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-   -   Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics (http://www.cyclebanter.com/showthread.php?t=256709)

Frank Krygowski[_4_] October 28th 18 07:15 PM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
Interesting article. Government incentives and disincentives, shifting
strategies, imports and exports and tariffs and trade wars and more.

https://macropolo.org/the-rise-fall-...hCfIyGpUkE04y0

--
- Frank Krygowski

John B. Slocomb October 29th 18 12:30 AM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
On Sun, 28 Oct 2018 14:15:22 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Interesting article. Government incentives and disincentives, shifting
strategies, imports and exports and tariffs and trade wars and more.

https://macropolo.org/the-rise-fall-...hCfIyGpUkE04y0


Excepting the government intervention the saga from feet to bicycles
to autos has occurred in just about every developing Asian country.
Even Japan, after WW II went through somewhat the same evolution.

--
Cheers

John B.

Emanuel Berg[_2_] October 29th 18 12:59 PM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
John B. Slocomb wrote:

Excepting the government intervention the
saga from feet to bicycles to autos has
occurred in just about every developing Asian
country. Even Japan, after WW II went through
somewhat the same evolution.


Has it returned from autos to bicycles in any
single country yet?

--
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Frank Krygowski[_4_] October 29th 18 04:19 PM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
On 10/29/2018 7:59 AM, Emanuel Berg wrote:
John B. Slocomb wrote:

Excepting the government intervention the
saga from feet to bicycles to autos has
occurred in just about every developing Asian
country. Even Japan, after WW II went through
somewhat the same evolution.


Has it returned from autos to bicycles in any
single country yet?


Supposedly, Amsterdam was moving away from bicycles and into automobiles
in the 1950s and 1960s. There were even plans to redesign the beautiful
old city center neighborhoods to allow easy car traffic. After increased
traffic deaths (especially of kids) protests in the early 1970s changed
that plan. Motoring was structurally discouraged and bikes were promoted.

We just returned from Amsterdam as well as a few other European cities,
and we did ride bikes (and walk) to get around. Bikes are absolutely the
best way to get around the old parts of Amsterdam, but riding there is
far from the relaxed, idyllic experience people might think. I can
report if people like.


--
- Frank Krygowski

Ralph Barone[_4_] October 30th 18 02:17 AM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/29/2018 7:59 AM, Emanuel Berg wrote:
John B. Slocomb wrote:

Excepting the government intervention the
saga from feet to bicycles to autos has
occurred in just about every developing Asian
country. Even Japan, after WW II went through
somewhat the same evolution.


Has it returned from autos to bicycles in any
single country yet?


Supposedly, Amsterdam was moving away from bicycles and into automobiles
in the 1950s and 1960s. There were even plans to redesign the beautiful
old city center neighborhoods to allow easy car traffic. After increased
traffic deaths (especially of kids) protests in the early 1970s changed
that plan. Motoring was structurally discouraged and bikes were promoted.

We just returned from Amsterdam as well as a few other European cities,
and we did ride bikes (and walk) to get around. Bikes are absolutely the
best way to get around the old parts of Amsterdam, but riding there is
far from the relaxed, idyllic experience people might think. I can
report if people like.


I was in both Rome and Amsterdam recently as a pedestrian. In Rome you
worry about the cars killing you. In Amsterdam you worry about the bikes
killing you.

In Rome I eventually determined that the cars weren't purposely trying to
kill you. I wasn't in Amsterdam long enough to reach a similar conclusion
with respect to the bicycles.


news18 October 30th 18 03:35 AM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
On Mon, 29 Oct 2018 11:19:29 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 10/29/2018 7:59 AM, Emanuel Berg wrote:
John B. Slocomb wrote:

Excepting the government intervention the saga from feet to bicycles
to autos has occurred in just about every developing Asian country.
Even Japan, after WW II went through somewhat the same evolution.


Has it returned from autos to bicycles in any single country yet?


Supposedly, Amsterdam was moving away from bicycles and into automobiles
in the 1950s and 1960s. There were even plans to redesign the beautiful
old city center neighborhoods to allow easy car traffic. After increased
traffic deaths (especially of kids) protests in the early 1970s changed
that plan. Motoring was structurally discouraged and bikes were
promoted.

We just returned from Amsterdam as well as a few other European cities,
and we did ride bikes (and walk) to get around. Bikes are absolutely the
best way to get around the old parts of Amsterdam, but riding there is
far from the relaxed, idyllic experience people might think. I can
report if people like.


There is plenty of videos on youtube.com that give you an idea. I guess
if you haven't grown up there, it is hard to feel calm walking about.
some of the action between bicycles is nerve racking enough just watching
it.

That said, I'd rather have bicyles around than cars, plus I love their
system where the bigger vehicle is culpable unless they prove otherwise.


Frank Krygowski[_4_] October 30th 18 04:36 PM

Bicycles in China: History, economy, politics
 
On 10/29/2018 9:17 PM, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/29/2018 7:59 AM, Emanuel Berg wrote:
John B. Slocomb wrote:

Excepting the government intervention the
saga from feet to bicycles to autos has
occurred in just about every developing Asian
country. Even Japan, after WW II went through
somewhat the same evolution.

Has it returned from autos to bicycles in any
single country yet?


Supposedly, Amsterdam was moving away from bicycles and into automobiles
in the 1950s and 1960s. There were even plans to redesign the beautiful
old city center neighborhoods to allow easy car traffic. After increased
traffic deaths (especially of kids) protests in the early 1970s changed
that plan. Motoring was structurally discouraged and bikes were promoted.

We just returned from Amsterdam as well as a few other European cities,
and we did ride bikes (and walk) to get around. Bikes are absolutely the
best way to get around the old parts of Amsterdam, but riding there is
far from the relaxed, idyllic experience people might think. I can
report if people like.


I was in both Rome and Amsterdam recently as a pedestrian. In Rome you
worry about the cars killing you. In Amsterdam you worry about the bikes
killing you.

In Rome I eventually determined that the cars weren't purposely trying to
kill you. I wasn't in Amsterdam long enough to reach a similar conclusion
with respect to the bicycles.


What struck me (well, not literally) were the passing clearances - or
lack of passing clearances. Here in the U.S., bike advocates have
lobbied for minimum passing clearance laws, typically saying that a
motor vehicle must leave at least three feet (1 meter) clearance when
passing a bicyclist.

In Amsterdam, the minimum passing clearance seemed to be three
millimeters. And that applied whether cars were passing bikes, bikes
were passing pedestrians, bikes were passing bikes, motor scooters were
passing peds or bikes, and even when cyclists were passing moving motor
vehicles!

At one point we were in a taxi whose driver was making his way carefully
through a narrow residential street, partly because of cyclists ahead.
Two other cyclists were drafting the taxi and peering impatiently around
it. Then they passed the taxi, one on each side, close enough that it
looked like zero clearance from where I sat.

And the near-zero clearance also applied at minor intersections. Major
intersections had separate phases for MVs, for bikes and for peds (and I
suppose for tram drivers) but minor ones were a sort of scrum, with
everyone nudging forward and negotiating for an opportunity to squeeze by.

For all that, we saw plenty of quick stops (for example, bikes stopping
to avoid errant peds) but only one actual impact. A BMW's front fender
lightly hit the rear fender of a girl's bike, not enough to cause a
topple. She seemed surprised but not upset. It was dark, so I couldn't
see the reaction on the motorist's face.


--
- Frank Krygowski


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