Author Archives: jm

Time Square

The USA is possibly the most pro-car country since distances from A to B points are impressive and some of the more important car firms set up there. Moreover, car marketing is astonishing (similarly to every developed country in the world) and car industry has hundred of thousands of employees, hence this had some magnificent cities like Detroit in the past. Millions of cars are driven every day and thus it is huge when urban mobility is increased without taking into account car needs.

The case of Time Square (New York) is a good example. The pride it causes makes a lot of cities wanting something like it. In other words, giving more space to pedestrians and green vehicles such as bicycles is a worldwide tendency.

Just compare both images to see what happens when pedestrians can securely walk without the noise and pollution cars cause. It is like magic. Suddenly, people show up from all over and enjoy the area. If you consider the fact that Time Square is one of the top world areas with the highest stores per squared mile, you determine sales increased as a result of it. There are no two ways about it and figures confirm it. Pedestrians can walk and thus spend more time in the pedestrian area. Thus, they spend more time in going shopping, seeing stuff, comparing prices, putting on clothes, etcetera. Sellers welcome such a decision though the initial reticence.

Car-oriented vs multimodal street

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Streets development has followed a traditional, urban model in which car has been almost considered the only way of transport for the most part of the XX and the XXI centuries. Fortunately, this perspective is changing as time goes by. But what exactly is the car-oriented street?

A car-oriented street is one which puts on the top the car mobility. Cars are the kings on the streets and specifically those which are occupied by just one person. Space for pedestrians is sacrifice in order to give it to cars, both the parked and the driving ones. As a result, people who live or pass often through such streets suffer from noise, psychical problems and breath the pollution cars and motorbikes expel. Think on the negative impacts this urban model has on people who live in avenues with, let’s say, four, five or even more car lines.

In comparison to the above old-fashion model, a different, more humane perspective is emerging to give the street back to people. The recipe is easy and set in motion in a lot of cities whereas implemented in some others: take surface from cars to give it to people. It is a piece of cake if economical and political interests do not disturb. Quite on the contrary and due to climate change, more and more people have realized that we should change the transport model if we want to face it and avoid its negative effects. There are a variety of actions to reduce noise and pollution, and all go to reduce car (and other ways of pollutant transport) and bid on low- or even zero-impact ones. Riding a bike and walking fulfill this target.

Now look at this picture:

In the car oriented street (left-hand side), there are two parked-car lines plus three car lines plus two narrow sidewalks. The realistic estimation shows a total capacity of 12,300 people/h by summing every moving people. On the other hand, the multimodal street offers a different view. Based on the same surface, we have two width sidewalks plus a bidirectional bike line plus a bus line plus a car line. In this case figure shows that the total capacity is 30,100 people/h, more than double. In addition, trees and benches make the street friendlier. Thus, the selection of the best model is like falling off a log.

Bicycle-sharing system

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Intelligent mayors are introducing bicycle-sharing systems to improve the use of this ecological way of transport all around the world. Allowing citizens to use them at cheap cost increases the number of bikers on streets who adopt better habits in turn. As a result, cities and villages are benefiting from it as the air inhabitants breath is more convenient from a health perspective and the noise is reduced.

Although bike-share began in Europe in 1965, it was not until the 2000s that a viable format appeared thanks to information technology. Nowadays the public systems include technological advantages about which I will talk in the future. The bikes in the bike-share services varied as bicycles themselves do. There are normal and electrical bicycles, those which works with a card or a mobile app, with solid wheels or full of compressed air, etc. All these differences have impacts on the service. For example, the solid wheels minimize their maintenance since they do not poke, but it is easier to have an accident when raining.

One key element is the anchor system. If two pieces form the anchor, it is more complicated to put the bike on the station. On the other hand, if it only has one, metallic piece the action is facilitated. The bicycles weight is also another point to have in mind. Too heavier bikes discourage people to use them, whereas light ones are better specially if they move on a hilly city. Interconnection is also important mostly when close cities and villages have their own bike-sharing services. There is nothing more inconvenient that the obligation of changing the bike, and hence having for instance two bike cards, the moment you pass from one location to another.

To sum up, bike-sharing is a good way to improve the number of bikes, but before launching it, some issues should be taken into account.

Bungee cords

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When transporting goods in a bike, one can put them in a basket or in a bicycle bag. There is a third option which consists in tying them to the luggage carrier with one or two metal bungee cords. Bungee cords are composed of one or several strands forming a core covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath.

