Copenhagenize.com - The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog

Copenhagen's Green Bicycle Lanes

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I do some blogging over at Denmark's official website Denmark.dk, run by the Foreign Ministry. If you read this blog, you'll recognize the content over there.

But they have some films, too, and this little film is quite lovely. It's all about our bicycle culture here in Copenhagen.

Sue, Mr Rubbo and Australian Bixis

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Some of you may remember Sue Abbott, the Australian woman fighting her ticket for cycling with a helmet. The Australian documentary filmmaker Mike Rubbo made a film about her getting ready for court, which we blogged here.

Mr Rubbo made a film following Sue on the day she showed up in court, which you can see above. She lost her case, which wasn't really a surprise, but the judge didn't really take her position seriously, which really is his job. Sue has now decided to appeal, taking her battle for bicycling freedom to the next level.

Good luck to her. We haven't had bicycle 'activists' in Denmark for many years but we certainly used to and anyone fighting to ride a bicycle as they see fit gets our respect. Not least because it's also about questioning society's tendency to ignore the problem - the automobile.

Mr Rubbo was also present at a bicycle conference in Melbourne where a bike share programme was presented. With this film he explores the problems of implementing a bike share programme in a city with mandatory helmet laws. The woman interviewed calls it a 'vexing problem' and she proposes making cheap helmets available FOR SALE at convenience stores and fast food outlets that are open late.

Basically, you want a bike. Before - or after - you get a bike the idea is that you go to a shop or fast food joint somewhere [hopefully] nearby and buy a cheap helmet. Then off you go.

Kind of defeats the purpose of ease of use and accessibility. Making helmets available for borrowing doesn't work due to the issue of sanitation. Lice and happy-sounding skin diseases like Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus are among the reasons that make sharing helmets undesirable in such schemes. There is no cost efficient way to sanitize helmets in bike share programmes. Australian authorities have known this for ages and don't really know how to tackle the problem. Buying a helmet for a short trip from A to B seems a bit far-fetched.

We'll see how things turn out in Melbourne.

Elephant in the China Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:07:00 +0000

I can only see a blue plastic thing and a tree branch...

The classic excuse from motorists when getting into accidents, including those involving cyclists, is "I didn't see him!"

It hammers home the fact that the bull in the china shop isn't attentive and therefore we need to take measures that tame the bull. This story takes it to a whole new level:

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 5, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- It's not unusual to see a deer or a cow crossing Oklahoma's rural highways. But an elephant? An Oklahoma couple driving home from church nearly slammed into a giant pachyderm that had escaped from a nearby circus late Wednesday.

''Didn't have time to hit the brakes. The elephant blended in with the road,'' driver Bill Carpenter said Thursday. ''At the very last second I said 'elephant!'''

Carpenter, 68, said he swerved his SUV at the last second and ended up sideswiping the 29-year-old female Asian elephant on U.S. 81 in Enid, about 80 miles north of Oklahoma City.

I hope that elephant-sized pedestrian flags will be set up quicksmart at this location and all elephants - and other large mammals - will be given courses in how to wave those flags more aggressively.

Read the full story here. Thanks to Jeff from the League of American Bicyclists for the link.

Addendum: Brett just added this to the comments section. It gets better.

Hit-and-run driver claimed he didn't see 6-foot-tall orange rabbit on the pedicab
By Aimee Green, The Oregonian
October 28, 2009, 8:58PM
Pedicab driver Kate Altermatt still can't believe the driver of a Mercedes didn't see her pedaling down Northwest Fourth Avenue last Easter. Altermatt, who is 6 feet tall, was wearing a bright orange bunny suit, and the Cascadia Pedicab was lit up with reflectors and a blinking red light.

"I was very visible," she said.

The crash sent her flying and totaled the pedicab. She lay stunned on the pavement for a minute, then walked over to the driver's side window. She said she smelled alcohol on his breath.

"He was like '$100! $100 and I leave,'" Altermatt recalled. "And I was like, no. I started screaming. I said 'You're drunk! You're going to go to jail! I don't want your money!'"

Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Altermatt finally got to confront the driver, who testified that he didn't see the pedicab because he was fumbling for a dropped cell phone.

After a daylong trial, Judge Karin Immergut found Edward Cespedes-Rodriguez guilty of hit-and-run driving for leaving the scene of the crash.

