Biketivism Archives - Page 4 of 14

16/10/202028/11/2020

Bicycle Queensland – Road Safety Quiz

Each state (and country) have their own road safety rules and laws. Regardless of what mode of travel you use, it is always good to check your knowledge and keep updated – for your own safety and for others.

Heaven forbid someone challenges you doing something which you think is okay – only to find out later that you were in the wrong and the whole thing could have been avoided.

Recently Bicycle Queensland (BQ) launched a 24 questions quiz so people could test their bicycle road rules knowledge. It is a simple and clear quiz and there will be a few questions that might surprise you.

Take the Quiz here

I did this quiz and did not get full marks. I learnt the term ‘bicycle storage’ in reference to a painted box at traffic lights for bicycles to congregate to wait for lights to change (I only knew that term in relation to ACTUAL bike storage -not as a road user/traffic light reference …so there you go!).

If you live in Queensland give it a go! Even if you don’t give it a go anyway to see how it gels with what you know and check to see what is similar/different to where you live.

Can’t hurt to brush up on your road rules!

You get immediate feedback on correct answers as you proceed as well as a final result.

At the end of this post are some examples of questions to expect.

Get more info on Queensland Road Safety here.

Think you know all the bicycle-related road rules in Queensland? Put your knowledge to the test in the latest educational quiz on road safety skills. There are 24 Questions in this Quiz and they are on a range of bicycle and road safety topics.

Bicycle Queensland Road Safety Quiz Learning Goals:

To recognise and understand the Queensland Road Rules relevant to bicycle riders.
Consider methods to improve road safety for bicycle riders and identify the safety benefits.

The information in this quiz is developed from the Queensland Government’s bicycle road rules and safety page. This information is easily accessible online, and Bicycle Queensland encourages you to review the road rules regularly to keep up with the changes occurring in a dynamic transport network.

Remember that knowing the road rules does not necessarily make it safer for you to be on the road and this content has been created to help raise awareness of the road rules that are important for bicycle riders.

Revisit the Queensland road rules if you need to check a few things.

The goal is to repeat the quiz until you get over 80% correct and you can receive your Bicycle Queensland Road Safety certification.

02/09/202010/11/2020

Bikes take the lead in NSW Streets as Shared Spaces Program

It is encouraging to see more local councils and state governments backing active transportation and bike riding. As well as leveraging all the well-established health, social, economic and environmental benefits of bike riding, during COVID-19, it is now more important than ever to be improving public spaces that are equitable, accessible and practice social distancing. In June, NSW Government put out a call for activation grants and here are some of winning applicants. I hope there are more initiatives like this and other states follow suit – here’s to hoping! Great start NSW! Enjoy! NG.

What is the Shared Streets Spaces program?

The Streets as Shared Spaces program in NSW is part of a wider suite of initiatives in NSW looking to boost public access for the community during COVID-19.

Through the Streets as Shared Spaces program, the NSW Government has awarded grants to councils for temporary activation projects that support the community during COVID-19 and also test ideas for more permanent improvements to local streets, paths and public spaces.

This $15 million program launched in 2020, and was a pilot to enable improvements across NSW during COVID-19 and into the future which:

support essential workers to travel to work, and people working from home
contribute to NSW economic recovery in our local centres by creating vibrant streets and additional safe space to support local business
activate high streets to create better quality public space
support physical distancing requirements and encourage safe social connection
support the well-being of local communities and their ability to exercise
attract people back into public spaces in a safe way, when appropriate to do so.

Projects are intended to test and build the case for more permanent changes. Councils will lead the projects and consult with the community and stakeholders to evaluate success and make changes as needed.

The NSW Government has announced a list of urban and regional streets due for temporary transformations as part of their $15 million Streets as Shared Spaces program.

Launched in 2020, the program awards grants to councils for temporary activation projects that support the community during COVID-19 and test ideas for more permanent improvements to local streets, paths and public spaces.

