Our bikeshare presentation was a huge success!

Hello all,

Just a quick update on our bikeshare lunch workshop that we hosted recently. Over 40 people attended, including professional engineers, planners, consultants, non-profit organizations, government staff, private companies, graduate and undergraduate students, staff/faculty from both universities, and six regional/city Councillors! Thank you to those who could attend!

At the meeting, we opened the floor for feedback and discussion, and identified some important next steps, including:

Establishing a bikeshare stakeholder committee: At the meeting, we identified the need for a bikeshare stakeholder committee that would meet regularly to ensure the discussion on bikesharing continues. Over the holidays, we will develop this idea further and seek to initiate this committee in January.

Engaging master's students: It was also discussed to potentially involve master's students who are interested in completing their thesis on bikesharing. If this idea is explored further, it could provide the basis for researching and implementing a Phase 1 bikeshare system.

Overall, we've built an incredible momentum in regards to cycling and bikesharing, and I'm confident that we will continue to move forward in turning this popular idea into a reality. Stay in touch and move forward, together.

Best Regards,

Joshua Joseph

Candidate for Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo

Director of Active Transportation, UWaterloo Sustainability Project

Transportation Executive, Waterloo Students Planning Advisory

________________________________________

 

josephmjosh@gmail.com | 1-519-897-5394 | LinkedIn

 

One cyclist fatality is one too many! Why is it happening?

One cyclist fatality is one too many. But how can we prevent further fatalities and create safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike? Dr. Dan Cass, Ontario's regional supervising coroner, is reviewing the recent cyclist fatalities that have occurred throughout the province in order to address the main issues.

Below is the message I sent to Dr. Cass, and I strongly encourage you to submit comments of your own. Together, we can make conditions safer for cyclists, and in my personal opinion, we should be seeking guidance from expert countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark.

You can email your comments to Dr. Dan Cass at occo.inquiries@ontario.ca. Special thanks to Bill Bean's Take the Lane Blog and TriTag for sharing this information.

---------------------

Greetings Dr. Cass,

My name is Joshua Joseph, a fourth year urban planning student at the University of Waterloo, and founder of the Region of Waterloo Bicycle Share Initiative (http://www.bikeshare.feds.ca). I would like to provide my input on the issue of cyclist fatalities in Ontario as you complete your review.

As gas prices continue to soar, more Ontario residents are taking to their bicycles to travel within their communities, a method of transportation that reduces traffic congestion, emits zero greenhouse gas emissions, promotes physical activity, and is highly affordable. Unfortunately, many cyclists in Ontario face significant threats to their safety when choosing a ride a bicycle, and I'd like to share my opinions as to why this is occurring:

1) Lack of segregated cycling infrastructure: Cyclists are not motorists, and should not be treated as such. It is essential that cyclists receive their own segregated cycling infrastructure. Countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark, which boast cycling rates of over 20%, have segregated cycling facilities that are safe, efficient, and highly utilized. Pictures of segregated cycling infrastructure physically separates cyclists from motorists, greatly reducing their chance of injury or death. In many cases, cyclists even have their own traffic lights at intersections. A few photos are listed below:

In Denmark: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copenhagen_Style_Bike_Lane_2.jpg
In Netherlands: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bicycle_lane_Dronten.JPG
In Canada (Montreal): http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/06/27/this-is-what-bike-safety-looks-like/
Bicycle traffic lights: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glasgow,_traffic_lights_for_bikes_in_Hope_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1534036.jpg

2) Lack of traffic calming measures and speed reduction policies: Even if a cyclist is wearing a helmet and obeying the rules of the road, if they are struck by a fast moving vehicle, they will likely be seriously injured or even die. In fact, studies have found a relationship between traffic speeds and survival chance among cyclist/pedestrian fatalities. A car traveling at 32 km/h has just a 5% chance of injuring a pedestrian or cyclist, and this percentage jumps to 45% when a car is traveling at 48 km/h and 85% when a car is traveling at 64km/h. * What does this mean for Ontario? It means that when we do have cyclists and motorists traveling closely together on the roadway, we must reduce traffic speeds in order to minimize the chance of death/serious injury if a collision does occur.

3) Lack of education for both cyclists and motorists: In countries with high cycling rates, drivers and cyclists understand eachother's behaviour and act accordingly. In Ontario however, cycling as a form of transportation is relatively new, and motorists are often unaware of a cyclist's presence on the road. This not only reinforces my first point, that cyclists should be separated from motorists, but also that there needs to be a strong educational policy that teaches both drivers and cyclists how to travel safely. Since drivers and cyclists are different, so should their rules of the road (i.e. there should be specific rules for cyclists, specific rules for drivers, and some shared rules among both drivers and cyclists).