They are ideal for such a purpose as they are elastic, thus allowing to use extra length and making more pressure at the same time. Indeed, they end in hooks at their extremes in order to ease their anchorage. It is quite recommendable not to anchor the moorings directly into the luggage carrier, rather it is better to give a spin to the cord extreme you want to anchor to the luggage carrier and then put the hooks into practice. This is because you do not want the bungee cord extreme to be released in the middle of a ride and this way the anchor is secured. If you are thinking in buying bungee cords, I recommend to invert money in good, high quality ones since they will last much more time.

Ciemmona

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The Critical Mass started in San Francisco (USA) in 1992 and since then it has disseminated for more than 300 cities around the world. It is impressive how this monthly event has spread up to the five continents (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anexo:Masa_Crítica_por_país, in Spanish). Bikers meet and ride the city in a good mood demonstrating that a different way of transport is possible even in the most extreme circumstances. Kampala celebrated the first Critical Mass in Uganda at the beginning of this year. Good for them! The desire of pacifying traffic, claiming for space, infrastructures and respect for bicycles, giving visibility to bikes, protecting the environment or making relationships are some of the targets it follows. Hence it is opened to everybody who loves these principles. Furthermore, it has a political point in favor of the issues I have indicated and above all the use of bikes. Conflicts between bikers and cochistas took place specially at the beginnings. Thus, the more bikes on the roads, the more respect we have.

On the other hand, there are countries which celebrate a national, annual Critical Mass. Well, in reality the national adjective here means one big Critical Mass in a country, although riders from other countries are welcomed. I talked about the Criticona. Today I am going to expose what the Ciemmona is. Basically, it is similar to the Criticona since both events offer routes, workshops, meeting places, accommodation, etc., but in Italy. 1,500 bikers joined the last Ciemmona. The 2018 edition consisted in the Firenze (monthly) Critical Mass on the 18^th of May; workshops on the morning, the Ciemmona on the afternoon and a street party in the evening of the Saturday 19^th of May; and a beautiful route on the Sunday morning.

If you want more information, you can check the Ciemmona official blog (mainly in Italian).

Electric bicycle

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Continuing with bike adaptations to specific problems people have, suppose you live in a hilly city and you want to climb a street up. One can use a electric bicycle (or e-bike) to ease pedaling. This type of bike is even more important for those who have heart problems and/or senior citizens. But what exactly is a e-bike?

An electric bike is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor which can be used for propulsion purpose. Although there are a variety of e-bikes, all of them allow pedaling without using the electric motor. Its starting in the late of the 19^th century was rather discrete, but its popularity has been growing in recent years and is used in private and public bike sharing systems, i.e. in bike tourist tours.

E-bikes are classified as:

With pedal-assist: the electric motor is regulated by pedaling. Hence, the effort of the biker is increased in this electric bike with pedal-assist (or pedelec). This effect is counteracted in smooth streets in which one pay extra effort to save it in hill streets. This bikes have a sensor to detect the pedaling speed, the pedaling force or both.
With power-on-demand: the motor is activated by a throttle in the handlebar. Sometimes this e-bikes have more power than the ones with pedal-assist. In turn, this kind of system presents three possible uses:
- Riding with pedal power alone (only human effort)
- Riding by only the electric motor
- Combining both together at the same time

Tricycles can also have an electric motor.

Tricycle

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Since the bicycle ancestors were created, bikes have evolved to make people life easier and funnier. Its adaptation capacity to the a priori problems most people have faced for ages has converted it into an extremely adaptable machine. Today I will talk about the tricycle.

A tricycle is a bicycle with three wheels. It has evolved in parallel with bicycles. It seems two French inventors developed a three-wheels vehicle powered by pedals and named it a tricycle back in 1789.

The third wheel is usually put in parallel to the rear wheel, although it also appears next to the front wheel in some tricycles . Why was it made up? To overcome the mobility problem some disabled people have had. Thanks to the extra wheel, one does not need to walk perfectly or have an absent vertigo. This fact makes even broader the importance of bike as a vehicle for everybody, the democratization of bikes. Moreover, the increment in stability in comparison to bicycles is favored by children and senior citizens. Furthermore, a tricycle is useful to carry weighted goods. The third point allows to better distribute the weight so that heavier merchandise can be carried. In addition, if a basket is incorporated to the bike, its power is multiplied.

On the other hand, tricycles are divided between cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight tricycles (for goods issues). Riders should pay special attention when cornering to avoid tipping the tricycle over as its lateral stability is not as good as it can look like.