Bikes take the lead in NSW Streets as Shared Spaces Program. Bicycles Create Change.com 2nd September 2020. — Image: NSW Dept. of Planning, Industry and Environment and Destination

Streets as Shared Spaces program aims to:

support essential workers to travel to work, and people working from home
contribute to NSW economic recovery in our local centres by creating vibrant streets and additional safe space to support local business
activate high streets to create better quality public space
support physical distancing requirements and encourage safe social connection
support the well-being of local communities and their ability to exercise
attract people back into public spaces in a safe way, when appropriate to do so

Amongst the 27 regional and 14 Greater Sydney councils who have been awarded grants, there were a number of bike-friendly improvements, including:

Ballina Shire Council

Project name: A Slow Path – Not A Fast Short Cut
Amount: $100,000
Description: A program of temporary works that seeks to test a number of traffic calming elements and streetscape features aimed at improving safety and convenience for pedestrian and cyclists in and around Park Lane over a trial period of 8-9 months.

Bayside Council

Project name: Place Making – Russell Avenue, San Souci
Amount: $100,000
Description: The proposal is for a ‘pilot’ trial opportunity to create community parklets alongside wide off-road cycleways where families feel safe to ride their bicycles – protected from traffic, whilst exploring local cafes before enjoying the paths and natural space of the Botany Bay’s foreshore.

Central Coast Council

Project name: Implementation of a Shared Zone and activation of The Esplanade, Umina Beach
Amount: $327,528
Description: This project is to provide a shared zone in The Esplanade, Umina Beach between Ocean Beach Road and Trafalgar Avenue, to provide a safer environment, great amenity and activate the road to provide a pedestrian and bike priority-based space.

Coffs Harbour City Council

Project name: The Green Spine Pilot Project
Amount: $800,000
Description: The Green Spine pilot project aims to trial a safe corridor for cycling and walking access along Coffs Harbour’s Harbour Drive during COVID-19.

Ku-ring-gai Council

Project name: Gilroy Road Separated Cycleway and Turramurra Shared Path
Amount: $398,000
Description: The project is to test the cycleway proposed in Turramurra Public Domain Plan. It will provide a safer cycling route for all ages and link open spaces, as well as providing a link from residential areas to local centre and station away from higher traffic roads.

You can see a full list of the successful projects here.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said: “It’s fantastic to see so many councils eager to provide new and improved public spaces for their communities, encouraging active transport and beautifying their streetscapes.”

These projects will transform neighbourhoods across the state, making it easier for people to walk or ride to local shops and services by creating safe, attractive and accessible streets and public spaces.”

This sets a strong example for other state governments looking to bounce back from the pandemic, particularly in Victoria where the full impact of changing transport habits are yet to be realised due to the extended lockdown.

Content in this post first published by Bicycle Network.

25/08/202028/10/2020

Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel’

In this post, we look at how Meg Ulman, Patrick Jones, their two children (aged 11 and 2) and pet dog used an incredible 6,000km family bike tour up the east coast of Australia as a way of putting into action their ethical, environmental and social principles. This is the fifth and last instalment of our August 5-part series written by Laura Fisher exploring how bicycles are used as a dissident object in contemporary art. Previously we looked at Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever’, then ‘Returnity’ by Elin Wikström and Anna Brag, then ‘Shedding Light’ from Tutti Arts Oz Asia Festival. The last post was on how public space is being creatively activated as sites of protest using bicycles by the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination. Enjoy! NG.

The Art of Free Travel

A final project that demonstrates the power and promise of the bicycle is the 6,000-kilometre journey taken by “Artist as Family”: Meg Ulman, Patrick Jones, their two children (aged 11 and 2) and pet dog.

As writers, gardeners and environmentalists, Ulman and Jones exemplify the ecological sensibility that a growing number of us embrace. In 2015 they decided to take up this environmental imperative as an artistic-philosophical project.