4) Lack of focus on the key issues which cause injury and death to cyclists: For years, cyclists who have been injured or killed have been blamed for not wearing a helmet or following the rules of the road. However, if you analyse the data on helmet use and injury, you'll notice a significant trend. The following graph, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtuIJY-UrSCJbb_VsCxQwiWlcD0RuENT0VoMp9LYLXNlqMDaX_uyAZNoL-_myedCzke_OS_uT-sHrtrP3o_sOk2PUtKoJo6XmfCZrdkqXRAxfd6Eatyjmq8vHpBgFr0vALRO0wCX1gUDI/s1600/dd.jpg, appears to show that high rates of helmet use does not necessarily equate to lower risk of injury or death. For example, if 38% of cyclists in the U.S. wear helmets, why is the fatality rate much higher than in the Netherlands, where 0.1% of people wear helmets? The answer appears to have little to do with helmets and more to do with segregated cycling infrastructure and culture, further supporting my first point.

Dr. Cass, as an individual who wants to see Ontario communities become more cyclist friendly, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to share my comments with you. If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to create a more bicycle friendly Ontario!

Best Regards,

--

Joshua Joseph
Candidate for Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo
Director of Active Transportation, UWaterloo Sustainability Project
Transportation Executive, Waterloo Students Planning Advisory
________________________________________
josephmjosh@gmail.com | 1-519-897-5394 | LinkedIn

We're working on a bikeshare feasibility study!

After spending a summer in Copenhagen learning about their impressive cycling culture and infrastructure, I feel rejuvenated and confident that we can have the same sustainable lifestyle in Canada. This academic term, over forty University of Waterloo student volunteers have shown an interest in assisting me in developing a bikeshare feasibility study for the Waterloo Region area.

In our plan, we aim to address a variety of topics, including the most appropriate bikeshare system technology, number of stations and their locations, number of bicycles, possible challenges, potential funding sources and partners, and more. It's our hope that local politicians will analyze our plan and work with us to bring it to fruition.Our goal is to have the plan completed sometime around December 2011, and I will be making regular updates about its progress.

In the meantime, we're still promoting our online petition, which can be viewed here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/uwbikeshare/. It is our hope that both the petition and feasibility plan that we've initiated will help illustrate to local politicians that people do want a bikeshare system in the City / Region of Waterloo, and that it is possible.

- Josh

Joshua Joseph

Candidate for Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo

Director of Active Transportation, UWaterloo Sustainability Project

Transportation Executive, Waterloo Students Planning Advisory

e: josephmjosh@gmail.com | c: 1-519-897-5394

What happens when drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians don't get along?

What happens when drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians don't get along? Chaos.

For decades, cyclists have traveled through the streets of Copenhagen, alongside motorists to their left and pedestrians to their right. It may seem unsurprising then that the relationship between motorists and cyclists in Copenhagen is quite positive. Speaking from my own personal experiences here, I have felt particularly safe at intersections, where most motorists patiently wait for cyclists before passing. The traffic signals for cyclists are also an added benefit, as well as blinking lights at certain intersections which warn automobiles that cyclists are approaching. But still, issues of safety are a concern even in Copenhagen, and this will be discussed in further detail below.

However, the relationship between drivers and cyclists in North America appears to be quite a different story. For decades, people have traveled mostly by automobile. Yet as more people choose the bicycle as a mode of transportation, motorists are now faced with sharing the road, largely because of inadequate infrastructure that forces motorists and cyclists to mix in traffic. With a lack of infrastructure for cyclists, a poor culture of sharing the road, and the majority of people still driving, roads in many North American communities have become dangerous places for everyone. Fortunately, various programs have been created to create a more positive relationship between drivers and cyclists.

Publicis Montreal has created a $250,000 campaign for Vélo Québec to improve the relationship between drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Interestingly, the Montreal Police Service provided some funding for the campaign, which will include television, print, and web publications. Share the Road is another Canadian organization that strives to create more bicycle-friendly communities - and as the name suggests, aims to encourage all users to 'share the road'. A short video below introduces the Vélo Québec campaign.

“Too often, we forget that we trade places between being a driver and being a cyclist depending on the moment,” said Nicolas Massey, vice-president, creative director of Publicis Montreal in a release. “We should all be interested in respecting the rules of the road, and each other.”

