What does an AI tool teach us about accelerating the urgent shift to cycling? We must stop engaging in bad faith arguments over bike lanes. We won’t—and don’t need to—convince everyone in the comment section. Our precious time and energy are better spent on the bigger picture. 🧵
Rather we should share our vision of a liveable future; sparking a values-based conversation on our aspirations, on which there’s a lot of consensus: on safety, health, greenery, equity, sustainability, prosperity. Once we agree on the destination, we can debate how to get there.
We must expand our movement to bring in those left behind by car dependence. There's a coalition waiting to be formed, especially the young and old, women, and people with disabilities or lower incomes. Many would hop on a bike if it didn’t require dodging cars from door-to-door.
We must rise above the culture war separating us into modes and leading to inaction. There is a latent demand waiting to be activated and numbers that will support politicians willing to change the status quo. Our mission is to ensure this silent majority is heard loud and clear.
The five images in this post weren’t created by AI. They’re photos of places where the @Cycling_Embassy has worked... Pioneers that reframed the conversation, and asked, “Not what your city can do for cycling, but what cycling can do for your city.” WATCH:
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In 2020, 40% of motor traffic in Vilnius' city center was passing through with no intention of stopping—up to 70% on specific streets during the morning peak. In order to keep the social and economic heart of the city pumping, the city introduced a new traffic circulation plan.🧵
Practically a copy-paste of the plan implemented in the Dutch city of Groningen in 1977, Vilnius' center is divided into four zones, each with one main entrance and one or two exits. Traffic in each loop is one-way only, regulated by signage, barriers, and a 20 km/hr speed limit.
Under the plan, residents and visitors of the Old Town continue to be able to drive to their homes, workplaces and attractions, but can't drive directly through the city center. All motor vehicles, with the exception of public transport, must exit from the same zone they entered.
Despite representing just 13% of trips and being owned by 33% of households, cars take up more than half of the public space in Paris. Which is why Mayor Anne Hidalgo is removing 70,000 of its 140,000 on-street parking spaces, to make the city greener and more people-friendly. 🧵
The municipality is consulting residents on what they would like to see replace the 10 square metre parking places. Options include more trees and plants, vegetable allotments, composting areas, children’s playgrounds, bicycle parking areas, and public toilets, among many others.
“We have to plant greenery in the city to adapt to the acceleration of climate change. We want to make the air more breathable and give public space to Parisians who often live in cramped flats,” declared Deputy Mayor David Belliard in calling for residents to submit their ideas.
Something we often hear when we're talking about cycling infrastructure is that it’s ableist... It only allows the physically fit to use their streets; to the exclusion of everyone else especially the elderly or disabled. It's worth pushing back on that idea on several levels. 🧵
It's first worth pointing out a car-only transport system is perhaps the most ableist of all. A third of the population does not have the physical or financial means to drive: like children, the elderly, caregivers, people with lower incomes, and those with physical disabilities.
No single mode is perfect. And there will be some people that can't or won't cycle. But when cities get the network design and details right, when they build their bike infrastructure in an inclusive and intuitive way, then it suddenly opens up possibilities for almost everybody.
When Dutch Grand Prix organizers announced in 2019 the goal of going car-free, they were ridiculed: "That's impossible!” decried critics.
But they made the impossible possible in Zandvoort, shifting behaviour with a bold vision, targeted investment, and effective cooperation. 🧵
While an F1 race is an unlikely place for a sustainable transport revolution, the event’s 110,000 daily attendees were prohibited from arriving by car.
Instead, organizers executed an integrated mobility plan; resulting in 98% of fans traveling by foot, bike or public transport.
By strictly applying the STOMP principles: Stappen (Walking), Trappen (Cycling), OV (Public Transport), Mobility as a Service, and Private Cars, the comprehensive and flexible strategy could be adjusted each day in response to changing weather, demand, and other external factors.
Ten years ago, México City—the world’s fourth most populous metropolitan area with 22 million inhabitants—passed a landmark mobility law.
Intended to unlock economic opportunity and improve quality of life, it represented a shift towards integrated, people-oriented movement… 🧵
1️⃣ The “right to mobility”: The law recognized mobility as a fundamental right of residents. It prioritized including citizens in the network’s planning, regulation, and managing processes; incorporating principles of urban resilience, inclusive governance, and active transport.
2️⃣ Prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists: The law established a mobility hierarchy that shapes the city’s priorities for road use planning and budget allocation. Pedestrians were at the top of the pyramid, followed by cyclists, public transport users and lastly private car users.
The underwater bike parking at Amsterdam Centraal Station is the crown jewel in a bold plan to build 300,000 spaces nationwide since 1999.
Over that period, Dutch railways has evaluated each facility, refined their approach, and developed nine design principles in use today… 🧵
1️⃣ Proximity to Platform: The thing that cyclists making their way to the train want above all is a logical approach route and the ability to park their bikes as close to the platform as possible. Their walk from the parking space to the platform should be less than four minutes.
2️⃣ Always Open Spaces: Travellers rely on the fact there is always an open space waiting for them. Every station in the country has a system in place to ensure the necessary turnover of spaces, and utilizes capacity prognoses to find out when they need to extend their facilities.