Tampines pavement riding trial - "a half-baked idea?"

Popular Singapore blogger Lee Kin Mun better known as Mr Brown writes about his new ride and goes on to write about riding in Tampines, and ends up with some choice words about the pavement riding trial that began there in May 2007.

"...who came up with the dumb idea of those bike lanes alongside pedestrian walkways?

Bikes belong to the road, not the pavement.

There were so many Dismount and Push signs along the new Bicycle cum Pedestrian footpaths in Tampines, you may as well cycle on the road. If you ever tried to cycle at East Coast Park, you will understand how hard it is to avoid humans on pavements.

In fact, I felt more vulnerable at the crossings while riding on the path. You are better off teaching drivers to share the road with cyclists, and teaching cyclists to ride defensively and safely, than to give riders a false sense of safety on those pedestrian pavements. And if you want to give cyclists their space, do it on the road, with bike lanes, instead of footpaths."

Eventually, he says:

"I just want safer roads to ride on. Not half-baked ideas like the Tampines pavement cycling trial."

See "My new ride II: Specialized Hardrock Comp Disc 2006," by Lee Kin Mun. mrbrown.com, 01 Oct 2007.

Safer in Sydney: 50% increase in cyclists but death and injury numbers stable

"Safety argument against cycling doesn't travel," by Sunanda Creagh. Sydney Morning Herald, 08 Oct 2007.

Roads and Traffic Authority figures obtained by the Herald show that while the number of cyclists has jumped 50 per cent in the past three years, cyclist death and injury numbers have remained relatively stable over the past decade.

...

The chief executive of Bicycle NSW, Alex Unwin, said the figures showed motorists were becoming more aware of the approximately 3000 cyclists who rode into the city every day. "There would be other factors like the increase in off-road cycling paths, education programs and people riding together," he said.

"Cycle count data shows that commuters into the city has gone up by about 50 per cent in the last three years. This is on the back of improved infrastructure like the Anzac Bridge pathway, but petrol prices, health and greenhouse gas also contribute."

Bikes now outsell cars every year and enrolments for National Ride to Work Day on October 17 are up 300 per cent.

...

Thanks to John Larkin for the forward.

If I were the Transport Minister...

I will make Singapore a paradise for cyclist, pedestrian and motorist. But it's impossible, according to the usual logic: when you optimize the roads for cyclist, motorist will suffer. That is, if you allow the number of cars to grow beyond the roads can handle.

I was in Penang recently, judging from the number of cars there, I will assume Penang is now more "prosperous" than Singapore. My sister's 4 members family has 4 cars, because it is a necessity there. Poor public transport, unsafe road condition for cyclist, couple with cheap gasoline and zero down payment for new car purchase are all reasons which create the situation now. Penang is now more polluted, more noisy and the roads are more dangerous than before. Ironically, the traveling is not faster; heavy traffic jam makes travel time unpredictable. Every new car added into the system is making it worst.

To me this is an illustration of how things can go wrong when the transport policy try to satisfy the majority's aspiration of owning a car. Car is not just a transportation tool, it is also a powerful polluter. Even hybrid car can not avoid polluting the environment, it only shift the location from the road to the factory where the fuel is produced. And hybrid car also can kill just like a normal car can.

A better alternative will be to enhance the synergy between cycling and walking with public transports. Good examples like Holland, Denmark and Germany (now Paris) shows that this is desirable. If 30% of car drivers attracted to cycle/walk/bus/MRT, there will be sufficient space to provide beautiful cycling paths all over Singapore. A lot more people will find it attractive to cycle because it is safe, clean, convenient and fun. Roads will become safer, air become cleaner and elderly will be able to do marketing or visit their grand son on the other side of the road safely. When there are fewer cars on the road, the remaining drivers will find driving a lot more relax and enjoyable, only they have to pay the real price, considering the pollution factor.

You can also play the "Transport Minister" game here, make sure you check the "Do You Know?" button during the quiz:
http://transport2020.gov.sg/

Love Song for the Road Cyclist

There's so much hype about cycling on footpaths. Pedestrians and motorists alike complain about the position of the cyclist. Some errant motorists have even come out to publicly thrash that cyclists have no right-of-way on the roads. Thanks to their impatience, lack of education, lack of social grace and understanding, and absolute lack of human respect. I'm compelled to plead motorists to SHARE the roads with other road users - and this includes cyclists, pedestrians, and our mobility-challenged friends.

This song, sung to the tune of Elton John's 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word', was written by me while I was in a cab on my way back to the office.

SHARING SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

What did I just do to make you honk me?
What did I just do to make you curse?
What do I do when drivers cut me,
when I get squeezed like I'm not there.

What do I do to make you want me?
What have I got to do to be heard?
What do I say when it gets ugly?
When SHARING seems to be the hardest word.

It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That SHARING seems to be the hardest word

What did I just do to make you honk me?
What have I got to do to be heard?
What can I do when drivers cut me?
What have I got to do?
What have I got to do?
When SHARING seems to be the hardest word.

