Comments on: London's cycle superhighways are not meant to be beautiful or pleasurable or expensive https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/ Gardenvisit.com Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:58:19 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 By: Christine https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2137 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:58:19 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2137 Under the category of delight I submit the bicycle film festival.
[ http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/ ]

]]> By: Tom Turner https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2136 Thu, 27 May 2010 04:47:45 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2136 Every city should have a Spring Ciclovia.

]]> By: Christine https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2135 Thu, 27 May 2010 04:37:59 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2135 The Ciclovia inspired the New York Summer Streets Festival. [ http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/08/11/streetfilms-summer-streets-2008/ ]

]]> By: Tom Turner https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2134 Wed, 26 May 2010 05:23:12 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2134 For pleasure, it is undoubtedly better if the cycle route does not follow the highway. But (1)origins and destinations are often beside highways (2) cyclists require the most direct routes (3) there is less risk of being assaulted if there are other people around.
The Ciclovia is a useful hybrid. Wiki (with thanks to Eleanor for the link) explains: ‘Ciclovía is a Spanish term, meaning “bike path,” used in Latin America to mean either a permanent designated bicycle route or a temporary event closing of the street to automobiles to allow dominance by other users. Permanent designated bicycle lanes are also known as ciclo-rutas, while streets temporarily closed for that purpose are always called ciclovías. Colombia has the biggest events. Every Sunday and holiday the main streets of Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and other municipalities, are blocked off for the event to become Carfree. From 7 am to 2 pm, runners, skaters and bicyclists take over the streets.’ Columbia’s reputation as the drugs/murder/kidnapping capital of the Americas lives on – but it has been transformed by good government and good urban design into a delightful city.

]]> By: Christine https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2133 Wed, 26 May 2010 05:10:20 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2133 There is no reason why cycle routes need to follow roadways. Or is there? [ http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/03/march-2010-dc-bac-meeting-notes-.html ] and [ http://www.pixvee.com/?p=462 ]

]]> By: Tom Turner https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2132 Tue, 25 May 2010 07:40:36 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2132 The Times did a feature on the 30 most beautiful Cycle Routes in the UK – but none of them were in towns. So it is probably a good idea to give urban cycle routes a ‘rural’ character.

]]> By: Christine https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/londons-cycle-superhighways-are-not-meant-to-be-beautiful-or-pleasurable-or-expensive/#comment-2131 Tue, 25 May 2010 06:33:02 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=4539#comment-2131 It seems that adding cycling lanes to the mix will just make an already cramped transportation corridor more cramped and conflicted with different transport users and their needs. Those savy cyclists will need to be very aware of all bus stops on route for example.

A few good examples of creative thinking about cycling might get more imaginative neurons firing:

1. cycle/pedestrian bridge by West 8.
[ http://www.west8.nl/projects/infrastructure/pedestrian_bicycle_bridge_aarschot/ ]

2. danish cycling pavilion in Shanghai.
[ http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/05/03/big-unveils-spiraling-cycling-pavilion-in-shanghai/ ]

Superquick designers might like to submit their ideas to the perfect bike path competition. (ie. registration/submission is by May 28)
[ http://lacompetitionsawards.blogspot.com/2010/04/vejprisen-2010-perfect-bike-path.html ]

ps. Denmark favours blue paint while Australia prefers green. (Perhaps problems with green/red colour blindness is avoided with blue?)

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