We’re talking big bike storage for big bike plans, and the graph that inspired Steve Jobs of Apple to describe the personal computer as “the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”
We still aren’t sure whether a fish on a bicycle is the most efficient mover of all.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
BICYCLE PARKING GOES BIG. Certain flavours of urbanist find the sight of large cycle parking hubs stirring. And there’s good reason for it: bike parking hubs speak of grand ambitions for active transport and, often, the recognition of their potential connections to public transport and city centres. They are a sign cycling is being considered as a key part of a transport network. Also there’s something about a large, dedicated facility for the joyful bicycle that just seems right. So hats off to New York City and Richmond in south London for going the extra mile and believing in the power of cycles.
HUMAN ON BIKE ‘AMONG MOST EFFICIENT TRAVELLERS’. A classic graph was updated for Scientific American’s 180th birthday, comparing the weight and relative efficiency of a variety of creatures and vehicles. It shows the mouse is less efficient than the lemming or rat, and the pigeon is more efficient than the gull or the budgerigar. The human on a bicycle beats all of the above, and other vehicles. “They turn humans into this hyperefficient terrestrial locomotor”, says one scientist. In other words, thanks to wheels, a frame and pedals, we glide along more like swimming fish than our fellow walkers or runners. You can read Carlton Reid’s take on it here.
CARGO BIKES ARE BOOMING… STILL. The latest ‘cargo bikes are the future’ article appeared in the Times last week. It is, of course, important to remind ourselves of just how brilliantly adaptable and, yes, efficient, cargo-carrying cycles are. This piece celebrates them through the lens of a few diverse businesses transporting goods and services by pedal power. However, the limited opportunities for businesses to try one before buying, and a lack of financing for the machines, is a perennial blocker for their growth.
SLOWER AUSSIE TRAFFIC BENEFITS ALL. This Guardian piece reports on the benefits of reducing traffic speeds from 50kph to 30kph on residential roads in Australia - without delaying drivers. Among the benefits are a doubling of bike travel because people feel safer cycling, while focusing on residential roads impacts driving times less. Councils in Victoria can now implement 30kph zones, thanks to a new law. It is hoped, if implemented, slower speeds will shift stubbornly low cycle commuting levels, currently at 2%. In Greater Sydney a staggering 6m trips of less than 5km are driven each day - while transport is soon to become Australia’s biggest emitting sector.
NIGHT RIDES FOR WOMEN’S SAFETY. Cycling UK has joined a growing number of voices calling for safer cycling conditions for women. As the nights draw in more women will find off-road paths that were pleasant and peaceful in summer, isolated and intimidating on dark evenings. There’s rides organised across the UK on Wednesday night and you can still join one. The rides are calling for action on routes that feel ‘socially unsafe’ - so more people can use them year-round. Find out more here.
OTHER HEADLINES
REVISITING A CLASSIC. This essay from 1973 sets out the fundamental problem of mass car ownership, the fallacy of speed it offers and the mechanisms by which excess traffic ruins cities. André Gorz was a philosopher, journalist, and writer who argues that by including the time spent in our working lives paying for them, cars allow us to travel at around walking pace. This, he posits, leaves us no better off than we were without cars, while rendering parts of our urban centres unpleasantly noisy and polluted. It’s still relevant today.
INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: Eat your heart out, salmon. Humans on bikes are shown at the lowest, i.e., most efficient, point on this classic graph. Source.
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Cycle hub. A cycle parking zone, varying in size, often secure, sometimes with repair facilities built-in.
Until next time,
Adam
Adam Tranter
CEO, Fusion & Founder, #BikeIsBest
This newsletter is brought to you by Fusion, the agency for movers, specialising in communications and public affairs for active travel and mobility.
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