Articles

Bike lanes for Bangkok?
18/04/2011

Closing some streets to bicycles-only can reduce traffic congestion and both air and noise pollution. Life in the bike lane: WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH, BANGKOK CAN BECOME A CYCLING-FRIENDLY CITY by Sirinya Wattanasukchai Good news for Bangkok cyclists! Thanks to its geography, the capital has the potential to be turned into a cycling-friendly city. What is needed is better understanding by the public and the government as well as a strong effort from the cyclists themselves. Koy Thomson, former chief executive of the 30-year-old London Cycling Campaign (LCC), recently encouraged his fellow cyclists in Bangkok... ...In a city where cycling had not been considered in the initial planning stages, London saw an 80% increase in cycling in 2007, with 400,000 cycling trips made around the city, he said. The LCC expects 900,000 cycling trips to be made in the city next year and 1.7 million trips in 2025... ...Berlin, with its wide streets similar to Bangkok's, started to encourage bicycle riding only 15 years ago and now outnumbers London in terms of cyclists; not to mention Copenhagen where cyclists are not only given space but priority on the roads... ...Thompson and the LCC have made politicians realise the fact that bicycles are a solution to help ease the strain of the tremendous growth of population and transportation of London. Unless cycling is encouraged in London, the buses, trains and tube will become overcrowded, the roads will become congested... ..."Free Wheel", a project launched on a Sunday in London, gave people the chance to experience traffic-free streets in the most congested areas of the city. Bogota, Colombia, is very similar to Bangkok in terms of climate, but the city has successfully implemented strategies to encourage cycling. A 1.5km road now closes on Sundays to allow people to enjoy cycling, roller blading and walking on the car-free street. Thomson prefers a separate space for bicycles even though many modern cyclists have no problem riding amid traffic. Most importantly, cycling must be made into a chic activity accessible to everyone. Rather than associating biking with daggy reflective vests and helmets, said Thomson, it should be linked with chic things such as fixies (fixed-gear bicycles). ...We need to make people say, 'I want to belong to that club' when they see a bicycle group passing by," said Thomson. But it needs to be communicated to the public the right way... ...Thomson suggests the most comfortable distance for a cycling trip should about 5km. The best-fit model for city people is a folding bicycle that can be conveniently carried on public transportation when required... (Source: Bangkok Post, Life in the bike lane, WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH, BANGKOK CAN BECOME A CYCLING-FRIENDLY CITY, 17/02/2011, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, link) bicycle - รถจักรยานสองล้อ, รถถีบสองล้อ bike - short form of "bicycle" bike lane - a narrow area along the side of roads that is for bicycles only to ride in ทางจักรยาน cycle (verb) - ขี่รถจักรยาน, ถีบรถจักรยาน cycling (noun) - the activity of riding a bicycle cyclist (noun) - a person who rides a bicycle Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/search/news-and-article/noise

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