Over a period of 14 months the family rode their bicycles from their home in Daylesford in Victoria to Cape York in Northern Queensland, during which time they lived by foraging (they had extensive knowledge of edible plants), fishing, trapping, exchanging labour for food on farms, and through the hospitality of friends and strangers.

Click here for Meg and Patrick’s blog: THE ARTIST AS FAMILY

Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel'. Bicycles Create Change.com 25th August 2020.

Their blog posts and book attest to the heightened engagement with the world that bicycle travel affords: two-year-old Woody was able to identify an enormous variety of animals and plants, and meaningful connections were made with the many strangers who invited the family into their homes, sharing their knowledge and stories.

The physical demands of cycling focused their minds upon the needs of the body and the available sources of energy replenishment.

As these projects demonstrate, the bicycle is a nimble tool for individual and collective agency and a catalyst for knowledge creation, self-awareness and meaningful social encounters. It is a technology that serves our need for self-reliance and exploration, without surpassing the body’s capabilities.

In an era in which we are incarcerated by our affluence – through work, debt, declining physical and mental health, and an exploitative and wasteful dependence upon the declining natural resources – the bicycle is the ultimate dissident object and symbol of freedom.

Laura Fisher is a post-doctoral research fellow at Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney. In October 2015 she co-curated Bespoke City with Sabrina Sokalik at UNSW Art & Design, a one night exhibition featuring over 20 practitioners celebrating the bicycle through interactive installations, sculpture, video, design innovation, fashion and craft. This event was part of Veloscape, an ongoing art–research project exploring the emotional and sensory dimensions of cycling in Sydney.

The contents of this post was written by Laura Fisher and first published online by Artlink (2015). Minor content edits and hyperlinks/footnotes edited to aid short-form continuity.

21/08/202022/10/2020

Dissident Bicycles (Part 4): ’The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination’

This is the fourth instalment of our August 5-part series written by Laura Fisher exploring how bicycles are used as a dissident object in contemporary art. The first looked at Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever’, the second ‘Returnity’ by Elin Wikström and Anna Brag and the third was ‘Shedding Light’ from Tutti Arts Oz Asia Festival. Here we look at how the UK’s activist organisation ‘The Lab‘ use bicycles to assert creative civil disobedience to subvert dominant power structures. Enjoy! NG.

The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination: Bike Bloc (2009)

Also using public space creatively, the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination in the UK have mobilised bicycles to serve quite different ends.

The Lab is an activist organisation that has devised inventive forms of creative civil disobedience to assert an alternative to the nexus of capitalism, consumption and environmental destruction.

They try “to open spaces where the imaginative poetic spirit of art meets the courage and rebelliousness inherent to activism”.

In 2009, the Lab developed the Bike Bloc as a form of direct action for the UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen (the unsuccessful forerunner to the recent Paris Climate Talks).

Hundreds of people worked over several weeks to design and weld activist bicycles and practise “street action cycle choreography”.

Double Double Trouble – a Dissent Bicycle-Object

Some of these were paired tall-bikes that gave riders a great height advantage (confiscated by police before the protest), while others were equipped with megaphones that played music, sirens and abstract sounds in synchronicity.

One such bike recently featured in Disobedient Objects, an exhibition developed by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London which toured to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

As the video documentation shows, the Lab embraced the model of an insect swarm in order to create a dispersed field of sound and activity that drew police attention in different directions.

What makes this action so compelling artistically is the intersection of DIY cycle culture and the lessons of radical theatre and performance.

The bicycle was assessed for what kind of form it might contribute to coordinated protest, notably creating a fluid field of assembling and disassembling bodies and sound.

The contents of this post was written by Laura Fisher and first published online by Artlink (2015). Minor edits and hyperlinks added and footnotes removed to aid short-form continuity. Images from Makery unless attributed.

