Comments on: There is nothing like a Dane

By: Treadly and Me

Treadly and Me — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:17:22 +0000

I've always been a bit suspicious of the idea of a "cycling Nirvana" tucked away somewhere in the Netherlands or Scandinavia. While I think we have much to learn from the famous cycling cities, we need to stay aware of local conditions. That's why the question of why so few people ride in Melbourne is important.

Of faith's points, I reckon the most significant is our relatively low population density (with the consequent urban sprawl that must also contribute to longer commute distances).

I've never really thought that hills in Melbourne were a major obstacle to bike commuting but I must say I did enjoy that image of faith's in-laws panting and grunting their way up some of the lesser hills in this fair city!

By: faith

faith — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:31:41 +0000

I've just returned to Melbourne this year after 5 years living in Amsterdam, another place where as everyone knows, "everyone rides everywhere". Except they don't. In the Netherlands people who commute to work etc rarely travel more than 5 kms in either direction. I was considered very keen for commuting 8kms each way through Amsterdam and it was still considerably shorter than any of my Melbourne commutes. Shorter commutes mean you do travel in your everyday clothes, and I too would commute to and from work in heels etc. The country is sooooo flat that commuting is always easy and you can do it a a pace that allows you to stay sweat-free. Most of my colleagues at work drove the 8kms through Amsterdam using Ring Roads that meant they stood in traffic-jams for up to an hour each morning and afternoon in preference to cycling. The Randstad freeways, an area slightly bigger than Melbourne, are just one enormous traffic jam every day during peak hour with the traffic jams counted in their hundred's -per-peak-hour.

I think these points cover why more people here don't cycle. It's not as flat, the population-density is not the same and not many people live within 5kms of where-they-need-to-be. My Dutch in-laws cycle everywhere in the Netherlands but they find even Brunswick a hilly prospect after the sort of flatness they are used too!

By: Treadly and Me

Treadly and Me — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:16:16 +0000

Yeah, my conclusion was that it’s a rather more complex question than can be adequately answered in 30 second grabs at the traffic lights. At least, not until I’ve sat down and thought about it some more, because we really should be able to make a short but sensible answer to a question like that.

By: cfsmtb

cfsmtb — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:36:49 +0000

Simplistic portrayals of cycling in the Australian media don't help one iota, no doubt aided and abetted by the constant push of MORE CARS MORE CARS.

If you don't have access to motorised transport, just how can you be a truly useful member of society?

Reframe the question, then place it in context with basic Sociology, ie: norms, folkways, mores, laws, and taboos. Make more sense now?

But we know these irrational attitudes really doesn't make any sense when you realise Melbourne has a reasonable cycling environment, with the potential for greatness. sigh.