Tampines pavement cycling trial begins

"Cyclists take to footpaths," By Grace Chiang. TODAY, 15 May 2007.

CYCLISTS TAKE TO FOOTPATHS
--------------------------
Tampines trial to assess safety of bikers and pedestrians


Gracia Chiang
gracia@mediacorp.com.sg

IT IS a common dilemma for cyclists: Do they cycle legally on the roads, where they risk being knocked down by motor vehicles, or cycle illegally on pedestrian paths?

Soon, a small group of them living in Tampines may not have to worry - as the authorities are reviewing legislation after cycling on footpaths has been banned for more than 20 years.

With cycling increasingly popular in the heartlands, the Land Transport Authority, Traffic Police and Tampines grassroots organisations will be conducting a study to assess the feasibility of allowing two-wheelers on footpaths.

For a year from May 27, cyclists in the town will be exempted from Rule 28 of the Road Traffic Rules.

Tampines was picked because of its large cycling population and well-used park connectors. From her door-to-door visits, Tampines GRC Member of Parliament Irene Ng noted that at least three in 10 homes have bicycles.

The study will help the tripartite committee to understand "if Singaporeans are generally ready to share the footways". The town will have the option of making the arrangement permanent if the trial is successful, said Mr Ng Guat Tin, the Traffic Police deputy assistant commissioner.

This programme may be one way to curb the increase in the number of accidents involving cyclists on the roads. There were 507 cases last year compared to 376 in 2005.

Despite the ban, in practice, the Traffic Police does not penalise those who cycle on footpaths unless they are reckless, which is why many cyclists think the law should be scrapped. Twenty-one cyclists were issued summonses for cycling along footways last year, up from 19 in 2005, and 10 in 2004.

Said the president of Singapore Amateur Cycling Association Victor Yew: "We don't want to feel afraid that we may be doing something illegal when we ride on the pavement."

Housewife Linda Chan, 36, who cycles to her son's kindergarten every day, uses the designated cycling paths whenever possible, but said it is "so much more convenient to ride on the pavements". "I cycled on the roads until a few years ago - when I almost lost control of my bicycle because of a speeding car," she said.

But others feel lifting the ban may result in more danger for elderly pedestrians. Tampines resident Zhang Fa, 62, said: "Young cyclists who ride very fast have almost knocked me down more than once. I think this will just make it worse."

An independent consultant has been appointed to evaluate the study. More than 80 cycling wardens will be deployed in Tampines to encourage safe cycling and reward gracious behaviour.

Women cyclists more at risk of death

Women cyclists are more likely to be killed by lorries than men because they obey red lights and then wait in drivers' blind spots.

Research by Transport for London, which has been kept secret since last July, suggests that cyclists who jump red lights may be safer than those who stick to the law.

Read more (read the comments as well)

Any street-savvy tips for Singapore?

Building a better bike lane

The WAll Street Journal
By NANCY KEATES
May 4, 2007; Page W1

COPENHAGEN -- No one wears bike helmets here. They're afraid they'll mess up their hair. "I have a big head and I would look silly," Mayor Klaus Bondam says.

People bike while pregnant, carrying two cups of coffee, smoking, eating bananas. At the airport, there are parking spaces for bikes. In the emergency room at Frederiksberg Hospital on weekends, half the biking accidents are from people riding drunk. Doctors say the drunk riders tend to run into poles.

Flat, compact and temperate, the Netherlands and Denmark have long been havens for bikers. In Amsterdam, 40% of commuters get to work by bike. In Copenhagen, more than a third of workers pedal to their offices. But as concern about global warming intensifies -- the European Union is already under emissions caps and tougher restrictions are expected -- the two cities are leading a fresh assault on car culture. A major thrust is a host of aggressive new measures designed to shift bike commuting into higher gear, including increased prison time for bike thieves and the construction of new parking facilities that can hold up to 10,000 bikes.

The rest of Europe is paying close attention. Officials from London, Munich and Zurich (plus a handful from the U.S.) have visited Amsterdam's transportation department for advice on developing bicycle-friendly infrastructure and policies. Norway aims to raise bicycle traffic to at least 8% of all travel by 2015 -- double its current level -- while Sweden hopes to move from 12% to 16% by 2010. This summer, Paris will put thousands of low-cost rental bikes throughout the city to cut traffic, reduce pollution and improve parking.


The city of Copenhagen plans to double its spending on biking infrastructure over the next three years, and Denmark is about to unveil a plan to increase spending on bike lanes on 2,000 kilometers, or 1,240 miles, of roads. Amsterdam is undertaking an ambitious capital-improvement program that includes building a 10,000-bike parking garage at the main train station -- construction is expected to start by the end of next year. The city is also trying to boost public transportation usage, and plans to soon enforce stricter car-parking fines and increase parking fees to discourage people from driving.

read more..