But Immergut cleared the 34-year-old Southwest Portland man of recklessly endangering another person. That disappointed Altermatt, who testified that Cespedes-Rodriguez looked her in the eye and intentionally hit her a second time as he sped away sometime after 2 a.m. April 12.

***
Brett adds: "The punch line is, he won't even go to jail. Sentence: 25 hours of community service. The judge was a Republican federal attorney under GW Bush. Whatever happened to "personal responsibility" and "law and order" and all those other Republican campaign slogans?"

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Cyclist in Hackney, London. July 2009.

A review of urban transport from the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit came out yesterday is kind to Copenhagen as a source of inspiration for what may be possible for the UK. It's a big document - 131 pages - and chock full of information. Copenhagen features on two pages of the document.

According to the British CTC, "it’s pretty critical and honest in it's assessment of UK transport policy and recommends a massive expansion in cycling and reduction in parking capacity for cars."

What they say in the report about Copenhagen is this:

Copenhagen has a long history of cycle use. A comprehensive and growing segregated cycle network and widespread facilities has helped establish a strong cycling culture.

In 2006, 36% of commuters cycled to work, and a target has been set to be the world's top cycling city by achieving at least 50% of people to commute to work or school by bicycle by 2015.

The abundance of cycle infrastructure is often cited anecdotally as the reason for the high level of cycling in the city. In the main the network is made up of segregated cycle paths separated from the carriageway by a physical barrier or grade-separation. These have been used in preference to cycle lanes because it is thought to create a feeling of greater safety for cycle uses. Plans are to build a further 51km of cycle tracks by 2016.

In addition to the construction of cycle routes, current cycling policy in Copenhagen advocates maintenance and cleaning of infrastructure to improve the comfort of cycle journeys.

In addition, integration with public transport is also cited as important and feedback collected as part of the Bicycle Account identifies the need for improved cycle parking at railway stations.

The report also mentions Copenhagen in relation to developing a pedestrian-friendly city by creating positive city space since the first street pedestrianisation in 1962. As the graph shows, Denmark is one of the most pedestrianized countries in the EU15.

The report states:

Copenhagen introduced its first pedestrianisation scheme in 1962. Since then it has employed a range of measures to develop an urban realm that is supportive of walking, including:

– the introduction of car-free zones and the development of public spaces, such as public squares and urban strollways.

– the redesign of older areas to facilitate increased use, including a programme of courtyard renewal.

– the reallocation of parking areas to cycle lanes, wider pavements and pedestrian space. The total number of public parking spaces in the inner city decreased by 12% from 1995 to 2005, despite a significant increase in car ownership (11% from 1999 to 2004).

In addition to changes in the physical environment, simple measures have been taken to encourage the use of streets throughout the day and evening: for example, shop fronts remain visible beyond opening hours so that streets don't 'close down' when shops finish trading.

The whole report is available for download as a .pdf: An analysis of urban transport - November 2009.

Thanks to Chris at the CTC for the link.

Wave Your Flag, Pedestrian!

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

A reader mentioned pedestrian flags in Berkeley, California in a comment and added "I'm serious!" so I thought I'd check out this fantastic example of victim blaming in Bubble Wrap Society.

He was serious. Is that scary or funny or both? Not sure. Flags are placed near intersections and the idea is that pedestrians pick one up and hold it when they wish to foolishly exercise their human right to safe urban mobility.

Most of the flags have been stolen and few use them apparently. Ironically, 48 hours after these went into [non]use, a pedestrian was hit by a car. Here's what Berkeley City Councilwoman Polly Armstrong said about it at the time:

"We hope over time - when drivers are paying a little more attention than that driver was - that the flags would be helpful." She added that, "Pedestrians have to be on guard and aggressive with their flags."

"After hitting the pedestrian, the driver swerved into the oncoming lane and collided with another vehicle. The driver was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian. While saddened by the news, Berkeley officials saw the accident more as a testament to intersection's danger than the flags' effectiveness."

Read that first paragraph again... she hopes drivers will become 'a little more attentive' but pedestrians have to be "on guard and be aggressive with their flags."

Ignoring the bull. I don't know why Berkeley doesn't just go all out and legislate mandatory all-ages pedestrian helmets.

Or just ban walking altogether. Nevermind lowering the speed limits on the streets or installing traffic calming measures. Nah. Blame the squishy traffic users who are only stunting society's progress by showing up sans car.

The San Francisco Chronicle has an article about these pedestrian safety flags from 'back in they day' - 2002. Are they still in use in Berkeley?

