German President confronts car people

The German Federal President Mr Horst Koehler held an incredible speech in front of ADAC, which is THE lobby organisation for cars and car culture in Germany. Now his office published the translation in English. Some quotes: 'Many people just get into their cars in the morning almost without thinking, and then they find themselves stuck in another traffic jam. Experts have calculated that traffic jams cost the German economy several billion euro every year. And to my mind the answer is not simply to build more roads. Stuck in traffic jams, people waste time, get irritated. Some people put themselves through it every day, even if a five-minute walk would take them to the underground, which would get them to work quicker and more comfortably.'
'Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses". In other words, mobility has to be thought ahead. You, leading representatives of the car industry, be ahead of your customers! The phrase "that's what the customers wanted" is not set in stone for all eternity. As leaders you have a responsibility to lead. And part of that is to recognize shifts in the tide - on the markets and in society - and to react promptly and get new products ready for the market.'

Training about Electric Bcycles

Since its official start in June 2009, the Presto project has made considerable progress. Presto consists of 3 main pillars: cycling infrastructure, cycling promotion and electric bicycles. Today, the consortium has completed a policy guide for each of these pillars. These guides are aimed at supporting the PRESTO cities in their cycling policy activities and at serving as European reference guides for all those who are interested in the subjects concerned. The guides will be published on the PRESTO website very soon. The European Twowheel Retailers’ Association (ETRA) is in the consortium responsible for the pillar electric bicycles. Consequently, the European trade association has written the Policy Guide on Electric Bicycles. In anticipation of its publication on the PRESTO and ETRA website, the guide can be downloaded until 17 February 2009 from this link. The Guide serves as basic material for the training programme, which is an integral part of PRESTO. The objective of the electric bicycle training is to raise awareness on electric bicycles, to stimulate and facilitate market penetration and to promote the use of electric bicycles. Key issues are potential user groups, the market, opportunities and the vehicle itself. The training is aimed at anybody who may have an interest in electric bicycles.

An Electric Boost

It began in China, where an estimated 120 million electric bicycles now hum along the roads, up from a few thousand in the 1990s. They are replacing traditional bikes and motorcycles at a rapid clip and, in many cases, allowing people to put off the switch to cars. In turn, the booming Chinese electric-bike industry is spurring worldwide interest and impressive sales in India, Europe and the United States. China is exporting many bikes, and Western manufacturers are also copying the Chinese trend to produce models of their own. From virtually nothing a decade ago, electric bikes have become an $11 billion global industry. In the Netherlands, a third of the money spent on bicycles last year went to electric-powered models. Industry experts predict similar growth elsewhere in Europe, especially in Germany, France and Italy, as rising interest in cycling coincides with an aging population. India had virtually no sales until two years ago, but its nascent market is fast expanding and could eclipse Europe’s in the next year. While the American market has been modest — about 200,000 bikes sold last year, by some estimates — interest is rising. Read on in the New York Times here.

More lists: More cycle friendly cities

According to a list by Virgin Vacations, who suggest they relied on a methodology developed by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), known as The Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign, which uses five criteria (engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement, plus evaluation and planning) to identify cities that actively support bicycling.Virgin Vacations lists the following eleven cities as being the most accessible and bike friendly. 1. Amsterdam, Netherlands 2. Portland, Oregon, USA 3. Copenhagen, Denmark 4. Boulder, Colorado, USA 5. Davis, California, USA 6. Sandnes, Norway 7. Trondheim, Norway 8. San Francisco, California, USA 9. Berlin, Germany 10. Barcelona, Spain 11. Basel, Switzerland. As with any list it would be easy to debate the relative merit of inclusion or ranking. But we think rather than quibble, it's more useful to read through the description of each city to learn more about their selection and using that info strive to make more cities bicycle friendly. Velo Mondial also has awards for cities in a variety of categories and we agree with Treehugger that this list means more to Virgin than to 'cycling'. We will continue to promote cycling in the context of sustainable mobility and we are proud of all the results achieved in the last 10 years. Velo Mondiale will continue to promote Amsterdam

Bicycle Batteries on the way to maturity

China’s Science and Technology Minister, Wan Gang has presented two e-Bicycles as a state present to US President Barack Obama and his Minister Steven Chu of the US Department of Energy. As a symbol of their competitive products, China has decided to present a lithium battery-powered e-Bike as state present to Barack Obama when he paid a visit to China, holding the Sino-American Clean Energy Technology Co-operation Committee. Both bikes are equipped with lithium batteries made by Suzhou Phylion. As one of the leading lithium battery suppliers Phylion’s sales volume has exceeded 400,000 units for e-Bikes only. In a statement Phylion says: “we enjoy a rapid growth and we are awarded by the Chinese government as one of 21 stars of the future. “Being selected as part of the “State Present” is not only an honour for us, but also a recognition for the whole lithium-ion battery industry. It will surely give more momentum to the development of Phylion as well as the lithium-ion battery industry.”The e-Bike is one of China’s most competitive industries with a volume of nearly 20 million units. It has become an important means of transport and has made an important contribution to energy saving. Source: Bike Europe