09/08/202012/10/2020

Dissident Bicycles (Part 1): Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever’

For August, we have a 5-part series written by Laura Fisher exploring how bicycles are used as a dissident object in contemporary art. Laura Fisher is a post-doctoral research fellow at Sydney College of the Arts (University of Sydney). Originally published in long format in Artlink, the five projects Laura details are examples not only of how bicycles create positive social (and other) change, but how this achieved utilizing the arts and performance. In this first instalment, Laura describes the importance and impact of one of Ai Weiwei’s most iconic pieces ‘Forever’. Enjoy! NG.

The bicycle as dissident object: Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever’

One of the centrepieces of Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei at the National Gallery of Victoria is a fresh iteration of Ai’s Forever sculpture. Located in the foyer, the sculpture consists of a towering arch of over 1,500 interconnected bicycles, all uniformly produced to a minimalist design. The Forever series is now among Ai’s most known works, having been exhibited in many configurations in museums and public spaces in London, Taiwan, Taipei, Venice and Toronto and elsewhere. The namesake is China’s Yong Jiu (which translates as“Forever”) brand of bicycle.

Established in the 1940s, the prized Forever brand dominated China’s cycling culture for several decades before the car became more widely used. For Ai there is a tainted nostalgia about the Forever bicycle. In the remote village where he was raised after his father – an enlightened and popular poet – was exiled from Beijing, the bicycle was not only needed for travel but for transporting things. It was also out of reach to all but the well-off, a high status object of intense desire for a child like Ai living in poverty.

In the first version of the work (in 2003) Ai suspended real Forever bicycles in a circle, and removed the chains, handlebars, pedals and seats. Eliminating these features set him on a path of abstraction, which in turn allowed him to introduce ambiguity to the object and play with patternation. Subsequent versions of the work left the readymade quality of the original behind and embraced a manufactured aesthetic, with the sculptures acquiring spectacular architectural proportions.

The bicycles seem to be self-propagating as grand crystalline structures, yet they are strikingly immobilised: ossified in gleaming stainless steel. In light of Ai’s ongoing critique of the constraints on liberty and individuality in China, it is hard not to interpret Forever as a potent vision of arrested movement, and its mass-produced elements as a metaphor for a particular kind of circumscribed sociality.

With Flowers

A more lo-fi object and performance that attests to the importance of bicycles (and flowers) to this critique is Ai’s With Flowers. Daily, from 30 November 2013, Ai placed fresh flowers into the basket of a bicycle leaning on a tree outside his Beijing studio gate to protest the confiscation of his passport (in 2011), and documented the bouquets on Flickr. His passport was finally returned in July 2015.

The National Gallery of Victoria installation

The National Gallery of Victoria’s installation is just the most recent in a long line of commissions and adaptations of Forever. And you might ask why the work has had such longevity. While it is no doubt a testament to Ai’s growing fame, it surely also says something about the bicycle’s symbolic currency at this historical moment.

In the coming years, the bicycle is likely to be a significant gauge of our cities’ progress towards finding a more sustainable equilibrium and it is a very tangible instance of the idea that a personal choice, when embraced en masse, can translate swiftly into extraordinary collective good. In this light, the scaled-up Forever seems to be suggestive of the grand promise associated with this disarmingly simple tool of urban transformation.

What is striking about the bicycle in the age of electronics is that it is an honest machine: its means of operating are transparent and its action truthfully felt. As Ai himself points out “They’re designated for the body and operated by your body. There are few things today that are like that”.

As a machine comprising simple cogs and wheels that efficiently convert human energy into movement, the bicycle has unique kinetic and haptic qualities that lend themselves to aesthetic investigation.

Thus, while Ai’s bicycles are polished and quiescent, many other artists have employed the bicycle’s movement to activate different kinds of individual and social behaviour – which is what we will be exploring in the next post!

20/07/202012/09/2020

Belize: Bikes for Caye Caulker’s Ocean Academy students

This blog prides itself on brings you stories and projects from around the world where bicycles create positive social and environmental change. It has been while since we visited Central America. Last time we were there, we looked at the growing popularity of Ciclovía de Los Domingos or Sunday bikeways. We also checked in to meet Mexico City’s first Latin American Bike Mayor, Areli Carreón and heard some reflections from our guest blogger Diana Vallejo on what it is like to be a Colombian non-rider. Today, we are heading to Belize to see how bicycles are helping support local kids not only stay in school, but also generate some income. Enjoy! NG.