Political Endorsements from Copenhagenize

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:46:00 +0000

Some of the indoor bike parking at City Hall in Copenhagen.

So a friend asked me a question the other day. "If there was a 'cyclist vote' in Copenhagen, which parties would top the bill?" The reason he asked was that we're going to the polls on November 17th in municipal and county elections here in Denmark.

Good question. Never really thought of it before. Personally, I look at a variety of issues when considering who to vote for, not just bike stuff. But having a finger on the pulse, I'm willing to give it a shot. Not least because I was just in the States where everyone is keen to make political endorsements, so here goes.

Bicycle infrastructure is a hot topic these days. It's a kind of rebound effect. The whole world has had their eyes on Copenhagen for the past 18 months, having opened their eyes to what we've achieved here. This has bounced back to us and made [some not all] politicians and the press aware of the importance of maintaining our bicycle culture.

This is a local election, so I'm going to stick with my 'hoods. Firstly, I live in Frederiksberg. It's an independent city surrounded by Copenhagen. It's small, with about 90,000 citizens. The city has been ruled by the Conservative party for 100 years. Uninterrupted. It's a great little city with loads of bicycle infrastructure, mostly because they've had to follow Uncle Copenhagen's lead for the past 30 years.

The mayor quiet earlier this year and the vice-mayor took over. For the first time in ages, it looks like the Conservative dominance is wobbly. It's neck and neck at the moment, with the Social Democrats breathing down the right-wing necks.

Here's the funny thing. With many of the other parties mentioning bicycles, infrastructure and safer routes to school, etc., the mayor Jørgen Glenthøj is running these ads all over town:

It reads: "Families and businesses need parking spaces". Seriously. It's hilarious. He's playing the parking card. It's either incredibly stupid or quite clever - given the fact that the competition are talking bikes.

Then again, this is the man who has brought us various campaigns that ignore the bull, as you'd expect from a right-wing party.

These warning stickers showed up recently on zebra crossings. "Watch out!" or "Take care of yourself". Nevermind the cars, place the responsibility on the soft, squishy people. And note the thick sticker isn't even glued down properly so a pedestrian is likely to trip on it. Nice one! He is also the man who brought us this traffic 'safety' campaign:

"She checked her text message and died in the process". We mentioned it in the post about The Sacred Bull in Society's China Shop.

So basically, he's hardly a candidate for the Copenhagenize vote. His competition is a young woman from the Social Democrats, Katrine Lester:

Some of her ads read: "More bike lanes in Frederiksberg" and she goes on about safer routes to school, too. Given the fact that her party is large enough to challenge the Conservatives, I'm going with her. Plus if her party DO manage to defeat 100 years of Conservative rule, I want to be a part of THAT action.

One party that won't be attracting my vote, from a bicycle perspective, is the Socialist Peoples' Party - SF. They make a lot of noise about bicycles but after their ridiculous - and flopped - attempt to get a helmet law passed in the national parliament - and after I conversed with them about it and discovered their lack of research - I won't be making an 'X' anywhere near their candidates.

If we look at Uncle Copenhagen, it's same same but different. The Social Democrats have occupied the throne for a million years and it looks like they'll stay there. The Lord Mayor is quitting so another candidate, Frank Jensen, is running for the spot. Actual quote from this man about one of his goals, "Less 'fuck you' attitude, more sense of community". Cool.

They're not really threatened, but what is interesting is who they're going to rule with. Here, it's the aforementioned Socialist Peoples' Party that are looking to win a load of votes. The coolishly-named Radical Left [De Radikale] were princes to the throne last election but now they are lagging way behind, which sucks.

From a bicycle perspective, anyway. Klaus Bondam has profiled himself as The Bicycle Mayor and many of the fantastic initiatives we've been seeing in Copenhagen are thanks to him. Nørrebrogade closed to cars, the Green Wave for cyclists, 117 intersections with the stop line pulled back 5 metres for cars, etc.

Whatever you may think of him, he is the visionary we've been waiting for with regards to urban cycling. He risks losing his post as mayor of the department of transport, which would not be pleasing.

The Radical Left, in my opinion, are running a cool, fresh campaign and they seem to be talking sense on all matter of environmental issues. It would be a shame to see Klaus Bondam lose the Department of Transport gig.

So. In Copenhagen, vote for The Radical Left [de radikale] or the Social Democrats. The latter because I think Frank Jensen is keen to profile himself with some great projects, among them bike infrastructure. I saw him and Klaus Bondam out for a bike ride around the city not long ago, so that's a positive sign.

