Tag: behaviour

People on Bicycles adopt Potoroo

Dear People, it is with great joy that we announce our collective community has become parents. Yes, you read correctly.

With great joy we have chosen an adoption… and it’s a Potoroo! So, please put your hands together, welcome our new ‘baby’ to the fold and let me introduce to you the newest member to our family: Potoroo (that’s also his name) is a successful actor, cuddly handsome and currently working in the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre‘s production of Miss Lily’s Fabulous Feather Boa. 

People on Bicycles is celebrating our first year providing interesting stories about Perth’s bicycle culture, running workshops and cycling classes. We’re quite stoked with how our social enterprise is growing and we’re keen to share our success by supporting other non-profit organisations and community groups. Atma Cycles is one example of our partnership program and it was high time to extend our portfolio.

So, you may be wondering, what does a theatre have to do with bicycles? Well, nothing and everything: we believe creating, nurturing and growing our local cycling culture means that we need to look at our community holistically and encourage riding a bicycle not just because it’s such awesome fun, but because it’s often an easy (and always a healthy way) to get around. Looking at the calendar of events that encourage people to cycle, it is vast and ever growing, particular in the lead-up to Bikeweek. All of these are worthy projects that deserve people’s support. The question is, what can People on Bicycles do to add value?

Instead of creating additional, competing events we are seeking opportunities that add more layers to our community. We love incentives and sometimes deterrents help. In this partnership we see two carrots: our partnership with the theatre provide our community (that’s you) with free tickets to performances, yipee! And secondly: the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is a great example of a venue that’s easy to reach by bicycle (or train and bus, which are literally 30 seconds from the venue). The stick: the parking crunch in Fremantle’s CBD (enough said).

Another contemplation in joining The Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s adoption program was: how is our donation used? Jess O’Nions of the theatre explains, “We’ve recently launched a campaign to raise $42,500 to go toward extending our schools programs to students that do not ordinarily have access to arts experiences.”

In addition, should the theatre reach it’s target, the Federal Government will match the funds dollar for dollar. This is why we’re keen to spread the word about the program as individuals can also adopt. Check out the puppets and find out more how you can be involved.

We’re looking forward to sharing this program’s benefits with you soon. The next upcoming play in April will be The Little Prince. 

Humans on Bikes: Reaching beyond the strong and fearless

I met up with Sara Stace, creator of Humans on Bikes, Board Director of Cycle and Executive Director of Link.Place.Live, at the picturesque bike friendly cafe Sassys on the Swan in Perth recently and asked her a few questions about her passion for bicycles and her work.

I wondered how her passion for bicycles started and I found her story was basically similar to mine and many others that ride in normal clothes. Sara uses her passion to inspire others via her ‘hobby’ and create policies to support more people on bicycles through her day job.This is what she had to say:

“I am from Perth originally and my passion for bicycles started when I was young. I rode my bike everywhere. I rode to school, to uni and to work. All my friends rode and I didn’t really think about it.

Now I am a transport rider and ride a cargo bike and drop the kids to school. Working on Humans on Bikes and being a board member on Cycle is really my ‘hobby’.

Only 1-2% of people consider themselves bike riders, 7% use bikes for transport and are confident riders, 33% are interested but concerned and 57% say ‘no way’ will they get on a bike. Infrastructure is usually aimed at the first two groups, the strong and the fearless and, unfortunately, fails the other groups. The 33% of the population that is interested but concerned, may ride for transport if more separated bike lanes and paths are provided.

The idea of Humans on Bikes follows a similar format as Humans of New York. People send photos in from all over the world. I also talk to people I see riding and they share their story and pose for a photo.

The biggest challenge in promoting cycling has been convincing bureaucrats and politicians. Clover Moore, City of Sydney Mayor, is gutsy and has a strong vision regarding what she wants to achieve to make a better city. Moore is often attacked by the media and this puts off other politicians and bureaucrats.

My biggest achievements so far have been writing the Walking, Riding and Access to Public Transport  and the ACT Active Travel Framework.

