I spent a few months in China in 1990 and again in 1992 and one of the moments of clarity I remember most was riding about on a black Chinese standard bike and entering a roundabout in central Beijing.
I had ridden all about the country on the bike but nothing could have prepared me for that roundabout. First of all it was the size of a small African nation, with six roads using it as a hub.
Secondly, I entered a fantastic school of cycling fish. Literally hundreds of cyclists. I could see no rhyme or reason for their movement. It was a fluent, poetic swirling mass of cyclism. There were no hand signals and nary an over the shoulder glance when one of the hundreds exited the roundabout. It was timed to perfection.
No collisions, no talking, no sound at all. The occasional eye contact perhaps.
And there was I. Caught in an operatic maelstrom. I had no idea how to get out of the mass to exit down my street. I ended up circling four times, gradually edging my way to the kerb and making a break for it.
Thrilling, exhilirating.
Sadly, it's a scene out of the past. The bike has fallen out of favour with the nouveau riche. They are turning to the car in shocking numbers. I'm all for China gaining in prosperity and becoming a superpower. No problem. But they're ditching something amazing in the process.
Car ownership increased by 20% last year alone, reaching 22 million according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Motorways and ring roads are being built at an alarming rate.
Just ten years ago there were 500 million cyclists in China. The bike was emperor of the roads. It was the only way to go and the fastest way to get there.
But whereas two thirds of families traveled by bike in the 90's, it is only 20% today. Bike ownership in cities has plummeted by 25% in the past five years.
That still gives you 7 million bikes in the capital, but these rates are alarming and not a little sad.
I miss that roundabout in 1990 dreadfully.
I think it's safe to say that we have a pressing need for marketing cycling positively if we're to encourage people to ride bicycles and begin the transformation of our cities into more liveable places. Instead of scare campaigns about cycling [a life-extending, healthy, sustainable transport form], wouldn't it be more appropriate to begin campaigns about the dangers of automobiles? Many people in car-centric countries no longer regard cars as dangerous. Maybe they realise it, but the car is such an ingrained part of the culture that the perception of danger rarely rises to the surface of peoples consciousness. Sure, there are scare campaigns for cars out there, but what if we just cut to the chase? Much like smoking. Only a couple of decades ago, cigarettes were an integral part of life, whether you smoked or not. That has changed radically. We think that we could borrow freely from the health warnings now found on cigarette packs around the world. In order to be tho...