For Danes there is an interesting poll on DR's website where you answer the same 15 questions that all the politicians have and you can see which party/person you are in most agreement with - or farthest from. One of the questions is actually about bicycles. "We need to invest in more bicycle lanes/cycle tracks instead of developing the road network". Needless to say I "completely agreed" with that one.

Meanwhile, back in Frederiksberg like most places in Denmark, campaigning by bicycle is a given.

This is also amusing. You have a candidate from the Social Democrats on the left with his bike and one from The Radical Left on the... uh... right with his bike. In the middle, with a campaign car is a candidate from... hmm... let me guess... The Conservatives. It's all right there in one simple photograph.
Right. We're done. Local Danish politics is probably not the most exciting thing for most of you out there, but thanks for putting up with it.

Daylight Headlights

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:32:00 +0000

Once you start getting into traffic safety it becomes a Pandora's box with a very loose lid.

Daylight Running Lights. This is a new one for me. Laws requiring cars to have their headlights on all the time.

Living in Denmark, this is normal. All cars have their headlights on and are equipped with systems that turn them on as soon as you start the car. I remember driving a Danish car in Spain and so many kind motorists and pedestrians kept gesturing to me that my lights were on but I didn't know how to turn them off.

I always figured that given the limited light in the winter [and fall and spring] in Scandinavia, this was a good idea. So discovering an entire movement against Daylight Running Lights was a surprise and an interesting one at that. Our reader Charlie sent a link in the comments section of this post.

This website called Drivers Against Daytime Running Lights is quite clear about their opposition to potential laws. I have a default setting that causes me to be sceptical every time I see Drivers Against Something, since it rarely is productive or helpful to society at large.

But even the British CTC, in this .pdf, comes out strong against laws for 24/7 headlights:

However, our concerns over any proposal for a blanket requirement to use DRL in daytime are as follows:
- The use of DRL is likely to be detrimental to cyclists’ safety by increasing the chances of drivers failing either to “see” or to “notice” cyclists. This could occur either because light sources (such as headlights) cause visual darkening in the area around them (i.e. cyclists, or indeed pedestrians, could be “masked” by lights behind them), or because the widespread presence of lights would divert drivers’ attention away from other visual information (e.g. the presence of a pedestrian or cyclist), or because drivers become increasingly accustomed to the habit of looking for “lights” (rather than “people” or “vehicles”) to signify the presence of a hazard on the road.

- The ensuing increase in the risks faced by (pedestrians and) cyclists could undermine efforts to encourage increased (walking and) cycling, thus having significant disbenefits in terms of wider health, environmental and other social objectives.

- Moreover, the additional energy required for DRL would significantly increase fuel consumption and hence greenhouse emissions from transport, at a time of mounting evidence of the urgency with which we need to take serious action to avert runaway climate change.

The DADRL website is shrill and alarmist - reason for scepticism right off the bat since shrill and alarmist drivers are rarely sober and balanced - but there are some interesting names on their links page, including pedestrian groups and even the European Cyclists' Federation.

Although after this link - National Motorists' Association USA - you can read that "the NMA were instrumental in lifting the 55mph speed limit - accidents have reduced".

Yeah, right.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone out there in BlogReaderLand can enlighten me about this issue? Anybody heard of it and what do you think?

Coolest Bike Parking in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 +0000

I've not seen such cool bike parking in ages. At my hotel in San Francisco - the W Hotel - they have three Danish Biomega bicycles for guests to use free. Okay, three isn't much, but it's what they do with them that counts.

It's like a museum the way they hang them up on the wall like that. You ask the valet for a bicycle and he walks over with a crank and proceeds to lower - slowly and cerimoniously - the bicycle to the ground. Now THAT is style over speed!

I rode the bicycle during the Halloween Critical Mass and the next day, too, with some friends. A one-speed on the hills of San Francisco. Easy peasy.

Here's what other bikes I've been riding whilst travelling.

Drive With Your Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:47:00 +0000

After the latest series of articles here on Copenhagenize about how many traffic safety campaigns blame the victims and place undue responsibility on everybody except the motorists I once again find myself in love with the Dutch.

Drive With Your Heart [Rij met je hart] is a government campaign placing focus directly on those who drive cars, highlighting their enormous responsibility in the traffic.

