KingOFchart
24-03-2008, Mon 3:55 AM
With the rising cost of motoring and public transport, their various inefficiences, and the very real threat of terrorist attacks, the number of cyclists in London has more than doubled since 2000. I know because I voiced a documentary about it for TFL this morning.
This growth is despite the fact that London is not a cycling-friendly city. There are too many hills, it is too cold in winter and often too wet, while the sheer number of cars, taxis and bendy buses make it a risky proposition. Nevertheless the prospects for the London cyclist have improved under Red Ken. He has appointed a cycling tsar to oversee. How about elsewhere?
Getting more people cycling is a huge problem solver. On one level it reduces traffic congestion, on another it improves people's fitness and health (Unless they get hit by a bendy bus). But there is not much money in it, which, I am sure, is part of the reason it has been so overlooked by the authorities.
Where is the money to be made?
Bike shops, such as Evans; the bike manufacturers themselves - but people don't spend that much on bikes, often cos they get stolen, and often because there is not the same accommpanying status that there is with a car. And once a bike is bought, there is not much to made from servicing. Statistically, people don't renew their bikes so often either.
How else? Accessories.
The company that makes the metal things that people padlock their bikes to. More and more of those are appearing all the time.
More money is being spent on cycle lanes. In London they are still rubbish. Everyone drives or parks in them, but it's better than nothing.
(In Malmo in Sweden, where I visited last summer, they have separate ROADS for bikes, cars and pedestrians. It is impossible for a car to enter the bike lanes because there is a large curb in the way. Now that makes life safe for the cyclist. TFL say there isn't enough space. I think there is. Cars and bikes do not mix and they should be kept apart. Everyone would be happier, safer and better off. As a motorist, I hate cyclists and as a cyclist, I hate cars. Sorry. Rant over)
But as cities worldwide become more congested, as the price of oil rises and it becomes more expensive to travel by car, tube, train or bus, will we see a growth in the number of cyclists? I think so. Is there much money to be made from it? Unless cities worldwide adopt building schemes to restructure their streets to better accomodate this great form of transport, I doubt it.
This growth is despite the fact that London is not a cycling-friendly city. There are too many hills, it is too cold in winter and often too wet, while the sheer number of cars, taxis and bendy buses make it a risky proposition. Nevertheless the prospects for the London cyclist have improved under Red Ken. He has appointed a cycling tsar to oversee. How about elsewhere?
Getting more people cycling is a huge problem solver. On one level it reduces traffic congestion, on another it improves people's fitness and health (Unless they get hit by a bendy bus). But there is not much money in it, which, I am sure, is part of the reason it has been so overlooked by the authorities.
Where is the money to be made?
Bike shops, such as Evans; the bike manufacturers themselves - but people don't spend that much on bikes, often cos they get stolen, and often because there is not the same accommpanying status that there is with a car. And once a bike is bought, there is not much to made from servicing. Statistically, people don't renew their bikes so often either.
How else? Accessories.
The company that makes the metal things that people padlock their bikes to. More and more of those are appearing all the time.
More money is being spent on cycle lanes. In London they are still rubbish. Everyone drives or parks in them, but it's better than nothing.
(In Malmo in Sweden, where I visited last summer, they have separate ROADS for bikes, cars and pedestrians. It is impossible for a car to enter the bike lanes because there is a large curb in the way. Now that makes life safe for the cyclist. TFL say there isn't enough space. I think there is. Cars and bikes do not mix and they should be kept apart. Everyone would be happier, safer and better off. As a motorist, I hate cyclists and as a cyclist, I hate cars. Sorry. Rant over)
But as cities worldwide become more congested, as the price of oil rises and it becomes more expensive to travel by car, tube, train or bus, will we see a growth in the number of cyclists? I think so. Is there much money to be made from it? Unless cities worldwide adopt building schemes to restructure their streets to better accomodate this great form of transport, I doubt it.