Skip to main content

Bike Licences Are Stupid


Photo by 'fixed gear' on Flickr.

So the bicycle licence beast raises it's ugly head again. This time in Seattle. Sure, it's only an opinion piece from a man who doesn't look like he's been on a bicycle since the days the plates above were valid, but still.

Copenhagenize is quite clear on bike licences. They are one of the most ridiculous inventions in the history of transport. "Bikes should pay" is a weak argument from the Automotive Defence League.

We've posted about this before in a rebuttal aimed at anyone who mumbles 'bike licences'. Here's the link. Use it freely.

- Bicycle licences are a logistical nightmare that almost always end up in the red. That's why they've been dropped all over the world. They're simply not cost-effective.

More cyclists on the streets and on the new infrastructure are a bonus for any city:

- More cyclists means less wear and tear on the roads which means less roadworks and fewer delays for motorists. Money saved.
- More cyclists means lower health care costs and fewer lost production days because of employee illness. Good for the economy.
- More cyclists means a healthier workforce. More money for the economy.
- Cyclists live longer - up to nine years longer - good for the economy.
- More cyclists means less pollution. Good for public health and quality of life. Higher quality of life means a more attractive city and increased property values.
- More cyclists means fewer people in cars - and people in cars are victims of a higher level of pollution than those cycling next to them.
- An urban freeway costs about 2500 times more per mile than an urban cycleway according to John Button's How to Be Green, in the Australian Edition published by Random Century Hutchinson Australia Pty Ltd. See the 28 reasons to ride a bicycle for more facts.
- Cyclists should be given bonuses, like in many countries, because they choose to leave the car at home.

Look at the above points. Do the maths. A city can profit from having more cyclists. Building bike lanes is a requirement, a given.

STOP THE PRESSES... I just recieved a great link from Paul. Somebody DID the maths, quite recently.

Scotland's economy could benefit by up to £4 billion each year if we cycled as much as people in parts of continental Europe, a report said. Here's the link to the rest of the article.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Overcomplicating Winter Cycling - Why It's Bad

One of the main focuses of this blog has always been on how Copenhagen and other cities have succeeded in increasing cycling levels by approaching the subject using mainstream marketing techniques. Tried and tested marketing that has existed since homo sapiens first started selling or trading stuff to each other. Modern bicycle advocacy, by and large, is flawed. It is firmly inspired by environmentalism which, in turn, is the greatest marketing flop in the history of humankind. Four decades of sub-cultural finger-wagging, guilt trips and preaching have given few results among the general population. When sub-cultural groups start trying to indoctrinate and convert the public, it rarely ever succeeds. For the better part of a century, people all over the planet rode bicycles because they were quick, easy, convenient and enjoyable. In hilly cities. In hot cities. In snowy cities. After the bicycle largely disappeared from the urban landscape because urban planning s...
Read more

A Walking Helmet is a Good Helmet

At long last logic prevails. A new campaign has hit the streets of Denmark, thanks to the visionaries at The Danish Road Safety Council [Sikker Trafik] and Trygfonden [an insurance company]. Intense promotion of walking helmets for pedestrians has begun. This logic has been sorely missed. These two organisations have happily promoted bike helmets but pedestrians suffer just as many head injuries, if not more. This Danish campaign poster reads: "A walking helmet is a good helmet" "Traffic safety isn't just for cyclists. The pedestrians of Denmark actually have a higher risk of head injury. The Danish Road Safety Council recommends walking helmets for pedestrians and other good folk in high risk groups." The slogan is catchy in Danish since it kind of rhymes. All in all it's a brilliant project. Let's save some lives. The new walking helmets will be available in the Danish Cyclists Union's [Dansk cyklist forbund] shop. Although, as the...
Read more

Driving Kills - Health Warnings

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...
Read more