Here's the film version of the campaign. Google translate renders the speak like this:
'Cars today are full of things that protect the driver: belts, crumple zones, airbags, ABS, electronic stability control..."

"And there is an element in the car that protects other road users."

"That part is in you. Drive with your heart.'

Note that the woman on the bicycle is actually turning left onto a pedestrian crossing. Correct me if I'm wrong but that is technically illegal. Brilliantly, there is only focus on the motorist.

There is light at the end of the tunnel when you realise that there are people out there thinking up campaigns like this and government agencies spending money on them.

The car-centric Danish Road Safety Council - and pretty much everyone else - has a lot to learn.

Just found another film from the same campaign in 2007. Translation anyone? Isn't it something like "distractions can come from anywhere... Lower your speed."

Addendum: Thanks to Suzanne from the heroic Fietsersbond.nl for this translation:
"On the street you may encounter anything, including your neighbour's little girl. Drive with your heart."

Dank je wel to Anneke for the link.

Is Urban Mobility A Human Right?

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:34:00 +0000

The further development of Bubble Wrap Society seems to be in full swing all over the world. The buzz about the bicycle over the past 18 months or so has seemingly given rise to increased buzz about bubble-wrapping the vulnerable traffic users like pedestrians and cyclists. It's a kind of counter-attack, not unlike the Audi advert we blogged about recently.

Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic and the blog How We Drive has a telling article in Slate about the current cause célèbre among motorists and authorities - cracking down on jaywalking. In his In Defence of Jaywalking Tom covers the new hype about these foolish souls who dare to inconvienence motorists by crossing streets where they're 'not supposed to' are under fire.

Which brings us to the question. Is Urban Mobility a basic human right? Do we not have the right to move about the urban landscape as we see fit? It has been for most of human history, after all.

If the answer is yes to that question, then surely allowing all citizens to exercise freedom of mobility involves making the urban landscape safe. Which means restricting the movements of the dangerous, life-threatening player in town - automobile traffic - instead of the movements of pedestrians and, in some ways, cyclists.

Should pedestrians and cyclists have the priority in cities and towns for choosing sustainable transport forms? Is Safe Urban Mobility a human right?

Oxford Circus

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:40:00 +0000

London unveiled a redesign of Oxford Circus recently. Diagonal pedestrian crossings modelled on the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. Nice to see some focus on urban mobility in the British capital.

Whether or not pedestrians will be able to hire hiviz vests on each corner before crossing remains to be seen.

Nice photo, above. Although a bit odd that an initiative focusing on pedestrians shows busses roaring through the intersection.

Here's Shibuya Crossing:

London Mayor Saves The Day on a Bicycle

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Shame it's not an election year. Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, [pictured] is credited with coming to the rescue of a woman being threatened by three youths. They were threatening her with an iron bar when Mr Johnson, who was passing by on his bicycle, rolled up scared them off.

According to The Guardian:

"The mayor of London was cycling through Camden, north London, on Monday night when he answered the cry of Franny Armstrong, a documentary maker and environmental activist who was surrounded by a group of hoodie-clad young girls.

Johnson stopped and chased the girls down the street, calling them "oiks". He then returned to walk Armstrong home. "He was my knight on a shining bicycle," she said today."

Brilliant.

Full article from The Guardian here. Thanks to Adrian for the link.

Motorizing Children

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

After a fragment of hopeful symbolism outside the airport terminal I stumbled across this in a shop inside. Ironically, in the Deutsches Museum shop which was otherwise filled with cool, educational toys.

Rush Hour! The brilliant traffic jam game! Move the cars to escape the traffic jam!

And, by the looks of it, learn how to piss off everyone else in the traffic jam. But hey... as long as you get home first, who cares.

Think Fun, out of the States, is the manufacturer and you can order your game online! Buy now! Operators are standing by. Se habla espanol.

Teach your kids the important stuff in life.

Emotional Pornography to Protect the Automobile

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:18:00 +0000

Yes, it's important to look both ways before crossing the street and to cross where you can see what is coming.

But this Department for Transport campaign is a classic example of ignoring the bull and placing all the responsibility on the vulnerable members of the traffic equation.

Where are the traffic calming initiatives around that bend that will force cars to slow down? Speed bumps, reduced speed limits, etc.?

No, no. Cars must continue on their sacred quest unhindered. The small squishy obstacles had better take precautions.