As mentioned previously, Copenhagen does have some issues with perceived and actual safety of cyclists. In the 2010 Bicycle Account, a comprehensive study on the state of cycling in Copenhagen, 34% of cyclists and 29% of non-cyclists claimed that better motorist road manners would encourage them to cycle more. 29% and 21% of cyclists and non-cyclists, respectively, cited better segregation between cyclists and motorists would encourage more cycling. Fortunately, the number of seriously injured cyclists fell from 252 in 1996 to 92 in 2010. Still, even with Copenhagen's world class cycling capital status, there are some issues related to cycling infrastructure, safety, and the relationship between drivers and cyclists.
Luckily, the global cycling movement appears strong and is growing each year. Together, we can move forward in creating a strong culture of sustainability where all road users - motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists alike, are respected and valued.  

Can bicycles really carry groceries, children, and furniture?

If someone told you that a simple bicycle could be used to carry groceries, take children to school, or move large furniture, would you believe it? In Copenhagen, transporting people and their goods via bicycle is a common and necessary reality, as over half the population does not own a personal automobile. Copenhagen cargo bikes were born decades ago in the Freetown of Christiania, a car-free community near the central city. Today, numerous people use Christiania Bikes and other similar brands daily.  Watch the video.



In many other parts of the world, including China and Africa, people also use their bicycles to transport goods. However, in North America, people tend to rely heavily on their automobiles for transportation purposes and goods movement. 40% of trips in the U.S. are 3 kilometers or less, but 90% of those short distances are taken by car. Perhaps this is due to the false perception that a car is necessary when running errands. In order to shift this attitude, the 2 Mile Challenge is striving to replace 100,000 car trips in the U.S. by encouraging people to ride a bicycle instead. Rails to Trails Conservancy estimates that if short car trips are replaced by bicycling or walking, between 2.4 and 5 billion gallons of gasoline could be saved annually, resulting in $8 to $17 billion in fuel savings each year.

With more cities facing traffic congestion, air quality issues, and public health concerns, programs are being developed to encourage people to cycle, but also to transport their goods via bicycle. Cycle Logistics, a European Union funded project, aims to encourage the use of bicycles to transport goods. The program, which will run from May 2011 to 2014 and span across 8-12 countries, will strive to achieve a concrete reduction in energy used for urban freight transport. This will be achieved through intra-urban delivery of goods by bicycle, replacing trips that would have otherwise been made by car. With a goal of saving 1300 tons of fuel and 3500 tons of CO2, the program will add 2000 new cargo bikes in urban areas and shift at least 10,000 automobile freight trips to more sustainable options.

“Currently, half of all trips in the city are related to the transportation of goods with light goods representing over a third of these trips”, explains ECF Project manager Dr. Randy Rzewnicki, noting that “there’s a huge potential for CYCLE logistics to shift these trips away from motorized vehicles and towards cycling-related solutions”.

Carry Your Things by Bicycle

Cargo Bikes: Designed specifically for larger loads, cargo bikes vary in shape, size, and style and are often used to transport passengers, furniture, pets, and more. Numerous cargo bikes sold in Amsterdam and Copenhagen are used by parents to transport their children.

Bicycle Baskets: These baskets can be mounted on the front or rear of a bicycle, and are among the most common in Copenhagen. They are often used to carry groceries, bags, or other small to mid-sized items. 

Messenger Bags / Backpacks: These bags are comfortable, accessible, and are commonly used by bicyclists.  The actual design of a messenger bag largely caters to the transportation of mail or goods by bicycle.

Panniers: Designed for front and rear styles, panniers are hung over bicycle wheels and designed to hold a variety of items, including laptops, folders, clothes, food, and more. In many cases, panniers can be detached and used as shopping bags.

Saddle Bags: Attached under the bicycle seat, saddle bags are small and are typically used to hold a few small items.

"Helmets are good. Helmet laws are not."

“Helmets are good. Helmet laws are not” is a quote taken from Helmet Freedom, an organization dedicated to sharing information on the negative impacts of mandatory helmet laws. They understand that helmets can reduce head injuries in low-speed collisions, and support a person’s choice to wear a helmet. However, they oppose mandatory laws that require cyclists to wear helmets. Various other individuals and organizations, including Copenhagenize, appear to oppose mandatory helmet laws.

Some people argue that helmets are an inconvenience and can make cycling a less attractive mobility option. Others feel that wearing a helmet makes them feel safe and confident on a bicycle. With differing opinions on helmet use, many people seem to respect that wearing a helmet should be a personal choice. Mandatory helmet laws seemingly remove this personal choice, forcing all cyclists to wear helmets whenever they ride a bicycle.

