Riding close to leaves?

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Riding a bike has direct impact in protecting environment and trees. The relation between bicycles and trees is expressed to a higher degree at the Bosland National Park (Belgium). Here, not only you can pedal close to trees, but also close to its leaves. This is due to a special bike line between Lommel, Hechtel-Eksen and Pelt known as Fietsen door de Bomen or Cyclign through the Trees. This massive bike circle has a slope of 3% – 4%, is 700 meters long and one 3 meters unidirectional line.

The perfect integration of this infrastructure and nature makes the experience magical. Its designers tell proud that they had in mind flora and fauna respect to determine the bike line. Additional technical issues like the use of minimal machine in the national park or the final ensemble were also put into practice. A metal mesh protects bikers from falling from the top of the bike line.

Paint only does nothing

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The other day I was on my way to buy some groceries when I saw something undesirable that I was expecting for some time.
I saw many cross calls in the past, but that day Is aw it first hand: bikes are force to cross over a bikeway in a non-standard way, and one bicycle was trapped beneath a car because the driver wasn’t paying attention.
Painting a bikeway is very flashy, but it doesn’t change anything if other users aren’t paying attention. Not to mention that over time that pain washes away. Plus this is not an standard crossing.
Some ideas for better solutions are keeping all crossings standard, making sure that turning cars don’t follow the same traffic light as the traffic going ahead, and keep bikeways physically separated from roads, especially at intersections.

PS: nobody suffered life threatening injuries, but the bicycle rear wheel and frame were destroyed.

Different Sundays

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Every Sunday in Bogota, Colombia, is different thanks to Ciclovia. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., streets become more human, quieter and peaceful. Ciclovia was born 50 years ago when the independent organization Pro-cicla closed the first streets to pollutant vehicles on 15th December 1974. It congregated 5,000 people who protested against pollution, cars and lack of leisure alternatives in the city. In June of 1976, the mayor made it “official” through decrees 566 and 567. As time passed by, the number of kilometers for people on Sundays diminished to 20, until Ciclovía was managed by the Secretaría de Tránsito y Transporte and the Instituto Distral de Recreación y Deporte. Today, more than 80 kilometers are closed every Sunday. Even more, there is the Ciclovia Nocturna (Night Ciclovia) which consists in closing streets twice in August and Christmas. It started in December 1999 and three million people enjoyed it.

As it comes to the types of people who take advantage of Ciclovia, the earlier risers are the cyclist who preferred making sport since they go to Patio, Guadalupe and Montserrate hills. Next, families with children use streets as playing grounds. After them, other bikers, skaters, senior citizens and walkers join the celebration. Finally, food sellers, gymnastic groups and sometimes live concerts contribute to make it a party.

The success of this event goes deep into transforming an area into a democratic and universal surface. Not surprisingly, it has been exported to other cities within Colombia, Chili, Mexico and USA.

Flexiposts aren’t what they seem

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When a new infrastructure uses flexiposts it looks great at the beginning, but after a couple months you realize it becomes useless because some people driver over them and the flexiposts eventually disappear altogether.
It’s much better to use durable alternatives such as big flower pots, landscaping, armadillos, concrete curbs and so on.

The path

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How would our cities be if car did not dominate them?

Today, most of cites are mastered by cars which product pollution, noise, dead cashes and less surface for people. If the XX century had been different and vehicles such as bicycles, buses or trains would be opted for, I assure you that there would be far less car fatalities, people would have better health and psychology, climate change could be no problem today, children would still play on streets, adults would enjoy streets and neighbor relationships more, extracted energy from Earth would be less, wildlife would be higher and perhaps more diverse, local stores would sell more as people cycling and walking have time to see the products they sold versus people in cars who does not have time enough to focus or even see products that stores sell. They told cars improve safety in cities, but this is not true. Some examples that demonstrate it are:

– Curitiba (Brazil): For its urban planning, not focused on cars

– Copenhagen (Denmark): For its urban infrastructure and cyclist planning

– Vancouver (Canada): For its example on shared mobility

– Singapore: For its accurate tax system for vehicles

– Zurich (Switzerland): For a good-thought, public transport system

Can AI help to promote urban biking?

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Every day we read a piece of news related to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI). A lot of fields are taking advantage of it in order to automate processes, show a more precise analysis or creating new materials, just to name a few. Can AI help to promote urban biking?

As you could imagine, the answer is yes. In a few words, AI plays a significant role in promoting biking by enhancing safety, convenience and awareness for cyclists. Some ways to reach them are:

  • Smart route planning: AI algorithms analyze real-time traffic data, weather conditions and infrastructure to suggest the safest and most efficient biking routes. This makes more people to use cycling over other modes of transport

  • Traffic management and optimization: When a biker is in charge of deciding which traffic systems are better for bike users and has in mind AI, she usually determines that AI-powered traffic systems are suitable to prioritize bike lanes, optimize traffic light timings and reduce congestion. When this point is used in urban biking, it becomes safer and more appealing

  • Safety monitoring and alerts: AI can facilitate the development of wearable devices and bike sensors that detect hazards, monitor urban cyclist health and send alerts about approaching vehicles of unsafe street conditions

  • Bike sharing optimization: Although bike sharing systems are common in many cities around the world, AI can analyze usage patterns to optimize the placement and availability of shared bikes, making bikes more accessible and convenient for users

  • Public awareness campaigns: Apart from human thinking, AI-driven data analytics can identify barriers to cycling adoption and tailor targeted campaigns to address misconceptions, promote health benefits and inform citizens about cycling infrastructure

  • Infrastructure planning: Urban planners can use AI as assistant by analyzing data on traffic flow, accident hotpots and commuter patterns to design better bike lanes, bike parking and facilities

  • Personalized incentives: AI systems can offer personalized rewards or incentives for cycling to work or study. This way more city residents are encourage to incorporate biking into their daily routines

All these points are examples of how cities can create a safer, more efficient and more attractive environment for urban biking by using AI, leading to healthier populations and more sustainable urban development.