Among those precautions is wearing hiviz clothing when... walking. Is this what we've come to? Is this a sign that The Culture of Fear has peaked and plateaued? Have we given up trying to restrict and tame the destructive capabilties of the automobile and instead insist on reflective clothing for the simple act of walking about our cities and towns?

Bike Facilities and Infrastructure Important in UK

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:56:00 +0000

According to an article in the London Evening Standard, estate agents are reporting that potential tenants and homebuyers are asking about local bicycle facilities such as parking and bicycle infrastructure.

Not a bad development.

Thanks to Adam at the CTC for the link.

Peeling Car Culture Away

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0000

On a stopover in Munich on the way home from America I walked into car culture and bumped my nose. This Audi advert covered the entire facade of the airport terminal.

Although it's kind of hard NOT to ignore the bull when the fucker is THIS big. To my secret delight the men were peeling off the advert in sections, crumpling it up and letting it fall to the ground three stories below.

Symbolic of the demotorization of our societies? Let's hope so. Tiny fragments of symbolism are fuel to keep us going.

Hamlet

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:27:00 +0000

I love the typography of this bicycle advert for Hamlet bicycles from the late 1800's.

Bike Racks With No Racks in Copenhagen

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0000

The City of Copenhagen's Bicycle Office is currently testing a new bicycle parking idea at four locations in the city.

Bike rack-less bike parking.

In the hopes of getting people to, at the very least, stick their bicycles in one place, these bike parking zones have been painted on the ground.

In Danish the text reads "Place your bicycle here". It's an unorthodox way to do things, but the City is keen to run some tests to see if it works. Students are monitoring the parking zones and, if they are successful in their function, they'll be implemented in other locations around the city.

The all-important bicycle logo for the Bicycle Office - I bike Copenhagen (CPH) - developed by Copenhagenize Consulting is ever-present. Visual branding is paramount.

The City of Amsterdam has tried out these parking zones and they were a big sucess. By all accounts it'll work here, too.

Australian Helmet Science - For Motorists

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Since posting about mass-produced motoring helmets and later Protective Helmet-ish headbands for motorists I was curious to learn more about the latter, produced at the University of Adelaide.

It's taken a while but I finally recieved the study done in 2000 at the Road Accident Research Unit at the U of Adelaide, called CR 193: The development of a protective headband for car occupants (Andersen, White, McLean 2000).

A chap at Road Safety Policy, Department of Infrastructure & Transport in Australia was kind enough to send a link to the Australian Government website wherein the study is presented.

I don't think cyclists should be bullied with helmet promotion and threatened with legislation when there exists a very real and present danger to car occupants. I think that the car lobby as well as the general population should be presented with more data and facts about the dangers of driving.

It's only fair and logical.

From the Australian report we can read about the background for the study:

"Car crashes remain a significant source of head injury in the community. Car occupants have an annual hospital admission rate of around 90 per 100,000 population. Of drivers who are admitted to hospital, the most serious injury is usually to the head (O'Conner and Trembath, 1994).

In a previous study, McLean et al. (1997) estimated the benefits that are likely to accrue to Australia from the use of padding of the upper interior of the passenger compartment. This study specifically examined the effects of the ammendment to the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201 (FMVSS 201) in which passenger cars have to pass head impact tests with the upper interior. That report estimated the total annual reduction in harm to the Australian community to be around $123 million.

But more impressive were the estimates of introducing protective headwear for car occupants. The authors of the report estimated that the annual reduction in harm would be in the order of $380 million. The benefit of padding the head is that the head is protected from strikes with unpadded automotive components, exterior objects and in vehicles that predate any eventual introduction of padded interiors."

These are Australian numbers so the numbers for annual reduction in harm would be even higher in the EU or US.

The tests were a success, which is great news for drivers and car occupants:

"The results from Phase 3 indicate that a headband can greatly reduce the severity of an impact to the head. HIC was reduced by 25 percent [...] when compared with an impact with no headband."

The RARU headband prototype covers 44% of impact points usually suffered by car occupants. You can see on the photos at top that the protective area was actually extended when the prototype was designed so this 44% must be a bit higher.

The researchers go on to recommend further work on the subject:

"The results from Phase 3 indicate that a headband can greatly reduce the severity of an impact to the head. HIC was reduced by 25 percent [...] with the use of 25 mm of BB-38 polyurethane, and 67 percent with the honeycomb cardboard prototype, when compared with an impact with no headband."