Do Mandatory Helmet Laws Decrease Cycling Rates?

When Australia implemented their mandatory helmet law, cycling levels fell by 30%. In hopes of increasing cycling rates in downtown Melbourne, a bikeshare system was launched. Compared to other cities with bikeshare systems, the scheme was unsuccessful, attracting fewer than 650 subscribers in four months. One reason cited for the failed system is the State of Victoria’s mandatory helmet law, which seemingly makes casual cycling difficult. In contrast, cities without mandatory helmet laws have seen extraordinary successes with their bikeshare systems. For example, Dublin, which faces no mandatory helmet laws, shares similar cycling suitability levels as Melbourne's downtown area and has nearly 50,000 subscribers for their bikeshare system. Dublin councilor Andrew Montague discusses Melbourne’s bikeshare system in a video interview and is quoted as saying “…that [DublinBikes] would be killed stone dead if there were compulsory helmets.”

The Safety in Numbers Effect

Based on the Australian example, it appears that mandatory helmet laws can reduce the number of cyclists, and any reduction in cyclist numbers poses a significant threat to safety, based on the safety in numbers effect. This hypothesis claims that by being in a large group or mass, an individual is proportionally less likely to fall victim to an accident, attack, or another harmful event. Research has shown that when cycle use doubles, the risk of a motorist hitting a cyclist reduces by one third. Therefore, it would appear that more cyclists on the road results in increased safety. If mandatory helmet laws do reduce cycling rates, as proven in Australia, then the law could pose as a significant danger for the safety of cyclists. 

The graph below illustrates the safety in numbers effect. In countries where many people are cycling (safety in numbers effect), cycling fatalities are low. 

Source: European Cyclists' Federation

Do higher rates of helmet use lead to a decrease in cyclist fatalities?

The graph also appears to show that high rates of helmet use does not necessarily equate to lower risk of injury or death. For example, if 38% of cyclists in the U.S. wear helmets, why is the fatality rate much higher than in the Netherlands, where 0.1% of people wear helmets? The answer appears to have little to do with helmets and more to do with cycling infrastructure and culture. In the Netherlands, safe infrastructure has been available to cyclists for decades, and they rarely cycle within traffic. When they do, drivers tend to be cautious and respectful, largely because of the strong culture of cycling and that motorists likely cycle or have cycled at some point themselves. In the United States, the strong car-culture mentality leaves little room for understanding and respect between motorists and cyclists. Cycling infrastructure is completely absent or severely lacking in many cities, resulting in cyclists having to travel within traffic, becoming exposed to dangerous situations with motor traffic that can lead to injury or death, regardless of if they wear a helmet or not. 

Helmet Use in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen, an increasing amount of people are wearing helmets, but this is still their choice. In a quote taken from Toronto Star article in May 2009, this was said about helmets in Copenhagen:

"We don't have a law in Copenhagen mandating cyclists to wear helmets," says Brian Hanson, the head of the city's traffic planning department. "We have no problem with anyone wearing a helmet and understand the safety benefits of it. But we've studied the topic many times and the results are always the same: it will decrease ridership significantly. We feel the health benefits of bike riding – active lifestyle, very low carbon emissions, clean air – far outweigh the risks of riding without a helmet." 

“Helmets are good. Helmet laws are not.” is a simple statement behind a quite complex issue. What are your thoughts on helmet use and mandatory helmet laws?

Are Women The Key To Creating Bicycle Friendly Communities?

A bicycle renaissance is occurring across North America, with cycling rates increasing throughout Canadian and American cities. However, most of the growth in cycling is among men, while cycling rates among women and children have either been steady or fallen sharply. Why is this disproportional growth among men, women, and children occurring? Recent studies claim it relates primarily to safety. Watch the video below on women and cycling in Copenhagen.

Various surveys have been conducted to find out why women cycle less then men. The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals surveyed over 13,000 women to investigate factors that would induce women to cycle more for transportation purposes. When asked "What would cause you to start or increase your cycling?", the majority of women (62.4%) selected more bike lanes. Other popular responses included completely separated off-road cycling paths and wider lanes on roads.

In Britain, over 9000 women signed a petition calling for safer conditions for cycling, which was delivered to Transport Minister Sadiq Khan. With just these two initiatives combined, over 20,000 women have expressed that safety is their main concern in regards to cycling. Based on these findings, many transportation professionals are realizing that women are the key to creating bicycle friendly communities. The assumption is that if women are cycling, then it must be safe, attractive, and convenient for all other users, including the elderly and children.

