good on their bicycles. This is part of urban life and culture.

You do not want to see an average 50ish woman - or man - dressed in a midriff-revealing getup like the one the athlete in your picture is wearing. Yes, I do care how people - men or women, gay or straight - react to how I'm dressed and how I present myself. That is part of culture.

I've been involved in feminist causes, and other social causes, since I was a teenager. That does not mean I want to dress like Andrea Dworkin.

I think Mikael, other than his normal interest in attractive women as a heterosexual man (I'm sure there are gay men who have just as normal an interest in attractive guys, who post more men on their blogs) is also spotlighting women to counteract the skewed vision of who a "cyclist" is in many countries and in particular English-speaking countries, where a cyclist is necessarily a hard-bodied, aggressive athlete in specialised clothing and gear.

There are many blogs now about cycling in urban clothing, Amsterdamize and Cycle Chic (Boston) are other well-known ones.

I almost always wear a skirt cycling simply because I'm a skirt gal - I look much nicer in skirts than in trousers. With leggings in cold weather. Pretty scarves, a nice hat and gloves if it's cold, and of course an upright city bicycle.

Many people my age and older of both sexes prefer a so-called "women's" frame because our joints aren't as limber as they used to be, especially before we're up and running cyclng away (which is very good for the old joints).

I don't care how you dress to cycle but to put it politely, I'm very peeved that my presence on the roads seems some kind of insult to your pure athletic vision, and your very bizarre take on feminism.

There is a strong tribal aspect to the Australian ...

2009-11-12T10:34:36.934+01:00

There is a strong tribal aspect to the Australian cycling culture .

My theory is that, because the the Government has shown little or no interest in cycling as transport, this culture, which is all about sport and speed, has grown up by default.

It does not appear very welcoming if you just want to cycle in the European way, to get somewhere on a bike for work or shopping.

Some change is happening. In Yarra council area, Melbourne, commuting is now up to 9% on bikes, an amazing figure for Australia

But when I look through the latest copy of Cycling Australia, our flagship bike mag, the tribal culture completely dominates.

Here's what I found visually. 37 news photos or ads featuring lycra.

Another 21 featuring sports clothes, often with logos attached.

I found no one who looked like an European cyclist, and only three photos of people in more or less normal clothes. One was a school girl in Cambodia.

The message is very clear, if you ain't got the gear, you don't belong on a bike.

The type of bikes the mag. features are revealing too. Mucho carbon fibre, naturally.

But the sort of bike you find all over Europe, universally associated with work or shopping, sit-up bikes with mudguards, a chain-guard, luggage rack, lights, etc, hardly appear in Australian cyclist.

But I did find 38 photos of road bikes and 28 of high end racing bikes.

Yes, there were three European bikes on those pages. A Gazelle ad showed two sit up bikes, and that girl in Cambodia had a sit-up too, bless her. Not finding a single basket on a bike, came as no surprise.

Again, the message is clear, don't ride the wrong sort of bike around this tribe!

This is why I'm so keen to see Bike Share come here. Imagine, 5000 sit-up bikes, all step through, all with baskets, appearing our our streets as they did in Montreal this summer, transforming the local the bike culture overnight.

It was the Bixi invasion, and over 3.5 millions kms. were ridden on those sturdy bixis before they were taken off for winter hibernation

The same could happen here too if our cities were flooded with these unglamorous practical bikes, and with us, it'd be year round usage, blessed as we are with a perfect bike climate.

But, though two contracts have already been signed, whether the Aussie Bixis ever make it, or are more than just curiosities, is not sure because of our compulsory helmet laws.

It's very easy to set up the solar powered bike dispensing stations. There were 300 of them in Montreal.

But dispensing a sterilized, tested, helmet along with the bike, now that's well nigh impossible

I fear that if we don't get Bike Share, it will take way longer to open up our tribal cycle culture.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun the local bike scene. It gets people very fit, does lots of charity rides, offers superb touring opportunities, etc.

But all of that has little to do with the cycling we need most urgently, the mundane daily rides which can clean our air and declogg our cities of cars.

As we hope and wait of Bike Share, how about a sub sub tribe called SUBU. Sit Up Bikes unite!

Mike Rubbo

Wow, interesting article that I areciated on an ev...

2009-11-12T08:26:30.061+01:00

Wow, interesting article that I areciated on an even acedemic level. I loved the line

Their role models are clearly defined, whether they adhere to them or not.

Very true.

Cheers,
J R

I hope that you don't have too much emphasis on t...

2009-11-12T03:06:14.726+01:00

I hope that you don't have too much emphasis on the subcultures when you hold your Bicycle Culture lectures.

This entry shows your entire philosophy. It is a p...

2009-11-12T02:34:41.916+01:00

This entry shows your entire philosophy. It is a powerful meme, and it's catching on. Soon you'll be a nonchalant phenomenon.

It already exists in scattered parts I'm sure, but a design pattern language book for a bike city, now I'd like to see that.

We could send a large print copy to Mr Headwind, co Parliament House, Sydney, NSW, 2000.

I think there are two major obstacles that are als...

2009-11-11T23:10:42.807+01:00

I think there are two major obstacles that are also present in the U.S., with regard to cycling for everyone:

1.) In most countries in Europe, there is an idea that you are part of a society, and you have some responsibility to give into that society for the benefit of everyone. This is nearly non-existant in the U.S. What this means is that it's difficult to really democratize anything, because the rich have the influence, and for the most part feel no need to consider others. On the same token, the middle class and the poor don't feel the need to consider others much either, but they simply have no choice, especially the poor.

2.) Because of this and many other reasons, the goal of most Americans is to get richer and have more stuff. The automobile has become one of the premier signs of affluence, and therefore the bicycle, if not used for sport, is viewed as an indication of being poor by many, which then makes you "out" socially. I think the already-existing social fabric in places like Denmark and The Netherlands helps this to be much less of an issue. People are viewed much more equally on a social level in general (it seems to me), and in fact generally are more equal monetarily and such.

Not that this dooms the bicycle to failure, obviously, but they are difficult obstacles to sort of sustainable transportation for everyone kind of movements. I'm not really sure how to go about working around those - it's gonna take a while.