Category Archives: Benefits

Car-oriented vs multimodal street

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.

Electric bicycle

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 19th 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

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.

Bike polo

Cycling itself is a way to practice sport. Cyclists have been ridden from important races like the Tour of France to local, unofficial ones for ages. Again, cyclist is not only a sport but a source of additional ideas by mixing it with existing ones. One of them is the bike polo also known as cycle polo. In essence, it consists in practicing polo but on a bike instead of on a horse. Bike polo can be practiced on grass and in a hardcourt, being this last one the most popular. The interest on this sport has been increasing across the world since 2007.

How can I play bike polo? Well, the rules vary by city. In general, every team is composed by 3 members who are not substituted. Thus, every member remains on the court at all times. A street hockey ball is used and matches are played until one team scores 5 points. One match can also last until time expires if any team does not score the 5 points. Every tournament has a play limit, for instance 10 minutes, and this figure is used to maximize the number of rounds during the very day.

In regards of the rules, bike polo has 3 rules:

  • Every time a player touches the ball with a foot, that player ride to mid-court and hit a designated area with their mallet (the stick). Conveniently, there is usually a tap-out located on either side of the court.
  • To score one point, the offensive player must hit the ball across the goal line using the narrow end of the mallet.
  • Once a team scores a goal, you wait back in your end for the other team to cross half before engaging in play again.

The international bicycle polo championship has been won by India, Canada and the USA. Moreover, France is a world power. In this kind of tournaments sometimes the bicycles used and the money raised are donated to local schools and social clubs, and the money is used for charity, in comparison with what happens in some other sports.

 

Cargo bikes

I know we have already talked about cargo bikes. I also know the use of this kind of bikes will increase in the coming years as a result of optimizing deliveries in cities. Laws will restrict the use of cars and vans to deliver goods specially in downtown areas. In addition, both environmental and economic costs reduction will make it essential. Moreover, the reduction of noises is appreciated by neighbors. What is not always well known is the high diversity in cargo bikes.

In the picture bellow, one can see a variety of them. Some can carry objects in the rear, whereas some others can do it in the front. Furthermore, some cargo bikes allow to transport merchandises in the back as well as in the front. The fact of allowing removable elements makes them incredibly versatile. For those companies specialized in deliveries, cargo bikes with fixed elements constitute a good solution for the day-to-day activities. Ideally there is a cargo bike for every need.