Screen Shot 2020-08-25 at 5.31.00 am — Ocean Academy student Micheal. Image: Planterra Foundation

Belize is a small Caribbean country in northeastern Central America. It has many beautiful islands and atolls and is a popular tourist destination.

However, life for locals can be difficult. Belize is ranked 166 in the world based on GDP, around other lower-income countries like Lesotho, Suriname and Timor Leste.

Caye Caulker is one of Belize’s beautiful islands. Like many other islands, it has shifted from traditional life to embrace a different way of life in order to survive. Caye Caulker’s now depends on ts hospitality and tourism industry. While tourists enjoy natural environs and leisure activities, life is very different for locals.

Being such a small island, there are limited services. Previously, the Caye did not have a high school. This meant that when local children turned 12, they would have to move to the mainland if they wanted to continue their studies. This is not only financially difficult, but having a young family member away can be stressful and add extra pressure for struggling families, so many would not continue their studies and stay on the Caye. This meant there was a growing population of youths who had not completed their education.

Addressing a Critical Need

This situation is an obvious problem for the young students and families of the remote island of Caye Caulker. In many cases, it is not possible for students to travel to the mainland to receive a quality education.

This barrier leads many by the age of 12, to choose to quit school and join the workforce. Nation-wide, only 40% of secondary-aged youths are enrolled in school.

Opening a local high school – Ocean Academy

The Ocean Academy school opened in 2008 as the very first community high school on the island of Caye Caulker.

There are currently 58 students enrolled in the Academy.

Its programs aim to reduce school dropout rates and reverse the growing unemployment issue by providing hands-on and practical tourism education, in addition to the traditional curriculum.

How Planterra Foundation helped

Planeterra raised donations to fund needed bicycles and other materials for the Ocean Academy to develop a student-led bicycle tour of the island. Planeterra also connected the Ocean Academy to a market, G Adventures travellers, on some of G’s tours that visit the island.

This activity is included into some of G Adventures, and bike rentals are available for all travellers, with proceeds funding educational programs for the students at Ocean Academy.

Impact: Student-led bike tours

This project aims to provide youth on Caye Caulker with training for future employment opportunities. It is a social enterprise in tourism, giving students from Caye Caulker’s Ocean Academy the chance to practice guiding skills while giving traveller’s a unique experience on their visit to Caye Caulker.

Ocean Academy prepares students for careers relevant to island tourism and conservation science. In order to ensure the success for the new program, Planeterra supplied Ocean Academy’s Bike with Purpose program with 40 extra bikes at the beginning of the partnership.

This meant students could show tourists around, gaining valuable leadership, communication, business and tourism skills that can then be taken forward. Costs for the student-led bike tours all go to the students.

This is a wonderful example of how bicycles can be used to help support local education, families and employment opportunities. Key to this approach is integrating and enhancing already established local initiatives (the Academy) as well as addressing a need that has immediate and long-lasting positive impacts for local youths and their families.

Bicycles really do create change!

Content for this post sourced from Planterra Foundation

05/07/202018/08/2020

Got a Bicycle Diary?

Some people say making time for bike rides can be hard. But if your diary is a creative bike-inspired calendar all-in-one, then the job is not only easy, but imaginative and fun!

Making time for bike riding and art is a must.

Previously on this blog, I have shared some other of my fav bike inspired selections ranging from 5 Bikey Christmas Gifts, Trail Troll Art Installations on MTB trails, Temporary Bicycle Tattoos and the follow-up Bicycle Tattoos on THIGHS) and actual art bike rides like Melbourne’s Pink Flamingo Bike Rave (*sigh*!).

Yup, art and bikes just go together.

Below are 5 great bicycle diaries and travel journals.

