The road to central London is a notoriously dangerous route for the city’s many cycling commuters. But now, the first two of 12 proposed bicycle “superhighways” have opened, in a city-sponsored effort to encourage bicycle commuting as a way of reducing traffic and pollution in the city. The lanes are part of London Mayor Boris Johnson’s ambitious, “cycle revolution” campaign, which coincides with preparations for the 2012 Olympics. Johnson has stated that his program will change the London experience for the better and serve as a model for other cities.

The lanes are part of an effort to increase cycling in London by 400 percent  by 2025. According to Transport for London [TfL],the goals of the program are to:

• Improve cycling conditions for people who already commute by bike
• Encourage those who don’t to take to pedal power and keep fit
• Help cut congestion
• Relieve overcrowding on public transport
• Reduce emissions.

The first two routes cover about 8.5 miles each, linking south and east London—where there are already many bicycle commuters—to the city center.

What makes these “superhighways” different from ordinary bike lanes? Mainly, it’s the planning behind them: The 12 routes, when completed in 2012 [if all goes well], will form a radial pattern of
“spokes” leading to central London.

The “superhighways” are, in fact, side-of-the-road bike lanes, painted bright blue. Presumably, cyclists and motorists will come to recognize the blue lanes as a “brand,” so that sharing the road becomes a norm, rather than a competitive sport.

To get all of the details, you can watch the  Official promotional video here.

But not everyone is convinced. Critics say that the lanes’ width—1.5 metres [4 ft., 11 inches]—is not adequate to keep cyclists and motorists apart, although the design appears to fall within minimum standards set by bicycling organizations.  Many would prefer the segregated bike lanes created in other countries, particularly the Copenhagen/Netherlands model, in which road space is allocated away from cars and into bike lanes. They cite the Mayor’s own words as evidence that the bike lanes are merely a branding gimmick that continues to “prioritize private car ownership and use over walking and cycling.”

Further criticism comes from London cyclists, who say the new routes may be an improvement, but by no means live up to the name “superhighways.” And London’s Green Party says the administration is underspending on its cycling budget.

Will the new bike lanes achieve their goals? The two-wheeled jury will decide the ultimate verdict.

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In the US, living 10 miles from school means riding a school bus or organizing a car pool. In many African countries, it means a very long, daunting walk—which often, in turn, means not going to school at all.  World Bicycle Relief, an American NGO, is trying to change that scenario by distributing 50,000 bicycles to impoverished schoolchildren—mainly girls—in rural Zambia.

The program is called BEEP [Bicycles for Educational Empowerment]. A recent article in Global Post explains the rationale:

In Zambia, as in much of rural Africa, fewer girls attend school mostly because of the long distances involved and the tendency by some parents to use this as an excuse to push them into early marriages. A government of Zambia education survey in 2002 named distance as a major hindrance to rural children attending school; 27 percent of them dropped out because of this challenge, according to the survey.

In addition, the impact of HIV/AIDS, which affects an estimated 16 percent of the population, as well as the growing number of orphans and child-led households, help explain why only 60 percent of primary schoolchildren in Zambia complete their education.

Other organizations have taken notice. According to the World Bank, “There is no investment more effective for achieving development goals than educating girls,” adding that lower pregnancy rates, lower infant child mortality rates and protection against HIV/AIDS infection are among the benefits.

BEEP emphasizes that the bicycles are not intended for recreation, as they are often used in the developed world. A parent of each of the girls who receives a bicycle must  sign a two-year contract that requires the recipient to attend class daily, use her bicycle prudently on transportation and household chores, and never for frivolous activities.

The program is clearly getting good results. Jephias Mutombeni is the Guidance and Counseling teacher at Lwimba Basic School where several students have received BEEP bicycles. He is quoted in Global Post as saying, “Looking at the program of World Bicycle Relief, I can see that there has been tremendous improvement among students in terms of attendance. In the past, we used to experience a lot of absenteeism, but with this, attendance has improved. We hope that even the performance of the students, in the near future, will also improve.”

World Bicycle Relief was founded in 2005 by SRAM Corporation and Trek Bicycle in response to the December 2004 tsunami that swept the Indian Ocean. Its mission statement says:

“Simple, sustainable transportation is an essential element in disaster assistance and poverty relief. Bicycles fulfill basic needs by providing access to healthcare, education and economic development. Bicycles empower individuals, their families, and their communities. Our mission is to provide access to independence and livelihood through The Power of Bicycles.

In partnership with World Vision Sri Lanka, this project provided more than 24,000 locally manufactured bicycles to carefully selected men, women and children in greatest need. The $1.5 million Project Tsunami initiative dramatically accelerated their recovery from this brutal disaster, thanks to funding raised through the bicycle industry, foundations and individual contributors.

As part of its commitment, World Bicycle Relief retained an independent organization to measure the impact of Project Tsunami. Two years after the project was complete, the organization reports these results:

• 88% of recipients depend on bicycles for livelihood activities
• Bicycles can save a household up to 30% of its annual income for transportation costs
• The bicycle program provided critical, appropriate transportation enabling households to resume important livelihood, education and service activities

After the success of Project Tsunami, World Bicycle Relief partnered with a coalition of relief organizations to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Zambia. Project Zambia will provide 23,000 bicycles to community home-based care volunteers, disease prevention educators and vulnerable households. They also are training and equipping more than 400 bicycle mechanics in the field. This $2.9 million program will reach more than 500,000 adults, orphans and vulnerable children.

