In good company: Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Yesterday I found myself in the presence of greatness. As part of the State of Design festival Mikael Colville-Andersen, founder of Copenhagen Cycle Chic ["The Sarotrialist on two wheels"] and Copenhagenzie, presented what he believes to be the Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling.

Four Goals to Promoting Urban Cycling:

1. A2B-ism – focusing on the getting from A to B in the most quickest, easiest and efficient way possible.

2. Apply basis marketing technique – make urban cycling a "hero" brand, where everyone wanting a piece of it.

3. Stop Ignoring the Bull – Look at the problem, deal with the problem. Restrict movement. Medicate. Castrate. Rather than bubble wrapping the bull, how about trying to tame the bull.

4. Re-democratisation – re-humanising cycling. Re-creating livable cities rather than creating livable cities.

An hour with this filmmaker, photographer, and urban mobility expert confirmed to me that as like with the problem of climate change, what we need in solving the problem is to first go back to the basics instead of over-glamourising and over-complicating the problem. His four goals does work as proven in Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, Montreal and soon to be Mexico, State of Israel and Sweden. Mikael Colville-Andersen does know what he is talking about.

But can this work in Melbourne? Well we all seem to agree that the Melbourne Bike Share scheme is a total flop. The scheme is not easy nor is it efficient. It is just ill conceived. And what frustrates me the most is that this successful concept has just simply been duplicated without any regard to whether it is Melbourne appropriate. How embarrassing to be known as the only city to have unsuccessful implemented a highly successful concept. I am also not impressed that my tax paying dollars have been wasted on the dumb-asses who consulted on this scheme. I want a refund. However, general consensus for its failure seems to be the existence of our helmet laws. A view also expressed by the audience. The scheme doesn't work because what tourist is going to pack a helmet in their luggage for use only in Australia and New Zealand? But to me this isnt the major issue, though it does seem to be the most obvious. Melbourne, unlike the cities and countries listed above, does not have 30km speed limits for ALL vehicles traveling in the CBD. What it does have are tram lines and lots of angry people aka road rage. Why would I hire a bike, which I will then need to return it to an allocated station when I could buy a tram ticket that gets me to exactly where I need to go? And people who drive. Lets face it, they drive because they are in a rush and when elements like cyclists delay them from getting from A2B, they become angry, thus making the roads unsafe. As a member of the audience stated, the reason her friends don't cycle is because they feel unsafe. It is not because of distance as stated by Anita Curow, Director of Network Improvements at VicRoads. So right was the audience member and so wasted are the taxes that go to VicRoads. Although I can appreciate the audience members position to not wear a helmet when cycling as she feels safer as drivers tend to be more cautious of cyclists without a helmet, I will however continue wearing my helmet. I dont like to but I wear it for my safety because until the people of Melbourne become less angry and less selfish, I need all the protection I can get.

We keep investing in all this infrastructure but how about investing in cycle culture? As Colville-Andersen mentions we need to re-humanize the bicycle. And I totally agree. I recall my trip to Cambodia. You see, Cambodia does not seem to have road rules. So from the airport to my accommodation, we would be driving along one way and then suddenly swerve into oncoming traffic. And these roads are shared with cyclists. So my first two days in Cambodia I completely freaked out as I was expected to cycle to and forth to the orphanage during my month stay. They want me to cycle with these crazy drivers and without a helmet?? Hence the freak out. But after 2 days of piggybacking other cyclists, I realized I had nothing to fear. Cyclists owned the streets. It had nothing to do with the infrastructure, just the numbers, which gave them the power.

So when Melbourne develops a strong cycling culture, I will only then feel safe not to wear my helmet and it will only be then I will rely solely on my bicycle as my main form of transport.