The important relationship between women and bicycles began during the 19th and 20th centuries, during a predominately male centered society. The simple bicycle was a tool used by women that brought independence and freedom while eliminating their reliance on men for travel. Susan B. Anthony, a women's rights advocate and feminist, said this about cycling:

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." ~Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906, abolitionist and leader of the American women's sufferage movement.

Many women in the world today still face issues of inequality and lack of personal freedom. Over a century later, the bicycle is still being used as a tool for women empowerment in the contemporary world. In a previous blog entry I wrote for International Women's Day, the bicycle has been used in India to create a collective bicycle bank aimed at increasing women's mobility and promoting micro enterprises among women entrepreneurs. Various organizations, such as The Bicycle Factory and World Bicycle Relief, are using the bicycle as a tool to empower young women in Africa, providing them with the tools needed to care for their families, learn necessary skills, and build a better future for their communities. 

In Copenhagen, a world class cycling capital, it appears that as many women cycle as men. This is convincing evidence that women play a key role in creating bicycle friendly communities, not only in Copenhagen, but across the world. With more women on bikes, it appears our global communities will become more accessible, safe, and sustainable for all people. 

Do Bike Share Systems Create a Strong Cycling Culture?

The 519,000 people who live in the City of Copenhagen together own 560,000 bicycles. Despite the high rate of bicycle ownership, Copenhagen does have a public bikeshare system, which has existed since 1995. Users can deposit a 20DKK coin (approximately $3.76 CDN), and use the bike anywhere in the City Bike Zone, receiving their 20DKK upon returning the bike.

Image source: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/09/bike-share-design-competition-for.html

The City Bikes are easy to spot, and yet I've rarely seen them in use during my morning commute to downtown Copenhagen. I asked a few locals about the public bikeshare system, and it appears that they prefer using their own bicycles, claiming the system is used primarily by tourists. The City of Copenhagen seems to know this fact, and is committed to enhancing the current bikeshare system, as illustrated in this quote by Mayor Klaus Bondam:

"Much has happened since this Bike Share v. 1.0 was launched and, over the past ten years, many large cities now enjoy exciting, new bike share systems. From Barcelona to Beijing, a new generation of bike share systems have blossomed. To the delight of locals, tourists and commuters alike.

Copenhagen is a unique, world-class cycling city and this fact should be reflected in the city’s bike share system. Our city is the best example of how the bicycle can become the preferred form of transport in a modern city. An attractive and modern bike share system can contribute to strengthening Copenhagen’s bicycle culture. Therefore The City of Copenhagen is pleased to launch an open design competition in order to determine how a bike share system v. 3.0 would look and work in the city in the future."

The winning bike.
Image source: http://www.cphbikeshare.com/winners.aspx

With a winner being chosen, the City of Copenhagen appears to be moving forward with upgrading their current bikeshare system to one that caters to The Commuter, The Tourist, and The Copenhagener. More about the competition here. Although bikeshare systems seem to have less effect in countries with a strong cycling culture (for example, the Netherlands has no bikeshare systems, even though their cycling rates reach as high as 50-60%), they are making significant impacts in other parts of the world.

Public Bicycles in Zhangjiagang, China. Image taken from Bike Share Philadelphia Facebook Page
(http://www.bikesharephiladelphia.org/)

Going back to the question "Do Bike Share Systems Create a Strong Cycling Culture?" - I'd say most definitely yes. If you look at the successes of bikeshare systems around the world, you'll see that this is true. Take these examples:
- Paris' bikeshare system logged their 100,000,000th trip last week. Watch the video.
- With only 2 small areas served, Seoul's bikeshare system in Korea surpassed over 100,000 trips since 2010. Read more.
- Since 2009, Dublin Region's bikeshare system has had over 500,000 trips with a population of 1.2 million people.
- Two different bikeshare systems in China have 100,000 bicycles combined! To provide a scale, the entire country of France has less than 42,000 bikes in their public bikeshare systems.

From my experiences, people want to cycle more, but they want to do so safely and efficiently. And why not? Cycling is cheap, environmentally friendly, healthy, and enjoyable. If we want a sustainable future for the Region of Waterloo and beyond, we need to start thinking seriously about cycling.

Information sourced from Copenhagenize.com and The Bike-Sharing Blog.

What does a bicycle trip to the mall look like?

If you shop at a mall in Canada, there's a significant chance that you arrived by car. You are also probably greeted by a massive parking lot, filled with cars, exhaust, and people scrambling to the mall entrance.