20 mph/ 30 kilometer zones

Road injuries are among the leading causes of loss of life and disability worldwide, and they are projected to make an increasingly important contribution to public health burdens over the coming decades. A study was published in The Bristish Journal of Medicine on the effect of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London, 1986-2006.The objective was to quantify the effect of the introduction of 20 mph (32 km an hour) traffic speed zones on road collisions, injuries, and fatalities in London. The study is based on analysis of geographically coded police data on road casualties, 1986-2006. Analyses were made of longitudinal changes in counts of road injuries within each of 119,029 road segments with at least one casualty. Results: The introduction of 20 mph zones was associated with a 41.9% reduction in road casualties. The percentage reduction was greatest in younger children and greater for the category of killed or seriously injured casualties than for minor injuries. In areas adjacent to 20 mph zones casualties also fell slightly by an average of 8.0%. Conclusions 20 mph zones are effective measures for reducing road injuries and deaths. You can read more on this in detail here.

Where do I park my bike? The Danish approach

Where do I park my bicycle? Regrettably, accessible and satisfactory bicycle parking facilities are sometimes few and far between. This is due to the fact that, so far, good bicycle parking has been given far too little attention in Danish urban planning. And when bicycle parking has been included in the planning, not enough account has often been taken of the needs and requirements of cyclists and their patterns of behaviour. The result is often a bicycle parking facility which is not used. Denmark generally has a good network of bicycle paths, but when it comes to bicycle parking we lag hopelessly behind, especially when compared to the Netherlands. They are currently improving and enlarging their excellent bicycle parking facilities. In The Hague, with almost half a million inhabitants, a new facility with space for 14,000 bicycles is being planned at the main railway station! Denmark is a cycling country, and this should be demonstrated by bicycle parking facilities, too. Fortunately, town planners and politicians are focusing more on the issue. Good bicycle parking facilities may be what persuades commuters to travel by bicycle and public transport rather than jumping in the car. Bicycle parking can contribute to solving the growing problem of congestion. Read more here.

Piazza Times Square?

When the department of Transportation closed seven blocks of Broadway to cars this summer, New Yorkers were offered an object lesson in how profoundly urban space can be altered by a few traffic barriers and a bucket of paint. Within hours, the newly pedestrianized Times Square was colonized by wanderers, nearby office workers, and tourists calling home (“You will not believe where I am standing!”). But what, exactly, should replace an avenue formerly filled with cars? Three design firms were invited to suggest visionary ideas for the street’s future. None is particularly ... practical. But then again, this time last year, who would have expected to see our most famous boulevard transformed into a piazza? Dutch Designers West 8 created some ideas: It is crucial that Times Square not be further transformed into a theme park or playground: It must be robust, substantial, urban, and timeless, while amplifying the neighborhood’s singular reputation. To make Times Square a true public square, we propose repaving it with an LED-lighted “carpet” whose pattern suggests fireworks, spinning ticker tape, Champagne bubbles, and the New Year’s ball drop. Times Square is dedicated to the idea of verticality. How to add green in such a place? Make high, elevated places for solitary trees—“tree pedestals” that synthesize the Olmstedian lanterns of Central Park and the neighborhood street tree. Read more in NYMagazine.

Amsterdam European Green Capital Finalist

The City of Amsterdam has made great efforts to promote greener means of transport, and successfully. The citizens now prefer bicycles over cars. With roughly 750,000 residents, Amsterdam is the biggest city of Holland and part of the great metropolitan area ‘Randstad’. The Dutch are fond of biking, and Amsterdam has always been a popular city for cycling. And now bikes have overtaken cars! Studies show that in the period 2005 to 2007 residents used their bicycle an average of 0.87 times a day and their car 0.84 times. Approximately three out of four of Amsterdam residents own a bicycle, and bicycles are the most commonly used means of transport. Over the last thirty years, the municipal authority of Amsterdam has worked hard on encouraging bicycle use by providing cycle paths and lanes; bicycle and pedestrian friendly roads and an extensive network of parking facilities for bicycles.The main bicycle routes through the city are part of the ‘Hoofdnet Fiets’ bicycle network. A complex network of bicycle routes through the entire city, which ensures all of Amsterdam is safely and comfortably accessible by bicycle. With this project description and this presentation Amsterdam is running for the European Green Capital Award.

New York leading the way