From a cycling forum (Bike Radar), there is a thread on Boris Johnson's (Boris is the Mayor of London, for some of you international readers) cycling policy:
The Mayor's Vision For Cycling In London
I don't live in London, but I like what I see in this document, especially this:
"I want cycling to be normal, a part of everyday life. I want it to be something you feel comfortable
doing in your ordinary clothes, something you hardly think about."
and:
"I want more of the kind of cyclists you see in Holland, going at a leisurely pace on often clunky steeds".
Yep. And that's my thing (and also what this blog is mainly about). Also, I think that if cycling is to become more popular and mainstream whilst reducing car dependency, this is how it's going to happen, as this is where people are going to see how the bicycle has genuine advantages over motor vehicles - efficient transport over short - shortish medium distances and very convenient to start riding and park up, with equipment for carting stuff around. This makes it an attractive alternative to cars, in my opinion - well, certainly for me, anyway. This is in contrast to what some of the cycling lobby like to point out the Dutch and Danish cycling cultures and say that we should be like them, but seem to overlook the types of bike (heavy, slow) and cycling (slow, wearing everyday clothes) and say that everyone should be riding a sports bike in lycra and shades.
I think this will do little to encourage cycling because it involves more effort with all the get-up thus detracting from the convenience of using a bicycle of transport.
Oh, and I admire Boris's efforts to promote cycling too.