Malls do exist in Europe, and many people arrive to this one in Copenhagen by bike. Watch the video below of my short bicycle trip to the mall. I've added comments at 00:31, 00:46, 01:04, 01:14, 01:30, 01:53, 01:55



What does your trip to the mall look like? Record it!
- If you bike, install a cheap bicycle camera mount (step by step video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGYSNbUbb0)
- If you drive/walk/take transit, just record your trip!

First Impressions of Copenhagen

I've finally arrived in Copenhagen, and my experiences have been nothing short of phenomenal. Before I came here, I knew 37% of Copenhageners cycled - but that's just a number that can be difficult to visualize. What I've been seeing is surprising, inspiring, and almost surreal. At any time of day, in any part of the city, you'll likely see one or all of the following:

1) Cyclists.

2) Parked bikes. 

3) Bike lanes.

I didn't have access to a bicycle the day I arrived, so I experienced the city as a pedestrian. I walked the streets casually, took photos, and was comfortable and relaxed. Yet today, after purchasing and finally riding a bike, I felt entirely different. It was as if a surge of adrenaline shot through the handle bars as I pedaled, pumping me with feelings of excitement, power, and freedom. These feelings, coupled with the fact that cycling in Copenhagen is fast, safe, and convenient, has helped me better understand why so many people here choose bicycles over cars.

As mentioned previously, I'll be uploading videos on my Copenhagen experience, and the first one is almost complete. Here are some topics I'd like to address in these videos - please let me know which you'd like to see most, and if you have any other ideas.

1) People's thoughts on helmet use
2) Relationship between drivers and cyclists
3) Cyclist trip destinations - where are they going?
4) Transporting goods (large and small) by bicycle
5) Bicycle parking
6) Public's perception of visible bike counters
7) Interview with professionals from the Danish Architecture Centre, Danish Design Centre, and more.

Hope you enjoyed this first blog post - more to come!

Best regards,

Joshua Joseph
Director, Active and Community Transportation
University of Waterloo Sustainability Project
josephmjosh@gmail.com | 519-897-5394
Josh on LinkedIN

Let's begin the Copenhagen journey!

Hi all,

Just a quick update that I'll be flying out of Canada today. I'm hoping to add a video within the next couple days. Looking forward to starting a lively discussion - your involvement in asking questions, commenting, and even submitting your own photos, videos, etc. would be extremely valuable in comparing cycling between Copenhagen and your city.

Talk soon,

- Josh

Joshua Joseph
Director, Active and Community Transportation
University of Waterloo Sustainability Project
josephmjosh@gmail.com | 519-897-5394
Josh on LinkedIN

Josh's Copenhagen Vlog 1: Introduction

Hi all. I'll also be posting videos documenting my experiences in Copenhagen. Check out the first introductory one below, and stay connected.



Joshua Joseph
Director, Active and Community Transportation
University of Waterloo Sustainability Project
josephmjosh@gmail.com | 519-897-5394
Find Josh on LinkedIN

50,000 petition signatures - is it possible?

Our Region of Waterloo Bike Share Petition has been quite successful so far. To date, we've garnered over 900 signatures in approximately 2 months, from both students and residents in the Region of Waterloo (and even some support from people in the U.S and Europe). I plan on providing Regional Council with the petition signatures, as well as preparing a presentation on the benefits of cycling and bikesharing. It is my hope that these efforts will show Regional Council that residents are serious about sustainable transportation, and that we expect future investments in cycling infrastructure.

I'll most likely be closing the petition in late November, and presenting to council in December. Therefore, that leaves approximately 5 months to gather as much community support as possible. How many signatures do you think we can get by then? Let's have a look at the numbers:

Total Population of Region of Waterloo (including students): 534,900
Est. Population of University of Waterloo: 25,000+
Est. Population of Wilfrid Laurier University: 15,000+
Est. Population of Contestoga College: 5,000+

From my experiences, most students seem to support cycling, and are enthusiastic towards the idea of a bikeshare system. If we assume that 80% of these students can be reached through Facebook and Twitter, that's 36,000 potential signatures for our petition. Social media allowed us to gather hundreds of signatures in a very short period of time. And since we have plans to reach residents of the Region of Waterloo as well, there's plenty of opportunity. Looking at these numbers, is 50,000 signatures really an unrealistic goal?

Clearly, it depends on a variety of factors. As we move forward with this initiative, we'll have a better idea of a realistic petition goal. Until then, goals will be set incrementally as we continue to work diligently towards this important initiative. Ultimately, we need this to be a community initiative, where people take it upon themselves to spread the word, get involved, and strive for a more sustainable future that involves cycling.