Some you can still get while others were limited editions. All are the perfect place to block out happy hours on two wheels (alongside all the other things you need to get done too of course!).

Aside from having a bike theme – always check items are recycled and/or produced using sustainable and ethical practices – and support local artists where ever possible.

Keep any eye out for these in your local bookshops too (they need the business).

Or have a go at making your own!

1. Punctures & Panniers- Cycle Traveling Journal

This bike travel journal has it all! It is the brainchild of intrepid bike tourer Andre and was made possible in collaboration with artist Ania Butler. It has recycled paper and biodegradable inks. The design is clean and engaging and there is places in it to record your favourite routes, people you met, pages to doddle, log recipes, store contacts and more. This book was initiated by a kick starter and has something for every bike rider. A real gem!

Got a Bicycle Diary? Bicycles Create Change.com 5th July 2020 — Punctures & Panniers

2. Bike Art – Just Ride 2018-2019 Weekly Planner

The Bike Art On-the-Go Weekly Planner is perfect for your bag, backpack, or briefcase. This is a 17-month calendar with funky graphics. This planner is fun and thorough with plenty of time management sections that will help keep you organized. Stylish design and kooky bicycle motifs will make you smile on every page. By Amber Lotus Publishing 224 pages.

3. Ashley Hackshaw: How to turn a book into an art journal

Ashley Hackshaw (AKA Lil Blue Boo) has a blog o(f the same name) where she shares art projects and creative ideas. In this post, she shows step-by-step how you can make your own art journals using composition books. Although not specifically a bike diary – I love that her example is!

4. Bicycle (Personalized) Embroidered Notebook Cover

Quirky, creative and unique. Personalized notebook covers are so handy. The best thing is they can be reused for different diaries and notebooks. This particular cover by Sierraistanbul is an embroidered, fabric, red bicycle with a nameplate ‘Nick’ – but you can get it customised for your own/other people’s name too.

5. Inner Tube Notebook Covers

You can also check websites and places like Etsy for inner tube book and diary covers. Or have a go at making your own. Check reviews first if buying online as sizes can vary especially if you add things into your diary and it expands. Inner tubes can be tricky to work with so double-check any zips and that seams are robust. Having said that- these are great products to have as they fully fit the bike-recycled mandate!

27/06/202006/08/2020

Pedalling from Courage

As part of my bike PhD, I get to read lots of great bicycle inspired literature. Some of this awesome research includes Mike Lloyd’s bike research on the non-looks of the mobile world, new developments in no-nose saddle research and international projects like Paulus Maringka’s Greencycle Project in NZ.

Some academic publications are a bore to read, but there are the rare few that are accessible and engaging.

Today, I am sharing one that fits that bill. It is a reflection piece in the most recent issue of the Journal of Narrative Politics. It is by Manu Samnotra.

This article includes 7 vignettes, each of which shows various insights into Manu’s Florida bike-university-international lifeworld. I have chosen one particular vignette, to share here, which is the fourth in the paper (pg 62-63) which is the shortest vignette. It was originally presented as a one-paragraph moment. I chose this piece as it is concise, familiar and accessible (clearly written and articulated and not overly theoretical – thank goodness!).

Although it is an academic publication, it is a personal piece that bike riders can relate too. Elsewhere in the article, Manu explores themes or family, mobility, education, immigration/citizenship, friendship, community and more.

Manu’s writing is not at all cumbersome or heavily referenced (which is a unique feature of the Journal of Narrative Politics). I’d recommend checking out the whole article (see below). I have changed the layout of this section to better suit the blog format. Enjoy! NG.

Samnotra, M. (2020). Pedaling from Courage. Journal of Narrative Politics, 6(2).

Get a full copy of this article here

Pedalling from Courage. Bicycles Create Change.com 27th June 2020.

We were on our bicycles on our way to the university, rolling on a path unmarred by borders and hierarchies. We saw two figures in the distance.

Pedaling.

