What is the real cause of traffic congestion?
I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the bicycle. Take a look at this excellent series of illustrations at Blueprint Denver (more conveniently placed all on one page at ChapmanCentral).
Really puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?
Bicycles don’t delay cars: cars delay cars.
[via Cycling London]
Update 23 November
Tim Bradley discusses what might be going on here—The Tragedy of the Commons at work…
The thing is, we all knew this, but that doesn’t stop people from having a whine about it. If, for example, you’ve ever seen the propoganda from people claiming to “support” public transport as a traffic congestion solution, most of their claims are based around the idea that someone else will use it. In the end, cyclists make a convenient scapegoat for people whining like this largely because there are so few cyclists on the road. Most people don’t want solutions, they just want someone to blame.
That said, I don’t mind if people just sit in their cars and whine about traffic congestion. For a sprightly and moderately skilled cyclist, passing hundreds of even thousands of stationary gridlocked cars on the way to work each day is the easiest thing in the world.
Posted by Chris L | 13 November 2006, 2:53 pmWell, I don’t think I’m making any profound new observation here—I just thought that was an amusing sequence of photos. I especially like the contrast from “Here are 35 drivers” to “And here they are on a bus”.
But I think if someone is going to complain about road congestion, they need to consider their own contribution to their problem. I really don’t care about the seething masses gridlocked on urban tollways either, but I do care when their self-made frustration is taken out on other road users, and this is the more-or-less the starting point of Urban Commuter’s entry:
I’d also note that “celebrity” opinion-makers and other people who actually possess more than one brain cell—eminent economists, for instance—are not immune from this stunning lack of insight. And it don’t make the roads any safer for anyone.
Posted by Treadly and Me | 13 November 2006, 9:05 pmI love this picture. How ridiculous do all those people look?
Mind you, it’s the best feeling in the world when you are able to cycle past lanes of gridlocked traffic!
Posted by kimbofo | 14 November 2006, 5:04 amIt feels like it should come with a John Cleese voiceover, doesn’t it?
Posted by Treadly and Me | 14 November 2006, 5:21 amI kind of wish that image was available as a poster. Fantastic!
Posted by lelak | 19 November 2006, 8:22 amWhat a brilliant idea. But I doubt that the City of Denver ever considered that photo set as a possible revenue stream!
Posted by Treadly and Me | 19 November 2006, 10:32 pm