Joshua Joseph
Director, Active and Community Transportation
University of Waterloo Sustainability Project
josephmjosh@gmail.com | 519-897-5394
Josh on LinkedIN

Barclays Cycle Hire – A Model for Waterloo Region?

*Former University of Waterloo student and ACT Director, Eric Pisani, writes about his experiences using London's new Barclay's Cycle Hire.

I recently went back to London, England, one of my favourite cities in the world, and this time I was eager to see a side of London I hadn’t seen before. Luckily for me, there was a new phenomenon in the Capital that would let me see London from the seat of a bike. In the span of the previous 9 months, it had become a tourist attraction in its own right, luring visitors from across the UK, Europe and even the world to check out the success it had become and the new look it has given to London – I’m talking about Barclays Cycle Hire, London’s public bike share service.

The bike share can be seen EVERYWHERE across central London. Docking stations are literally never more than a couple blocks away, no matter your location, as this map shows. You practically can’t turn a corner without seeing someone riding one of the signature blue bikes. The bikes also seem to fit in seamlessly with the streetscape and the other eclectic vehicles on the roads of London; the impression I got was that one day the blue bike might be as synonymous with London as the black cab, the red double-decker bus, or the tri-colour Tube train.

So how does it work, exactly? It works similarly to other Public Bike System Company bikeshare programs, such as BIXI in Montreal (and as of this May, Toronto and Ottawa as well). Anyone can go up to a docking station where bikes are parked in stalls, and rent one at the electronic kiosk for as long as they wish, before returning it to any other docking station in the city. No membership is required, but you can become a member for just £45 a year (or $70), giving you a special access key for bikes which speeds up the rental process at stations and saves you from paying access fees.

The cost of using the Cycle Hire is made up of access and usage fees, which are quite affordable and easy to understand, once you’re familiar with them. To access bikes for 24 hours, you pay a fee of just £1. You’re then charged based on how long you use a bike for a trip – a half hour or less is completely free of usage charges, up to an hour of use is £1, and then it gets steadily more expensive as an hour and a half is £4 and over 2 hours is £10. You can pay by credit or debit card at the kiosks – no need to worry about having exact change or petty theft/vandalism for cash at the stations.

 

Clearly, the Cycle Hire has been set up to give the greatest benefit to quick users and encourage short-term use, which is likely to ensure a constant turnaround of bikes and to make people pay more for longer use, which is only fair. Still, for only £1, which is roughly $1.60, you can access bikes for a 24-hour period as many times as you like. And, if each trip you take on a bike is half an hour or less, that’s free! So in theory, you could get a lot of cycling in on one day for only a £1 – that’s cheaper than the Tube, bus, tram, or taxi!

After paying, you get an access code that you enter into a keypad on a bike stall to release a bike for use.  This is where I encountered some difficulties – the keypad doesn’t seem to respond when you push a button, and it’s hard to tell if you’re entering the code in correctly (note: the folks at Public Bike System seem to have fixed this little glitch with their latest bike share system in Ottawa, which uses the same bike stall design). After a couple tries, I successfully had a bike and was free to explore one of the world’s greatest cities as a cyclist. The bike is a bit heavy, but sturdy, and handles quite well. It has 3 gears, a bell, and a kickstand, as well as a basket, so you can do some shopping with it.

In my three days in the Capital, I didn’t see anyone with a Cycle Hire bike that wasn’t either smiling, laughing with other cyclist friends, or getting where they needed to go quickly and safely. In contrast to Toronto, I never witnessed a cyclist in a tangle with a motorist, almost see an accident involving a cyclist, nor did I feel unsafe riding a bike myself in the city with other vehicles around me. Perhaps this is due to the fact that London has many segregated bike lanes, textured/coloured pavement for cycle lanes, narrower streets, and more people on the streets generally than vehicles, which means pedestrians and cyclists naturally get more consideration and right-of-way. Coming from North America where streets are (in the words of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford) largely for cars and trucks, this is truly refreshing and inspiring. This is especially so when you realize that the street is the basic element of public space in a city.

The Mayor’s Office and Transport for London (TfL), the Greater London Area’s transportation commission, are not resting on the success of the Cycle Hire to date, either. As shown in this press release, the scheme is being expanded for the 2012 Olympic Games to include about 8,000 bikes (up from 5,000) and over 14,000 docking points at stations city-wide.

