Consistent land use and mobility planning: Houten

A brilliant video about Houten, a town in the Netherlands that was strongly developed from the mid 1960s on. It is a fine example of what you can do with consistent planning of land use, landscape and mobility systems. I strongly advice you to watch the entire video, but for those who have little time, wacth from 3:50, where the growth, the plan and its consequences are nicely addressed. Also, with spectacular graphics! Enjoy and share what your city/region can learn from this! Via Mark Wagenbuur.

 

Munichs annual bicycle fest: Radlnacht 2012

This year the Radlnacht (a special night to celebrate Munichs emerging bicycle culture) was held as a guided trip along several of the most beautiful spots of the city. Enough reasons to watch this short videoclip about the ride! What is you reason not to ride?

The Radlnacht is a crucial part of the ongoing campaign of Munich to make urban cycling more mainstream than it already is through emotional and personal appeals (to learn how to do this in your city, watch our earlier video). The first two year show remarkable results (as also reported on this blog), but of course a long term commitment is needed to really change cultures....Subtitles below (NOTE: The version with interview has been removed from Youtube. Still, for your entertainment, the interview is below this new video)...

The guy in the beginning is one of Munichs Majors (Herr Monatzeder). He states:
"One wonders to see that nobody is currently by car, but only by bike (2 or 3 wheels, e-bikes)"
"We have this wonderful event, the Radlnight, for the third time"
"We do this great event to brand Munich as cycling city and to invite citizens: Use you bike, it is good! Both for  the climate and for you personally (muscles, heart and it is much faster in this city)"

Electric cars: suboptimal solution at best

In a keynote speech to the Mobil.TÜM conference in Munich earlier this year, Todd Littman addressed the problems our cities are facing in terms of mobility and accessibility and what solution directions are available.

After asking the crowd the question: "Can anybody raise their hand if they think it is better to be hit by an electrical fueld car than by a combustion powered one?" he presented the following graph. Not much new inof, but a powerful way to say it nevertheless.

We (and with we I mean bloggers, scientists, lobbyist, but especially policy makers) need to be consciously aware of what our goals are and what our available means are. Too often we mistake one for the other. Please stop subsidizing electrical cars in our cities, they are sub optimal as a solution, at best. Fill in your solution to the graph and see how it scores....

Feel free to spread this around to as many people as you know!

Bicycle parking problems? Here is your solution

Gas prices: not a threat but an opportunity

Projected bicycle stunts in Munich

The guys in Munich have again done something great. A small contribution to a growing and ever inspiring mainstream bicycle culture! Watch the whole video to see all the stunts...

Cyclists in their natural habitat: Dutch cycling habits

Watch this video and count all the things that would be VERBOTEN! in the German context. Then ask yourself and your representatives: if we built it, will they come? Or is there more to it than infrastructure? And please, put the music loud as well!

Bicycle photo of the week: IMPOSSIBRU!!

Please, tell me again how a lack of infrastructure makes cycling impossible for you?

Münchenierung inspires the Dutch

The Radlhauptstadt Campaign and the general focus of Munich on emotional appeals to get people on the bicycle has now spread to the Kingdom of Bicycles: the Netherlands. For those who can understand Dutch, here is the link to a elaborate blogpost on it. For others, please use google translate or look at the pictures to get an idea: http://kpvv-reisgedrag.blogspot.com/2012/05/helpen-argumenten-bij.html

Bicycle planning as bottom up approach (Guest post from Greece)

It has been (way too) quiet here lately. Not because nothing is happening in the field of Münchenierung (the approach is now even spreading to Baaden-Württemberg), but because of an acute lack of time. Luckily, we have blog guests that took the opportunity to write their ideas about the future of bicycle planning.

"THEY will come and then YOU built it" (by Dimitris Milakis)

Greece is at a critical junction in its history. It has to change a lot in the way its cities have historically developed. Mobility should be at the forefront of this strategy. Recent data shows that although car use has decreased (5%) during the last 2 years of economic crisis, public transport has not benefitted at all as it has experienced a decrease of 0.5% during the same period. No data are available on cycle use, but we all feel here that something has changed. Bicycles sales have increased about 25%, cyclists’ presence on the main arteries of Athens is far more frequent than previous years, while the intention to use a bicycle is also quite high. It seems that Athens has an excellent opportunity to embrace this change by providing cyclists a safe, convenient and attractive metropolitan cycle network, which will probably lead to a further increase of cycle use (see also the recent survey of Buehler & Pucher regarding the connection between cycle infrastructures and use in the US cities). 