Perhaps we registered its novelty; in this neighborhood where we rarely saw any children, and where there were no cars parked during the day, it was strange to see pedestrians walking in the middle of the street. Whirring. We were discussing what we might cook that night for dinner.

Pedaling.

We hear voices now, distant voices, and there is shouting. The road is much smoother in this part of the ride. Whirring. We exchange glances. As we get closer, we notice that the figures in the distance, getting nearer to us every moment, are not white. The color of their skin became apparent before anything else.

Pedaling.

We see now that one of them is gesticulating. Sticking arms out sideways, questioning.

Pedaling.

We notice now that one of them is a man. We hear his words clearly. He is angry. He is insulting her. Whirring. He is demanding that she stop what she is doing and acknowledge him. A few feet away, and we realize that the woman is walking ahead of the man. Whirring. Her body is stiffened, but not in the way that suggests that they are strangers. Whirring. She is trying to maintain a distance between them. As we are about to cross them, the man stretches forward and punches her. It grazes the back of her head. She stumbles but quickly regains her footing and keeps walking.

Pedaling.

We two cyclists look at each other.

Pedaling.

We are already a block down the path before we realize what we have seen. Whirring. No, that is not right. We know what we saw. Whirring. It just takes us that long to acknowledge what we have seen. She wants to stop pedaling. Our bikes come to skidding halt. She was always braver than me. I tell her not to stop.

Pedaling.

We cover the rest of the distance until we reach the university where we finally consider what we have seen.

Manu Samnotra teaches political theory at the University of South Florida. He can be reached at msamnotra@usf.edu

03/06/202017/07/2020

World Bicycle Day 2020

For the last 5 years, this blog has celebrated the positive impacts bicycles have on people, places, communities and the environment.

Last year, I celebrated World Bicycle Day by going for a ride, attending the Mabo Oration and meeting Assoc. Prof. Chelsea Bond. The year before that, 2018, was the inaugural World Bicycle Day – it’s first time ever so I had an extra post looking at how it all came about. For 2020, we’ll look at the UN’s perspective of how WBD 2020 contributes to improving global health.

World Bicycle Day 2020. Bicycles Create Change.com 3rd June 2020. — Happy World Bicycle Day 2020! Image: Tantaran.com

Happy World Bicycle Day 2020!

I hope you had a great time out and about on two wheels!

To see photos and stories from how others spent World Bicycle Day 2020 – check out #WorldBicycleDay and #JustRide

People celebrate World Bicycle Day in many ways. Some people do it on bikes, others do it for bikes. It was a delight to see the myriad ways people honoured the humble bike – riding with friends, making art, sharing music, having critical conversations, holding events and all kinds of advocating for more positive bike change.

One example was MP Jim McMahon (Oldham, UK) who wrote a letter to Oldham Council encouraging them to look towards off-road routes for future cycling and walking infrastructure projects in his local area.

The UN Perspective of World Bicycle Day

For the UN, World Bicycle Day is:

To acknowledge the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, fostering environmental stewardship and health

In large part, this is in response to the fact that, internationally, the mobility needs of people who walk and cycle – often the majority of citizens in a city – continue to be overlooked. The UN Share the Road Programme Annual Report 2018, shows that the benefits of investing in pedestrians and cyclists can save lives, help protect the environment and support poverty reduction.

Walking and cycling continues to be a critical part of the mobility solution for helping cities de-couple population growth from increased emissions, and to improve air quality and road safety.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is also a pathway for achieving greater health equity.

For the poorest urban sector, who often cannot afford private vehicles, walking and cycling can provide a form of transport while reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, and even death.

