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What is the common denominator for cities with high mode-share for bicycles?
Latitude plays a part (US cities that have a significantly better than average share of trips taken by bicycle are mostly along the 45th parallel), as does having the correct demographic (usually anchored by a major public university or three in the urban core). Good public transportation is also usually present. But these factors are not always present simultaneously.
But one visible clue ALWAYS proceeds a high bicycle mode-share: pedestrians. Cities with high numbers of pedestrians are the cities with high numbers of bicyclists... they go hand in hand. High population density is a required ingredient for both modes to have significant numbers, but it's always the presence of a large number of pedestrians, making short trips, that indicates a city is likely to become a place where bicycles can become a major part of the transportation system.
The limit to a comfortable pedestrian trip is roughly 1/4 mile. 1/2 mile and longer trips are hikes, and the number of trips drops dramatically. Where do peds walk 1/4 mile? From home to work, in many cases, and from home to get daily groceries, or a meal, to school, or to pick up laundry. or from home to transit/transit. That's why building more sidewalks won't dramatically increase pedestrian activity in low-density neighborhoods... the trip origin/destination points are too far apart.
A cyclist's ideal casual trip is 4X that of a ped, or roughly one mile. Beyond one mile, and a bike trip is a bike ride, which alters the mindset. Minus the transit component, the rules for ped trips are about the same for cyclists.
If you know of an exception, please let me know.
7 comments:
So, in keeping with the name of this blog, how DOES Dallas deal with such a challenge? Or does it simply give up? That sounds unlike the OLD Dallas. You got the density patterns you got. It's all about what you do with what you've got.
Fort Worth faces many of the same challenges as Dallas, but I find it more attractive to travel to downtown FW on weekend sightseeing jaunts. Partly, it's just easier for me to get to (and Starbucks is cheaper), but I find fleets of DART Police in cruisers to project a negative image to me, unlike the FW bicycle police, or even the Bass security guards on bikes. Partly, though there may be no valid basis, I'm afraid to leave my bike locked up in Dallas while FW doesn't prompt that same fear. Perhaps it's the people perpetually just hanging out outside the Dallas library. I imagine them attacking my U lock the moment I walk into the library.
Saturday, I saw horses walking the streets of downtown FW. I can't imagine that in Dallas. Actually, I did a double take in FW too, but I have witnesses that will swear I wasn't hallucinating. I do not recall if they were operating on vehicular principles, but nobody honked at them.
Steve, those horses were operating in the door zone of the traffic lane.
1/4 mile? Really? The walk from my house to the train is 8/10 mile. That is pushing it a little for a single stretch but I would think 1/2 mile at least for a reasonable average.
I just got back from Tokyo (does it get any denser?). You'd probably hit 1/4 mile just transferring through the subway stations. It was at least 1/2 mile from my hotel to the subway and another 1/3 mile at the other end to the office. I can assure you I was not the only one making similar trips!
Hey, the further, the merrier, right? All the good restaurants near my house are at least 1/2 mile away, but we still walk. Work is about 7 miles away, but I still ride. Stretching the envelope will certainly earn you praise.
saj said...
1/4 mile? Really? The walk from my house to the train is 8/10 mile. That is pushing it a little for a single stretch but I would think 1/2 mile at least for a reasonable average.
Reasonable, and what the majority of people will do without complaint and resistance, are two different things. Here, we have to balance all transit decisions against the "Aw, screw it! I'm just taking my car!" response to long walking distances and infrequent bus/train service (headways).
I just got back from Tokyo (does it get any denser?). You'd probably hit 1/4 mile just transferring through the subway stations. It was at least 1/2 mile from my hotel to the subway and another 1/3 mile at the other end to the office. I can assure you I was not the only one making similar trips! Of course you weren't, but Tokyo (with few other reasonable transportation options) is going to be able to push the envelope a lot better than Dallas or Plano.
I fought tooth and nail with DART to get them to install bike racks and lockers at their stations, with the argument being it expanded their capture basin by 100-400%. They were still unwilling, so we had to pass a zoning ordinance forcing them to install bicycle parking. They've gotten much better.
If operating a vehicle at 1mph that'll kick in the door of anyone attempting to open it into the vehicle, operating in a door zone might be fun...
@ Steve:
With a one horse power engine to boot!
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