"We recommend that further investigation is made into materials of a honeycomb structure to find a material of the correct crushing strength and durability. We also recommend that prototypes be developed further to be included in a testing program that would include other vehicle structures tested over a range of velocities."

It gets extremely difficult to ignore the bull when you're looking at this kind of science.

If we're serious, as societies, about really saving lives, these headbands should be promoted on all levels. There are two positive effects: One is that there will be fewer head injuries among car occupants. The other is that we would be informing people of the danger of driving and thereby branding driving as dangerous which will only serve the cause of encouraging people to consider safer transport options like... oh I don't know... cycling?

Take the Poll:

Should society promote protective headwear for motorists?(polls)

Here's a link to the Australian Government website about the motorist headbands.
Here's the study as a .pdf: The Development of a Protective Headband for Car Occupants

The Car Empire Strikes Back

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:09:00 +0000

This advert from Audi is a signal from the auto industry that they are under pressure AND that they are willing to fight back.

In the lecture I'm travelling about with at the moment [I'll be publishing it on the blog eventually] I highlight how the auto industry learned all the tricks of postive marketing from the bicycle industry a century ago. This is how we USED to sell bicycles and bicycle culture. They have fine-tuned the art form and they rarely make mistakes. They know exactly how to highlight the positives of their products. On the other hand, we have forgotten how to highlight the positives of urban cycling and we bizarrely ignore the overwhelming Good News in our efforts to sell the percieved negative sides of riding a bicycle. It's hardly surprising that the auto industry are among the more fervent advocates for helmet laws. They know competition when they see it and they go for the throat in branding cycling as dangerous. It sells, quite simply, cars.

From a marketing perspective the advert above is pure brilliance. It capitalizes on the general perception in western societies that 'environmentalists' are kooky, nerdy hippie types who eat raw organic beet root for breakfast.

The environmental lobby has had 40 years to brand themselves well and have failed horribly. While people are perhaps aware of the issues, very few people are actually doing anything about it. That's why this type of advert is so easy to invent. 30 seconds of pushing all the right buttons on their opponents and all the right buttons on the general population.

Amazingly, the Audi overtakes the hippie-mobile Volvo on a curve. Not exactly traffic safety conscious, are they?

Here's an ad for BMW that gently caresses all the emotional heartstrings. Just listen to the speaker's manuscript:

"Joy is efficent, dynamic and... unstoppable." [meaning... we're not going anywhere, so don't get any funny ideas...]

"We realised a long time ago that what you make people feel is just as important as what you make."

"At BMW we don't just make cars... we make joy."

And on their website:
“On the back of this three-letter word, we built a company. We don’t just build cars. We are the creators of emotion. We are the guardians of ecstasy, the thrills and chills, and all the words that can’t be found in a dictionary. We are the Joy of Driving. No car company can rival our history, replicate our passion, our vision. Innovation is our backbone but joy is our heart. We will not stray from our three-letter purpose. This is the story of BMW. This is the story of joy.”

Not a single motoring helmet in sight in that advert. How odd.

If only cities and towns working towards increasing modal share for bicycles could learn from these basic marketing techniques that the auto industry have perfected. Hire a decent company to develop campaigns. Far too many municipal brochures/campaigns are too geeky to attract the attention and interest of the broader population.

If we're going to sell this urban cycling thing, we need to change our direction.

Thanks to a reader for the first advert and Walkit.com for the latter.

Zone 30 in Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:32:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of Barcelona Cycle Chic.

I published my christmas list a while back - 30 km/h zones all over Copenhagen. The Dutch responded quickly, slapping a bold proposal on the table in Amsterdam for a 30 km/h in their city and now, feliz navidad from Barcelona:

From the City of Barcelona's website we can see that one of the most important 'Zones 30' in the city is now being carried out.

'The city embarks on one of the largest "Zones 30" campaigns to be carried out to date. Work began on Monday 25th in the La Ribera district. It will last six months and cover 14 neighbourhoods in 7 of the city's districts.'

June 2006 saw the first pilot "Zone 30" designated in the Sant Andreu district. Accident rates in this region were subsequently found to have dropped by up to 27 %. Numbers like these are what we are seeing in cities and towns that are reducing their speed levels.

It is a simple, inexpensive tool to promote traffic calming and to reduce accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists as well as to reduce the number of serious accidents.

The creation of these 30 km/h zones [even lower in school zones] is one of the primary tools that is most effective at fighting the societal scourage of traffic accidents and to encourage cycling. Not to mention just making a city a nicer place to live.

