From drivers to cyclists
source: http://faircompanies.com/main.aspx?uc=notampl&id=372&sec=1
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- naty_forty
- added this
Going old school...
"As city centers grow more congested and contaminated, a push to get commuters onto two wheels is becoming not just good environmental policy, but a growing necessity."
In Mexico City, where car use doubled between 2000 and 2007 and where air pollution levels now exceed permissible levels set by the World Health Organization more than half of the year, the city government has committed to building 186 miles (300 kilometers) of bike paths by 2012, as well as bike parking lots that will be watched by security guards.
Even in cities without imminent pollution problems, bike commuting is being seen as an affordable and available means of relieving downtowns impacted by too many cars. Take a city like Melbourne, Australia where currently 600,000 people commute in and out every day and, according to the community group Bicycle Victoria, that number is expected to double. To deal with the congestion, Melbourne planners are giving people more reason to bike to work.
They are installing "Copenhagen lanes", bike baths separated from traffic, on some of the busiest city streets. Using research that a bike lane can carry 12,000 people/hour and a car lane only 4,000 vehicles, the community group Bicycle Victoria calls using bicycles for trips in congested parts of the city "like switching from dial up to broadband"."
I think it's a good plan, now it's up to everyone to get proactive and actually commit to following through in avoiding to use their cars as much. It's even better for ourselves because instead of sitting in a car like a "potato" we can ride a bicycle and exercise. Now we just need to develop a consistent and effective way for those that need to travel long distances on a regular basis...
"As city centers grow more congested and contaminated, a push to get commuters onto two wheels is becoming not just good environmental policy, but a growing necessity."
In Mexico City, where car use doubled between 2000 and 2007 and where air pollution levels now exceed permissible levels set by the World Health Organization more than half of the year, the city government has committed to building 186 miles (300 kilometers) of bike paths by 2012, as well as bike parking lots that will be watched by security guards.
Even in cities without imminent pollution problems, bike commuting is being seen as an affordable and available means of relieving downtowns impacted by too many cars. Take a city like Melbourne, Australia where currently 600,000 people commute in and out every day and, according to the community group Bicycle Victoria, that number is expected to double. To deal with the congestion, Melbourne planners are giving people more reason to bike to work.
They are installing "Copenhagen lanes", bike baths separated from traffic, on some of the busiest city streets. Using research that a bike lane can carry 12,000 people/hour and a car lane only 4,000 vehicles, the community group Bicycle Victoria calls using bicycles for trips in congested parts of the city "like switching from dial up to broadband"."
I think it's a good plan, now it's up to everyone to get proactive and actually commit to following through in avoiding to use their cars as much. It's even better for ourselves because instead of sitting in a car like a "potato" we can ride a bicycle and exercise. Now we just need to develop a consistent and effective way for those that need to travel long distances on a regular basis...
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- groups:
- Green, Earth and Science, Bike
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- tags:
- Green, Earth and Science, Environment