That means bikes are not only healthy, they are also equitable and cost-effective. There are many reasons to love bikes, for example…

Bikes are a simple, reliable, clean and environmentally sustainable means of transportation
Bikes can serve as a tool for development and as a means not just of transportation but also of access to education, health care and sport
The synergy between the bicycle and the user fosters creativity and social engagement and gives the user an immediate awareness of the local environment
The bicycle is a symbol of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate

Internationally, the aim of World Bicycle Day is to:

Encourage specific bicycle development strategies at the international, regional, national and subnational level via policies and programmes
Improve road safety, sustainable mobility, and transport infrastructure planning and design
Improve cycling mobility for broader health outcomes (ie preventing injuries and non-communicable diseases)
Progress use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development
Strengthening bike and physical education, social inclusion and a culture of peace
Adopt best practices and means to promote the bicycle among all members of society

Regardless of the reason you ride bikes – you are in very good company!

Keep riding, be healthy and have a awesome World Bicycle Day today!

Parts of this content is taken/edited from the UN World Bicycle Day official website.

30/04/202008/07/2020

COVID-19 sparks South American cycling

This blog prides itself on bringing news, ideas and projects from all over the world. Previously we have posted a range of South American stories including several from Peru, Brazil and Colombia. Surprisingly, this post is about South America, but comes via a longer report from the Hindustan Times no less! At a time when we are feeling very insular and localised, it is a good reminder that others internationally are experiencing similar conditions, but perhaps meeting it differently. Pedal on, South America! Enjoy! NG.

COVID-19 sparks South America cycling. Bicycles Create Change.com 25th April 2020. — A woman rides a bicycle next to Barra da Tijuca beach, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Image: REUTERS via Hindustan Times.

Capital cities in South America such as Bogota, Lima, Quito, Santiago and Buenos Aires have expanded bike lanes, closing off miles of roads to cars, in an effort to ease crowding on public transport to maintain safe distancing.

From Bogota to Buenos Aires, rising numbers of residents in some of South America’s major capitals are getting on their bikes as the coronavirus pandemic drives city officials to expand bike lanes and promote cycling as a safe way to travel.

Capital cities such as Bogota, Lima, Quito, Santiago and Buenos Aires have expanded bike lanes, closing off miles of roads to cars, in an effort to ease crowding on public transport to curb the spread of Covid-19 and maintain safe distancing.

South America is now battling the global pandemic with many cities still under strict or partial lockdown, and Brazil ranked second globally in total cases of the virus, behind the United States.

COVID-19 sparks South America cycling. Bicycles Create Change.com 30th April 2020. — People go for a walk and ride bikes as the country has managed to get the coronavirus disease under control, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Image: REUTERS via Hindustan Times.

“COVID has been a fundamental factor in achieving what nothing else could have – expanding bike lanes and network length by orders of magnitude instead of slowly and timidly as before,” said Carlos Pardo, senior manager at the Washington- based New Urban Mobility Alliance, a group of cities, non-profits, companies and operators of mobility services.

“COVID made governments aware that it wasn’t a big risk to implement a system of bike lanes,” Pardo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

‘In the drawers’

Plans to expand bike networks in cities, such as Lima, have been in place for decades but officials hadn’t pushed cycling as a sustainable means of transport until the pandemic hit.

“Many cities had the stuff in the drawers. The plans are ready .. the bike lanes have been identified for years but hadn’t been built,” Pardo said.

In Lima, where about 7 in every 10 people use public transport, promoting alternatives to ease overcrowding on buses and the subway is a priority as the city tries to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In Peru, there’s been a huge change. The minister of transport has made cycling a key policy,” Pardo said.

The government has announced plans to create 300 kilometres (185 miles) of temporary bike lanes in the coming months across Lima.

“I suspect that many of the temporary bike lanes are going to become permanent. There is momentum,” Pardo said.

Bogota already had a 550-kilometre (340-mile) network of bicycle lanes criss-crossing the capital before the coronavirus outbreak.

Since Bogota’s lockdown started in late March, 80 kilometres of temporary bike lanes have been added, which are now set to become permanent.

Under the lockdown, about 300,000 trips a day are being made by bicycle, mostly by essential workers, and nearly 70% of people riding bikes today used other forms of transport before the pandemic started, according to Bogota’s secretary of mobility.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed with modifications to the original text.