Barcelona will have 215 km of 30 km/h zones by the end of the year. At the moment there are 50 km.

Thanks to Txell from Barcelona Cycle Chic for the tip.

Protest Against BMW / The Sacred Bull

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

At the Berlinale Film Festival last February there was a gala event sponsored by BMW called Cinema for Peace. A couple of protesters decided to protest against BMW and other carmakers. "Cars cause war. BMW should stop making cars before throwing peace galas".

My favourite sub-title is:
"You must move away from here. You cannot sit here like this."

"But if we move we cannot protest. So we can't move."

Now THAT'S logic. ;-)

Thanks to Morten for the link.

Magpie Attacks and How to Avoid Them

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

In Australia there is a problem with magpies diving at cyclists. There are many ideas flying around as to how you can avoid this irritation by putting various adornments on your bike helmet if you wear one.

A group of friends in Canberra did a [not very] scientific study to determine the best solution for stopping the menace, including some of the various ideas of what to put on your helmet.

One might conclude that covering the helmet with something less shiny or even a wig might be a good solution. However, helmets have two primary features that are important. One is absorbing impact and the other is being very slippery. That's why they're designed the way they are, with a slippery, thin outer shell.

If the odds are against you and you go down and the odds are further against you and your head makes contact with the asphalt, you really want that helmet to be slippery so your head slides.

Covering your helmet with fabric or what not will increase the risk of your helmet snagging on the asphalt and this will increase the risk of neck injury or worse.

I'll be doing a post about how it isn't wise to cover helmets with fabric in the near future.

'Tis The Season to Be Scary

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:09:00 +0000

It's autumn and that usually means that various organisations who pride themselves on ignoring the sacred bull are probably gearing up for campaigns that serve to scare people off of bicycles here in Denmark.

Let's see what our favourite car salesmen and women - The Danish Road Safety Council - Rådet for Større Færdselssikkerhed has up their sleeves this year, as well as their partner in fear, Trygfonden [an insurance company] and let's see if the Danish Cyclists' Federation once again just shrug and go along with it.

A classic example is previous campaigns for bike lights. While we're waiting for this year's crop of negative bicycle promotion, in this blog post from last year you can compare the Dutch approach with the Danish: Promoting Bike Lights Positively.

I spoke last Friday at a conference in Copenhagen hosted by The International Sport and Culture Association called Move2009. The European Cyclists' Federation was present, with Dr. Randy Rzewnicki and the ECF's Secretary General Dr. Bernhard Ensink speaking wonderfully about promoting cycling positively, backed up with a wealth of science by Dr Lars Bo Andersen from the University of Southern Denmark who has put firm and astounding numbers on just how healthy urban cycling is for society. I also had a quick but inspiring chat with Gil Penalosa from Walk and Bike for Life.

It was refreshing to be a part of this panel of positivists given the current climate of fear gripping Denmark.

Garbage Disposal for Cyclists in Copenhagen

noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:24:00 +0000

My friend Marie and I were inspired to write a letter a couple of years ago to the City of Copenhagen with a long list of good ideas that Copenhagen should consider in order to cater more to cyclists and brand cycling better.

As fate would have it, Marie is now working at the City's Bicycle Office and I'm a senior consultant but one of those ideas was inspired by a photo sent to me by David Hembrow in Holland. David writes the A View from the Cycle Path blog - a must read.

Anyway, garbage bins for cyclists. I blogged about it a year and a half ago. Raised up and tilted towards the cyclists, offering them a better hit ratio.

I recieved this photo from the Bicycle Office the other day. There are right now a handful of prototypes of a tilted garbage bin along some routes aimed at cyclists who have problems aiming.

Brilliant stuff although to be honest, I think this prototype design needs some improvements. It could be mistaken for a garbage bin that was bumped by a car and bent. It should be higher as well.

Like in many cities there is a design manual for all City inventory on the urban landscape and this bin is a variation on the theme. In order to really hammer the point home that this is for cyclists I think the city should consider making these bins different than all the other regular bins. Brand them for cyclists. Different colour, bigger, higher and a wider opening and with the City's 'I Bike CPH' logo all over it. The City is open to ideas that there could be a target design on them to show that you're meant to aim, among other ideas.

At the moment they're testing them to see if people are better at aiming with their coffee cups or apple cores or whatever they're throwing out from their bicycles. They'll see the results in a couple of months.