Vancouver, Doing it Right

Car Centric to Bicycle Centric

      I found an interesting paragraph in one of my textbooks from school, concerning the difference(s) that bicycles make in the city setting.

"An excellent study by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler at Rutgers University analyzed the reasons for these wide disparities among countries. They note that "extensive cycling rights-of-way in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists." These countries, they point out, "make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking... It is co-ordinated implementation of this multi-faceted, mututally reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling." And it is the lack of these policies they note, that explains "the marginal status of cycling in the UK and USA."

     An excellent point is made in regards to giving bicycles right-of-way, instead of giving it to cars. Here in Fredericton, almost always, right-of-way is given to cars. Could we change this ideology while this city is still young? It is a possibility that in the near future, bicycles will begin to overpower cars in terms of quantity. Eventually, Fredericton will have to adapt to this massive change and I'm afraid not many are going to like it.
     The excerpt mentions "ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists." I have to admit, Fredericton has conquered the first two. What is mostly needed in this city is the "training of both cyclists and motorists." I cannot count how many times per week I am cut off or completely ignored by cars, or how many times I see bicycles on the sidewalk or riding dangerously on the street. A massive campaign is needed to fix this dilemma.
     In cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Berlin, they make driving "expensive and inconvenient." This being said, encourages the use of cycling or just plain walking. If we lose three parking spaces in downtown Fredericton, there is always a massive uproar. Is it necessarily a bad thing? God forbid you have to take the bus or walk.
     Finally, the last sentence mentions that cycling is not mainstream in North American society. In cities, cycling is not feasible due to urban sprawl and car centric streets.

"If you plan only for cars, then drivers will feel like the King of the Road. This reinfoces the attitude that the bicycle is backward and used only by the poor. But if you plan for bicycles, it changes the public attitude."

Fredericton Bixi Bikes?

     Fredericton’s downtown is not known for the immense amount of cyclists. Well, on the streets that is... Every Frederictonian knows the problem of sidewalk cyclists. Why is it such a problem? Could the by-law officers do a better job? It doesn’t help that we’re also lacking infrastructure downtown. The only routes remotely close are The Green and Church Street. With the lack of cyclists on streets, could this be increased by a bike share program like Bixi? In order for this system to work, Fredericton must first invest in infrastructure on downtown streets.
     Currently, there are four cities in Canada that have a Bixi Bike Program: Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa/Gatineau and London. Could Fredericton benefit from this program? I think yes! Even though our population is off by a couple million compared to Canada’s major urban centres, it has the potential to be successful. Could we convince citizens, tourists or businessmen/women to rent out a bike instead of renting an expensive SUV? A program like this would be great for people who: cannot afford to buy a bicycle, use one a few times a year or are commuters. Do you think it's feasible? Watch an instructional video below on how the system works.

   We all know about the problem of hills in our fair city. Yes, they look fantastic anaesthetically, but they are a nightmare to any cyclist- except downhill! That's why I think to anyone using a Bixi Bike should have free access to transit. So instead of cycling up York Street and getting all hot and sweaty for a meeting or work; rent a bike from downtown, hop on a bus and bike to your destination uptown! 

     It is such a great possibility, and it would only upset the motorists who have never sat their backsides on a bicycle their entire life. What do you think?

Fredericton Bike Lanes and Princess Margaret Bridge Closure

I would like to start off today’s blog that google maps has finally added Douglas Avenue as a bike lane! I’m still working with google to get them to include York Street and Crocket Street/Brown Boulevard. You can see some of bicycle lanes and routes here. Once they have all of the bicycle lanes and paths listed, it will be much easier for locals and tourists to find the best routes to get around our fair city.

Note that not all of the multi-use paths are listed, and the city centre routes can be viewed here. I cycled the Douglas Avenue route a few days ago, and it is in excellent shape and gets four out of five stars! It loses only one star because there are a few areas where there is gravel on the road and parked cars. I should not have to remind motorists that it is illegal to park in a bike lane.

Now that the Princess Margaret Bridge closure is in full swing, the city is still trying to get motorists to find alternate ways of getting to work. I have said this before, but I will remind you of the Brookside Mall park and go shuttle bus that runs to downtown and vies versa. Also, it is entirely FREE!

Our neighbouring city of Saint John has also done something similar, calling their system the “Parcobus”. Link here. If the City of Fredericton advertised a little more, they may even get increased demand. I would not be surprised if they offered a park and go site from Kingswood Entertainment Centre to downtown in the distant future. 

Frederictonians are also preparing the impending construction season this year. More than ever the city is urging citizens to use alternatives. The full article by the Daily Gleaner can be found here. As noted in the article, Brookside Drive is getting an overhaul from Summerhill Row to Heron Drive, which will include continuing the widening of the road. I keep hearing rumours of a bicycle lane from Reynolds Street to St. Mary's Street. Knowing the city, it will not happen any time soon, but it is foreseeable in the future.