In addition to Zambia, the organization also operates in Zimbabwe and Kenya, and it is exploring additional opportunities in Mozambique, Malawi and Uganda.

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If David and Goliath really existed, and if their match had taken place in the Roman Coliseum, for whom would the fans be rooting?  It’s hard to tell; we don’t even know what the breakdown was between fans for the lions and the Christians.

However, we can say that if the Coliseum had been filled with progressives, virtually every fan would have been rooting for David.  If the edifice had been filled with BP executives, Goliath might have been the fans’ choice.

To the extent that we have moved towards a multi-modal transportation world, bicyclists are progressives’ choice in conflicts over rights-of-way.  Most of us can’t stand the sights, sounds, and smells of eighteen-wheelers as they seemingly squeeze us off the roads.  Never mind that the behemoth truck that you curse may be bringing you naturally grown vegetables and fruits, or more likely your latest electronic gadget.

Urban planners are now going the extra mile to extend full rights to bicyclists.  In the 1960s, when the “new town” movement was becoming a reality, the Washington, DC exurbs of Reston, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland featured miles of separate rights of way for bicyclists and pedestrians.  They included friendly curb-cuts before the ADA was passed, and it was easy for many to ride from home to work or school without having to look over one’s shoulder for an approaching car or truck.  Minneapolis was probably the first established community to recognize that bicycle rights required structural changes to ensure bicycle safety.  Some parks near downtown Minneapolis have had rights-of-way that curve through the terrain with separate (and occasionally separated) lanes for cars, bicycles, walkers, and skate-boarders.

But in most of North America, the bicyclist is a second-class citizen who lives and, unfortunately, all-too-often dies at the mercy of motorists.  Cyclists are rarely responsible for collisions; generally it is either an errant driver or a vehicle that is simply too large to safely be on any street.  Thus, when mishaps occur, anger is normally directed at a motorist.

To illustrate how perilous bike riding can be, a Canadian cyclist cleverly attached a mini-video camera to his helmet and recorded his normal journeys.  Sure enough, in one incident after another,  he is put in harm’s way, as motorists either don’t notice him, see him but don’t care about his presence, or perhaps intentionally try to scare or hit him.  Because the fine young gentleman survives all and eloquently describes his travails, we present his video from CBC by way of CNN.

It’s virtually impossible to watch the video and not have empathy for the biker and disdain for the drivers.  However, there is a third factor present in all of the accidents and near-accidents.  The cyclist, Luke Rae,  is operating under what may or may not be a fair assumption; that he has as much right to the roads he travels as any motorist.  It’s a nice thought, but considering road design, perhaps somewhat of a fantasy.  We cannot argue with his contention that he has a right to ride his bike on the roads, but we can question his premise that it should be safe for him to ride on these roads.  It simply isn’t, even when drivers are cautious and well-intentioned.  He is fighting a losing battle trying to equally share the asphalt ribbons with his four- to eighteen-wheel colleagues.

When it comes to protecting bicyclists, government has shown the ability to be responsible and respectful of the rights of the less powerful.  It’s happening more every day as separate and safe bike paths are paved to give cyclists their own right of way.  However, with the 95% or more of our roads which were not constructed with cyclist safety in mind, poor planning is often an “unindicted co-conspirator” with the motorist who wreaks havoc on the cyclist.

Most of us have had our automobile-bicycle near misses.  Sometimes we’re the cyclist, and sometimes we’re the motorist.  As the video clearly illustrates, these incidents are harrowing experiences for cyclists.  But often, it is the motorist who is scared out of his or her wits because he or she almost struck an innocent cyclist.

The accidents and near-accidents will continue, perhaps with the frequency as shown in the video, if we maintain the status quo.  Let’s applaud those in and out of government who take steps to ensure safe cycling.  At the same time, let’s be careful about which motorists we demonize.  Like so many things in life, it’s not an easy call.

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In March, Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood announced that the government is going to give bicycling and walking the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money.

“This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized,” LaHood wrote in his government blog. LaHood feels that “bike projects are relatively fast and inexpensive to build and are environmentally sustainable; they reduce travel costs, dramatically improve safety and public health, and reconnect citizens with their communities.”

Bicyclists around the country cheered the announcement on bike blogs,Twitter and Facebook. But the outpouring of enthusiasm is not only from hardcore bicyclists. The general public is behind the idea of giving more attention to providing alternatives to driving. http://t4america.org/resources/2010survey/

In a new poll conducted by Transportation for America:

More than four-in-five voters (82 percent) say that “the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system,” including modes of transportation like rail and buses. An overwhelming majority of voters agree with this statement — no matter where they live. Even in rural America, 79 percent of voters agreed with the statement, despite much lower use of public transportation compared to urban Americans.

When asked about reducing traffic congestion, three-in-five voters choose improving public transportation and making it easier to walk and bike over building more roads and expanding existing roads (59% to 38%).

You can read the new DOT policy statement here: Basically, it encourages states and local governments to adopt a similar policy in their own communities by:

• Considering walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
• Ensuring that there are transportation choices for people of all ages and abilities, especially children.
• Going beyond minimum design standards and anticipate future demand for bicycling and walking paths.
• Integrating bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated, and limited access bridges.
• Collecting data on walking and biking trips.
• Setting mode share targets for walking and bicycling and tracking them over time.
• Removing snow from sidewalks and shared-use paths.
• Improving nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

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