Personally, I plan on returning to London in the fall to start a Master’s Degree, and I am definitely going to go for the annual membership. For £45, I’ll get unlimited access to bikes for a year! Having cycling as a viable option means I won’t have to shell out the high costs of a monthly Travelcard or Student Oyster card, and be able to use pay-as-you-go on transit and walk to meet the rest of my transport needs.

Barclays Cycle Hire is definitely an example of a bikeshare system that the Region of Waterloo should consider, for its user-friendliness, attractiveness, convenience, and affordability. It’s just a matter of mustering the political will to get something like it off the ground.

For more information on Barclays Cycle Hire, and Transport for London, you can visit the TfL website here.

Cheers,

Eric Pisani

Former Director, ACT

BES (Urban Planning)

UW Bike Share becomes ROW Bike Share

This initiative started with a group of dedicated University of Waterloo students who realized the many benefits associated with cycling and bike share systems, and wanted to share this information with others. We called our initiative University of Waterloo Bike Share.

Initially, the plan was to advocate for an on-campus bicycle share system. After some time, we quickly realized two things. 

1) Bicycle share systems are more successful when implemented on larger scales and 

 2) Many people in the Region of Waterloo, including residents, businesses, and organizations, expressed a strong interest in a larger scale bicycle share system. 

Therefore, we decided to broaden our scope and advocate for a larger scale bicycle share system, that appeals to all those living within the Region of Waterloo. We've rebranded our website and social media outlet to reflect these changes.

Please visit our website at www.bikeshare.feds.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rowbikeshare

Twitter: www.twitter.com/rowbikeshare

Sign the petition and share with friends/family! 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/uwbikeshare/

Stay tuned for regular updates/recent news!

University of Waterloo Sustainability Project

Active and Community Transportation

This initiative is led by the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project's Active and Community Transportation Group, and is not affiliated with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

Ditching your car for a bike - huge cost savings?

"Imagine getting a $3,000 to $12,000 tax rebate this year. Now imagine it coming again and again. Every year it grows by around a thousand dollars." This is an article's estimate of how much you could save from switching from a car to a bicycle.

Read the article here: http://www.grist.org/article/2011-02-28-how-bicycling-will-save-the-economy

Infographic: Mgmt Design, courtesy of the National Building Museumhttp://www.grist.org/article/2011-02-28-how-bicycling-will-save-the-economy 

International Women's Day & Cycling!

Happy International Women’s Day!     

Many people believe that bicycles can solve many of the world’s issues, relieve stress, and contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Did you know that cycling can be used as a tool to EMPOWER women? Read on!     

In Northern India, the Action Northeast Trust (ANT) was created to engage in women’s empowerment through a collective bicycle bank, aimed at increasing women’s mobility and promoting micro enterprises among women entrepreneurs. Women from a nearby village gathered for their favourite event, consisting of a bicycle camp and race. Each woman must learn to ride before becoming a member of a bicycle club, and pays a monthly fee. The women who started the bicycle camp were those that were motivated to increase their mobility, without having to rely on their husbands for transportation. With greater mobility came more freedom, and women began to explore job opportunities.  At first, many women were physically abused by their husbands, who didn’t react well to this new bicycle movement. However, after years of efforts, ANT was able to shift communities attitudes, largely by talking to men and women about human rights. Now, many husbands support their wives in becoming cyclists. This self-started bike group, led by women, is now a strong group, one that stands for and defends the right for women to own and ride a bicycle. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/4m3x7lr   

Women on Bikes, an effort through a partnership between The City of Fort Collins’ FC Bikes and Northern Colorado Outdoors, is a new program encouraging women to ride bicycles as transportation. Women on Bikes was organized to eliminate the fear and uncertainty that many woman have about riding a bicycle in Fort Collins. Women are united together, receive proper safety training, gear, and route planning, and feel empowered to ride bicycles as a form of transportation. Women can also meet with other women in their community and share their cycling experiences, find support, and learn more about integrating cycling into their lifestyles. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/4ujwvr5     

CycleChic (http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/) is the culture of cycling in fashionable clothes, and Copenhagen's blog is one of the top 100 in the world, according to Time. People have different views about this blog, but some say it helps normalize women on bikes and empowers them to get cycling!

Bike Share Petition and Website now LIVE!

The Bike Share Petition and website is now live! Please share the links below with friends and family, and help spread the word about cycling and bicycle sharing systems.

- Sign the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/uwbikeshare/

- Like our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/University-of-Waterloo-Bike-Share/195910287094192

- Check out our new website: www.bikeshare.feds.ca

Thanks, and stay tuned for regular blog updates and progress about the initiative.