Saturday, June 22, 2013

Oceans and oceans of bicycles in Amsterdam

While cities like New York struggle to get people onto bikes, Amsterdam is trying to keep its hordes of bikes under control. In a city of 800,000, there are 880,000 bicycles, the government estimates, four times the number of cars. In the past two decades, travel by bike has grown by 40 percent so that now about 32 percent of all trips within the city are by bike, compared with 22 percent by car.
Applauding this accomplishment, a Danish urban planning consultancy, Copenhagenize Design, which publishes an annual list of the 20 most bike-friendly cities, placed Amsterdam in first place this year, as it has frequently in the past. (The list consists mostly of European cities, though Tokyo; Nagoya, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro made the cut. Montreal is the only North American city included.)
But many Amsterdamers say it is not so much the traffic jams like those at the morning ferry that annoy them most, but the problem of where to park their bikes once they get to where they’re going, in a city with almost more water than paved surfaces. Read on in the NYT here. To tackle this problem Velo Mondial has designed a Low Lijn: Lounge & Bicycle Garden that the city debates now.

Friday, June 7, 2013

30km standard urban speed limit; Vote Now

Speed limits of 30km/h (20mph) save lives. Since the first 30km/h zone was started as a pilot project in the small German town of Buxtehude in 1983, numerous 20-mph zones throughout Europe have proven their worth. Wherever these zones come in, the number and the severity of accidents is reduced considerably. A limit of 30km/h (20 mph) in all residential areas improves air quality, as far fewer exhaust gases are emitted, making an important contribution to public health. 30 km/h (20 mph) limits are an inexpensive and popular way to improve safety, cut pollution and encourage smarter travel choices. They lead to improved traffic flow and less congestion. People can move without fear. And so we want to achieve these benefits for the whole of the European Union. What is our vision? 30 km/h shall become the standard speed limits for villages, towns and cities with local authorities being able to decide on exemptions. We want the commission to come up with a proposal to introduce 30 km/h speed limits.  We are determined to make every effort to collect the more than 1 million signatures needed within one year from at least 7 different member states of the EU. Velo Mondial signed, why don't you (although they ask a lot, be brave and make a change ! Sign now!