| Extracto del fichero OCR | TRANSPORT
CYCLING AND THE CITY
As getting around by bike is increasingly seen as
a chic and efficient way of beating the twice-daily
traffic jams, Paul Rigg looks at London and some
Spanish cities to see how they compare
We are all suffering from overuse of the motor
car. Persistent traffic jams, noise pollution, the
inhalation of toxic fumes and a significant
contribution to the Greenhouse Effect are just
a few of the negative consequences. In
addition obesity has become a growing
problem caused by our increasingly sedentary
lifestyles. But as we look around desperately
for high-tech fixes to our problems, one simple
item offers a range of improvements to our
quality of life: the bicycle.
Cycling is considered the healthiest and most
ecologically sound way to travel.
C9'nk
When European Car Free Day is held in
September each year, we get a glimpse of how
life could be with less air and noise pollution.
On this day. people who normally go to work in
hermetically sealed cars, get on a bike and
take time to stop and talk to each other and
become part of the landscape.
“In 2000. during Car-Free Day. we did a poll of
people in Madrid to see whether they would
cycle more regularly if road safety were better,"
says Juan Merallo. president of Pedalibre. the
organisation that promotes cycling in Madrid.
“Some 80 per cent of those interviewed
said that they would use their bike more
often. As around 500.000 participate in these
celebrations, it doesn't take a lot of imagination
to see how many more cyclists there would
be if conditions improved."
IT'S NOT JUST FUN
Pedalling around is not just about fun. As
parking fees and petrol costs rise, it's become
Courtesy Britain on View
TRANSPORT
one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get
around in the city. Since the Olympic games in
Barcelona in 1992 the city has a web of cycle
paths and now 25.000 people use their bike
each day for work and other trips. This makes
Madrid's 1.500 seem very few indeed. “What
they have done in Barcelona, San Sebastian
and Cordoba - the three reference points for
good practice in Spam - they are now starting
to do in Madrid." says Juan. "In July 2003
representatives from the town hall and
Pedalibre got together and - based on what we
learned from other cities - drew up a ten-year
plan to improve cycle paths, provide cycle
parking and have more car-free days." he says.
“The cycle path around Madrid, for example,
has been a great success and now we're
seeking to build on that success.”
But ask any bicycle messenger in London and
they will tell you that cycle paths too have
their problems. Drivers park on them and most
pedestrians don't realise they are only for
bicycles, which can be the most dangerous
thing of all. This is why many bikers think the
best cycle path is the one that doesn't exist,
because car users should allow every cyclist
to cycle in safety.
ARMIES OF CYCLISTS
In London, armies of cyclists head out each
morning to work. Exactly why there are so
many is not certain. Maybe it's because of the
high price and unreliability of the tube and rail
system (the bus service has improved lately)
thanks to the shameful lack of investment on
the Eighties government's part. It's no doubt
true too. that cyclists are encouraged there
because of a reduction in road traffic since
Mayor Ken Livingston’s Congestion Charge,
and there is also an abundance of parking
bars for bikes.
"In London there are large numbers of cyclists
of all ages and this makes it safer," explains
Maria Morales. 28. from Madrid, who now lives
in London and cycles to work each day. “The
infrastructure is better and there is an
established culture of cycling which means
that motorists are more likely to be aware that
you are there. They give you space and this, in
turn, gives you greater confidence. Of course
I also had to get used to cycling on the other
side of the road. It took me a while!" she says
with a laugh.
NOT ONLY IN CITIES
Says Pedalibre’s Juan Merallo. “Regular cyclists
learn to avoid the major roads and use parallel
streets instead, as they are generally calmer. It
is the major roads where traffic is travelling
very fast that are the real danger," he says,
although of course the danger also arises
when drivers neglect to look over their left
shoulder before pulling out. turn right without
using their indicators and open car doors,
again without looking over their shoulder.
But it is not only in cities where improvements
can be made. Many cyclists, for example, take
advantage of their right to jump on a local train
with their bike at the weekend and head out to
the countryside. But the drastic reduction of
E»'nk
the number of regional trains and their
replacement by the high-speed Ave, which
doesn't allow bikes on board, is lamentable.
Conbici. the Spanish collective of cyclist
groups, is working alongside other ecological
groups in an attempt to stop these
retrogressive changes. In Britain, too. the
amount of space allocated for luggage
including bikes has been drastically reduced
with the retirement of the old trains, though
the majority of routes still allow bikes on board.
ENJOYING THE FRESH AIR
“People think that the majority of cyclists are
those that you see on the street..." concludes
Merallo, "but that is not true. Only five per cent
of cyclists are those on the city streets - the rest
are in parks and in the countryside enjoying the
fresh air with their families and friends.'' •
WHAT CYCLIST GROUPS DO
NAKED CYCLISTS
If you saw a group of naked cyclists making their way through your city earlier
this year you may have wondered why they were
doing it. The reason is that cyclists have traditionally
found it difficult to make an impact in their
campaign for better conditions - and so they need
to resort to radical means! The nakedness is to
represent the fragility of the human body of the
cyclist, who confronts danger each day.
Critical Mass, which began in San Francisco some 20
years ago, now how has supporters all over the
world. It’s not a formal organisation but “an
organised coincidence... of bicycles on the street,”
Maria Morales went on the tenth anniversary Critical
Mass ride in London in February this year. “We finished up in Trafalgar Square
although there was no particular route followed to get there, there were
loudspeakers playing all different sorts of music and people were singing,” she
says. “It was really good fun.”
MOBILITY AGENTS WITH NICE BIKES
Even the Madrid police have been convinced by the sense in using the bike as
transport with the advent of the new Mobility Agents, who get around on some
fine looking mountain bikes. There’s hope. Things are certainly moving forward.
USEFUL WEBSITES FOR
CITY CYCLISTS
http://www.critical-
mass.org
http://www.pedalibre.org
and www.lcc.org.uk
For other cycling
associations in Spain,
check out the ConBici
website :
www.conbici.org
| |