A current study we are working on focusses on a first effort to develop such a plan for Athens. We chose not to follow a strictly top-down approach, so we involved regular cyclists in our planning approach, in order to determine what is important from the cyclist’s point of view concerning cycle routes. We had a wonderful research experience during the two-day workshop with the cyclists, which resulted to a comprehensive metropolitan cycle network plan. Cyclists were also very enthusiastic, as they felt they were involved in important decisions for the city’s future. They have also widely disseminated the research results through their communication networks (social media, web forums etc) and continued the discussion a long after the workshop. So, our methodology may be useful for cities trying to introduce and prioritize cycling infrastructure because it focuses on where cyclists would prefer to cycle, making such investments more successful in attracting users.  The plan is now under public consultation in the framework of the new strategic plan for Athens. We hope to see soon some of the network branches to be implemented… and open the way for more advanced strategies such as emotional marketing that Münchenierung is all about! 

More in-depth information about this study can be found here.

Germany's progressing cycling culture

Win a cargobike, or Kinderkutsche, in the Süddeutshe Zeitung. I especially like the wild enthusiastic ideas in the long list of comments!:

Familienkutsche

 

Um mit Kindern einkaufen gehen zu können, bräuchte man Hände so groß wie Schaufeln. Da das nicht geht, verlosen wir diese Woche ein Fahrad, in dem neben dem Kind auch noch die Einkäufe Platz haben.

Ersatzwindel, Feuchttuch, Getränk, Spielzeug, Schmutzhose, Regenjacke, Obst, Lieblingsstofftier. Wer mit Kindern unterwegs ist – und sei es nur zum nächsten Supermarkt –, braucht sehr große Hände oder viel Stauraum. Damit Ihre Fahrradausflüge mit dem Nachwuchs entspannter werden, verlosen wir diese Wochezusammen mit dem Münchner Lifestyle-Radspezialisten Stilrad ein Eltern-Kind-Fahrrad. Stabil, gut verarbeitet, ungemein praktisch und hergestellt im Radfahrerland schlechthin: Holland. Ihr Kind sitzt angeschnallt vor Ihnen, damit Sie sich auch unterhalten können, Platz genug für die wichtigsten 17 Dinge gibt es auch, und außerdem können Sie das Rad nach eigenem Geschmack designen. Alles Weitere erklärt Ihnen das Team von Stilrad, wir wünschen einfach gute Fahrt. 

Cycling is art!

Just a beautiful feel good video I found on Youtube:

Overview of bicycle marketing campaign 2011

A cool video that gives an impression of the elements of the Radlhauptstadt campaign of the City of Munich. This campaign focuses on social marketing to increase mainstream cycling and should be an example for many other cities around the world. The video is in German (and has no subtitles yet), but most images speak for themselves.

My personal favourite marketing instrument: the fashion show at 4:20!

David Hembrow stopped blogging: read his statement!

very sad, but very true...

http://hembrow.eu/blog/

Thanks David for all your valuable insights and efforts! Many have benefited from it, you deserve better for that...

Why are you (not) on a bike?

Do you think you make a rational choice when choosing transport modes? Think again: a brilliant talk by Dan Ariely. Send this to anybody in your environment who does think he makes the best choice possible....

Emotional marketing of Public Transport

I know that you expect to read about urban cycling here. But as you might have noticed, Münchenierung focusses a lot on emotional marketing as a way forward towards sustainable urban mobility. The marketing campaign below shows that what car manufacturers can do, can also be used against them! All the emotional markers are there, plus new ones (especially social interaction, which is not really a value of car driving, now is it ). Well, I hope you like it (via Dimitri Milakis);

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Using the automobile in more creative ways!

Since we all now that the new era of the bicyclce is slowly arriving in our cities and regions, we need to find ways to re-use the mobility vehicle of the past era (also referred to as the Bull in Society's China Schop). Luckily, we can use the automobile in more creative ways!

Interesting scientific conference: Mobil.TÜM

The Technical University Munich is hosting their annual mobility conference. As always, a great number of well known international speakers will come to Munich to discuss their views on urban mobility and on the latest scientific discoveries. Really enjoyable to catch up with so many great minds! See you there? Click on the images to see them bigger (and to be able to actually read them)..

 

Cycling culture: it are the people, stupid!

Brilliant piece from Japan on why there is a cycle culture, following a structured logic. A diversity of variables, but most importantly are the people themselves and their behaviour. What does that mean for Munich?

Directly taken from Tokyo by Bike.

What Makes Japan a Great Cycling Nation?

Mikael Coville-Anderson, of Copenhagenize fame, ranks Japan as the world's third greatest cycling nation behind the Netherlands and Denmark. But just what is it about Japan that makes cycling an attractive transport option to millions of people every day?

Cities
Japanese cities are amongst the largest and most populated in the world, but most residential neighbourhoods have their own unique small town feel.  In terms of services, Japanese neighbourhoods are largely self contained.  Residents have to cycle no more than 5 to 10 minutes to reach supermarkets, kindergartens, schools, doctors, dentists, in fact most necessities for everyday living are just a short ride away. Without the need to travel excessive distances for daily life’s basics, a bicycle makes perfect sense.

