The City we want to be
On his blog, Michael Geller (writing from Rio!) features this:
Here’s a photo that’s being sent around the internet by some of my colleagues, at least one of whom organized a Gregor Robertson fundraiser during the last election. He won’t be organizing a Vision fundraiser next election. …
Now I am increasingly of the opinion that unless these lanes attract a much higher level of use by cyclists, and the congestion and traffic safety issues caused by the lanes are addressed, there could well be a new Mayor in November 2011 who will be elected, in part, on an anti-bike lane platform. The new Mayor will remove them in whole or in part after winning.
Which, I suppose, is like saying that some Mayoral candidate in the 1930s would propose removing the Lions Gate Bridge when he saw this:
Why didn’t we stick with ferries!
Because we were building the city we wanted to be, not the city we were. And the same, I think, is true whenever we do a disruptive intervention that moves us closer to what we aspire to be. Just as Michael said at the end of his post:
In addition to the obvious benefits of bicycles — reduced traffic congestion, fewer greenhouse gas emissions and lower transportation costs — bicycles offer another plus. In the Netherlands, you do not see as many overweight people as you do in North America.
While I have not seen any research, I am convinced there is a correlation between bicycle use and good health.
This is why I plan to ride my bicycle much more when I return to Vancouver, especially if I can be safely separated from the cars, and have a convenient place to park.
And when you do, Michael, I’ll confidently predict that you won’t be alone.
Or these photos of Burrard Bridge soon after it opened. Not much traffic back then.
http://t.co/sFDp4Vy
http://t.co/w9EOfyn
http://t.co/RLPfSRs
Correlation between bicycle use and good health? I suspect there’s a broader correlation. I keep hearing that obesity is on the rise in Canada, but I ride the Canada Line on the way home every day. Looking at the people on the train, there’s no evidence for that at all. It’s hard to point out even one obese person on the average day.
Presumably the statistics are accurate, but the obese people aren’t the ones riding bicycles OR public transit.
I believe that’s referred to as ‘incidental fitness’. Just walking to the bus stop, or climbing the stairs to the train platform beats fuming to radio talk show callers while sitting in gridlock.
I get the point about build it and they will come. Certainly the separated two way bike lanes in Montreal appear to be well used. What I wonder about though is what role does the Dunsmuir bikeway play in the system? Is it for commuter cyclists coming across the viaducts from the Central Valley Greenway or Strathcona and points east? Is it a cross town circulator route to shunt riders across downtown? My guess (admittedly from some distance away) is that a facility like this pointed south across either Granville or Burrard Street bridges would be full already.
People would be better off considering this picture.
(the one showing 60 people on foot, on bike, on a bus, in a car)
I believe that obesity rates in BC are amongst the lower ones in Canada in the first place so you won’t come across too many examples to prove the point. Maybe if you go to Halifax or somewhere in the suburbs of Ontario… the Tim Horton’s country perhaps?
In addition to the cycling, walking, also add just the fact that most people in Europe live in 3 to 4 storey buildings where they have to walk up and down the stairs to get to their apartment. Another nice form of exercise.
Just like the Golden Ears Bridge car traffic, was alot lower than what TransLink forecast. But it will build up, car-wise over the next 10 years. Isn’t that what transportation planners predict?
Just like the cyclists on this separated bike lane will build up. It takes time for people’s travel habits to change.
All more the reason, to collect data and take photos at different times of the day by different people. We should populate one blog just on these shots. Dunsmuir St. isn’t always full of cars 24×7.
My best wishes with today’s celebatory Horby bike lane opening ride. I’m in Calgary right now, where the car rules with many fast one way, 4-lane roads downtown. Hardly any painted bike lanes. They even allow (or maybe it’s illegal) car parking in some of these lanes, such as outside of our building.
That’s actually Dunsmuir between Howe and Granville, not Hornby.
Which, I suppose, is like saying that some Mayoral candidate in the 1930s would propose removing the Lions Gate Bridge when he saw this:
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Really? Gordon, does this mean that you think building the First Narrows bridge was a good idea, that you would have supported it at the time?
I sure hope we don’t start making policy based on one picture at one time of day. That said, I already commented on how the bike lane affectts me on Michael’s blog and don’t want to overly clutter things up, other than to simply say the photo is terribly misleading and shouldn’t be accepted as the city we have today at all.