Neighboring fights (2/2)

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Continuing with the neighboring fights, there are some that do not center on specific actions such as changing an avenue or buddying a railroad track. They look for a complete improvement in broader areas like the whole city. Given the dimension of the target, multiple actions are needed. In this second post on this topic, I am going to talk about Valencia camina (Valencia walks) and the 8-80 platform in Pamplona.

Valencia camina (http://arquitecturia.org/valenciacamina , in Spanish) was born in February 2018 as a shout from pedestrians against what negatively interfere in the day-to-day movements. You know, lots of architectural barriers, crosses with poor visibility, nonsense routes (for example the need to go from point A to point B in a straight line instead of walking in a U because of the bad urban development), etc. They claim for more safety, universal accessibility, school paths, zero vision (zero accidents), walking paths quality, streets with vegetables, noise control, pollution control, secure road surface, bus stops according to the pedestrian paths, etc. They collaborate to the European FLOW project (Furthering Less Congestion by Creating Opportunities For More Walking and Cycling) with the aim of putting walking and biking on the fair base with the motor-based ways of transport as a solution to jam among others (http://h2020-flow.eu/about/overview/). In a few words, they look for a more human city.

Similarly as above, the 8/80 platform in Pamplona started as a group of people demanding improvements in their lives. They have criticized laws which discriminate the use of bicycle or worsen pedestrian walkings. Furthermore, they publish a piece of news every time a pedestrian is killed in a car accident, denounce dangerous crossings and support bike vindications. This movement was imported from Canada (https://www.880cities.org) with the goal of improving the quality of life for people by bringing citizens together to enhance mobility and public space so that together can be created more vibrant, healthy and equitable communities.

Neighboring fights (1/2)

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City developments at several levels affect the neighbors lives. Sometimes it produces clashes as people protest against them. Lost of quality life, social problems, price increment in common supplies, noise, pollution, all these elements can angry persons and as a result they tend to rebel. Well not in all cases. Fortunately, there are brave people who claim against what they hate and take actions in order to try to solve what upset them. Most of the negative elements of cities development is related to the misunderstander of urban development just for a few. In such cases, politicians and friends benefit from new infrastructures which harm neighbors lives.

In Spain there are a lot of such examples and the neighbors fights. Just to name a few, we have the association against the tunnel in the Pérez Galdós avenue in Valencia and the platform for the railroad track buddying in Murcia. Both share a common desire: Change the city infrastructures which bother them.

The association against the tunnel in the Pérez Galdós avenue (http://www.fueratunelperezgaldos.com, in Spanish) claims for adapting the road to the XXI century. At the time I am writing this post, it is a long avenue without trees or plants, with minute sidewalks, 4 car lines per direction and car accidents are common since the speed limits are not respected. Moreover, it has an uncovered tunnel from which noise and pollution contribute to make this avenue an undesired place. What the association claims is to broaden sidewalks, plant trees, put a bike line, close the tunnel, force to fulfill the speed limit and reduce the car use in that area. If they finally achieve them, surely Valencia will be better.

The platform for the railroad track buddying (http://www.soterramientomurcia.es, in Spanish) has been fighting for 30 years. They protest against the railroad which divide the city into two parts every month. By buddying the railroad track, Murcia would be again only one city. They organized a protest in this city and more than 50.000 people support them. They have the people backing but politicians again do not hear them. A national agreement was signed back in the 2000s before the crisis. In this official document between the Spanish government and the local one, the national government compromised to pay the railroad track buddying. But the reality has turn its back to Murcia. As time went by, the option to solve this problem remains remote. Nevertheless, thanks to the official signature the case is in court. You can see how idiot some politicians are. If justice exists, the Murcian platform for the railroad track buddying will not make sense as its claim will have been reached. Better later than never!

Bike jousting

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From a historical perspective, a jousting is a combat in which two jousters on horses try to impact each other with lances. In the bicycle word, this concept has been adapted so that instead of using horses, bicycles are ridden. Lances have been substituted by plastic sticks in order to avoid serious injuries and contenders carefully respect the rules.

The Black Label Bike Club is internationally famous by its bike jousting. Once a year, they make a huge party on Brooklyn, New York, in which this event takes place. Although all the bicycle types can be used, tall bikes are employed to add more emotion to the combats here. Surprisingly, they have not had problems with the police even when alcohol is present.

Bicycle jousting can also be seen at Voldenpark, Amsterdam, each summer.