Public Transport
Japanese cities are crisscrossed with a fast clean and efficient train and subway system, not to mention and reliable cheap bus services. So efficient is the public transport system that it is often faster and more convenient to take the train than to travel by car.  While bicycle commuters did increase after the March 11 earthquake crippled Tokyo's rail system, few people are willing to cycle more than one or two stations from their home.  Many use their bicycles to compliment public transport, cycling from their home to the station.

Cars
Owning a car in Tokyo is inconvenient and expensive.  Before purchasing a car the buyer is required to provide proof they have secured an appropriate parking spot.  As most city dwellers have no garage hiring a parking space can be an expensive exercise, and that parking space may be many minutes walk from home. For people working in the city, commuting to work by car is not an option as some inner city parking spaces can cost more per month than a small apartment in the suburbs.  Throw insurance and maintenance costs in with all that and riding a bicycle makes a lot of sense.

Bicycles
Forget expensive road, hybrid and mountain bikes, the majority of Japanese ride mama-chari, they're the family station wagon of Japan.  Mama-chari cheap, and come equipped with dynamo lights, horseshoe locks and sturdy rear wheel kickstands right out of the box.  While baskets on the front and racks on the back are standard the options for carrying cargo and children with the addition of accessories are limitless. Carrying two (or more) children by bicycle is not an uncommon sight. Although heavy and somewhat clunky the mama-chari is perfectly suited to the Japanese city environment, and to the tasks that millions use them for in daily life.

Laws
Japanese cycling laws are largely unenforced until such time that there is an accident.  This makes for an incredibly free and liberating cycling experience.  I attribute a lot of the popularity of the bicycle in Japan to the ability to cycle wherever and however you like.  Confident in traffic? Ride on the road. Have child passengers? Stick to the sidewalk. Roads congested? Jump on the sidewalk and vice versa.  As long as you are riding safely and with respect for others it doesn't matter how many of Japan's cycling laws (or as I like to call them "guidelines") you're breaking, just don't get into an accident.

Infrastructure
Japan has terrible bicycle infrastructure yet millions of people cycle every single day.  Most suburban Japanese streets often do not have a sidewalks so pedestrians, bicycles and car are comfortable sharing the same space. Bicycle lanes are practically non existent, when there is often not enough space for even a sidewalk, how can we expect bicycle lanes? Finding a (legal) place to park is often quite difficult, so parking illegally with everyone else is the accepted norm. Despite this few people are calling for improved cycling infrastructure, and cycling is booming.

People
A big factor in making cycling work in Japan is the Japanese people themselves. For the most part incredibly patient and polite they're tolerant of the people around them.  You can't live in a city with 12.9 million others without exercising some degree of tolerance and patience.  Pedestrians, cyclists and cars often share the same space and that can not work unless a drivers and cyclists are prepared to travel at walking pace until a pedestrian can get out of their way.

Japanese people also have what is termed the "gaman spirit", which loosely translated is the "just get on with it" along with a "shoganai", or " what are you going to do?" attitude.  So when it comes to cycling to the station in the dead of winter just get on with it, because what else can you do?

There are many factors that go into making cycling the best form of local transport in Japanese cities. Partly infrastructure, partly urban design and partly the police turning a blind eye to cycling offences when no damage is being done.  But I believe it is the attitude of the Japanese people, the politeness they display to each other on the road that really makes a difference.

Cycling in Japan really is a polite form of anarchy.  People ignoring the rules, cycling and parking wherever they like, yet doing their best to impact as little on others as they can.  Can we replicate this success overseas?

Bicycle- vs car manufacturing

This graph is provided by the European Cycling Federation and shows how strange our political fixation on cars was, is, and is increasingly becoming...

You know you have a bicycle culture, when...

Another one in the series: you know you have a bicycle culture, when...

You might not believe it, but the guy in this videoclip is a popular musician at the moment in the Netherlands. You can see that a Dutch rapper does not use a big car to show off his status, but can do with a bike! And his friends as well!

Never mind the text. It is not worth translating. The only thing you need to know: "Spring maar achterop bij, achterop mijn fiets" means "Hop on my bike"... (youtube link)

How fast things can change (for good or bad)

Munich is proudly presenting their tripling of cycling rates (from 6% to 18%) in recent years! Partly due to policy (hard and soft), partly due to different lifestyles and shifting personal mobility choices... We should however be aware that constant dedication is needed from all parties involved to keep up this positive trend.

We all know that China is changing in rapid, unprecedented speed. This photo series show how China is also messing things up on a massive scale. Please look and see how rapidly mainstream cycling can decline in favour of less sustainable transportation modes... Click on the image to proceed to the relevant China Underground website.

The Reverse Traffic Pyramid

The Bicycle Innovation Lab closed 2011 by introducing the Reverse Traffic Pyramid. How far up the scheme are you and your city?

Cycling vs. Obesity: what will be the German future?

Germany is right between the US and the Dutch. Up to decision makers to make a choice in which direction they rather move. More here.

Raising Awareness as policy instrument

All they did in Malmö was asking people to reflect on their own behavior. What marvelling effects! Something to add to the Münchenierung mix?