Changes are happening. Less people want their own car and more people are walking, riding and using public transport. More people will consider shared vehicles and use private online sharing services like Go Get, or Car Next Door  that are similar to Air BnB. In the next 20-30 years there will be electric driverless shared vehicles.

In the future we won’t need extra family cars. People will ride, walk or share driverless cars so there will be less car ownership. Everyday bike riding will reach beyond the strong and fearless bike riders to include all those interested in riding, as their concerns will be better addressed.

Imagine the future with less individual car ownership. There will be less car parking and a move to higher and better uses for parking spaces such as proper separated bike lanes, alfresco dining or more trees and playgrounds.”

Nothing is killing us…

Grunting while lifting heavy objects, running upstairs, wiping off sweat – part of your daily life? Probably not. We successfully eradicated physical activity from our life, as much as possible. Instead we reserve a sweet spot for exercise in our diaries. When we feel like it. Or have spare time. Truth is we all prefer to take the lift, drive the car. Or even better: do nothing. Unless people are motivated to look and feel better or their doctor’s prognosis of impending diabetes or heart disease have provided sufficient fear.

This isn’t really news. In 2012 10% of the population of Australia aged 15 years and over said they were on a diet trying to either lose weight or other health reasons. We know that our screen time, which means sitting in front of work computers and TV’s at home, is taking up 58 hours per week of an adult life. Only one in ten Australians takes the recommended 10.000 steps per day. Hands on your heart, are you “moderately active” for 30 minutes most days of the week as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare suggests?

Profoundly baffling health advise has been rare: we know that our diet and exercise affects our health, our heart, organ and brain functions, mood. Everything we do, from the foods and drinks we choose (or not) to ingest to the amount of time we move, influences who we are, how we feel and how productive we are. Also no news is that these daily choices aren’t great: 63% of all Australians are overweight and obese. The prognosis isn’t rosy: most of us will develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the future. If these are too abstract a term think amputated limbs, clogged arteries, lost eyesight. Lost quality of life.

Yet, what are we doing about this? Nothing.

Occasionally swapping a muffin with an apple just won’t cut the mustard. Taking a walk on the beach on the weekend doesn’t mean our sedentary lifestyle has just been turned around. Signing up to Jenny Craig or buying a gym membership may be fueled by motivation. But statistics don’t lie and they tell us that neither diets nor gyms are the solution to our current conundrum.

Creating lasting change in our diet and lifestyle requires a basic understanding of two driving forces: motivation and habit. Motivation means a person has a reason for acting or behaving in a particular way. This reason could be to feel happier, look slimmer or it could be an upcoming test at our GP. We consciously remind us of the reason for our behaviour and this conscious process doesn’t last for a long time. Habits come into play. Habits are a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. Habits don’t need reminders. We just do.

If contemporary diet and lifestyle are causing diseases, the only solution is to create a culture that fosters healthy habits.

There is no easy quick-fix. Our current culture favours all of the habits that make us sick: from city designs that put cars first instead of active transport like the use of buses, trains, walking or cycling. Poor quality food that is cheaper, faster and sweeter on the pallet. Think of any celebration whether it is Christmas, Birthdays, ANZAC Day or Easter, each one comes with its own set of sweet treats that are part of the tradition. Think of how we treat each other: You’re sad? Here, have a piece of chocolate. You did great in an exam? Congratulations, have an ice cream.

If we want to change a situation caused by a multitude of factors then there is no one solution and neither policy changes nor sole individual champions can be the answer. One thing is clear though if we do want to change anything we can’t start with nothing. We’ll have to tackle everything. From consumer driven demands, fairer access to better infrastructure all of it must be on the table.

 

 

Making riding a bike safer: what can we do?

Safety, or lack of perceived and actual safety, is one of the main reasons people don’t choose to ride a bicycle. how can we make riding a bicycle safer?

Building better infrastructure, one in which bicycles, cars and pedestrians are completely separated from each other, may be a quick reply, but not a quick solution. Planning, design, development and implementation takes decades and that’s if only if those involved in infrastructure projects are favouring a separation approach. Our car-centric philosophy is only slowly changing; a painstaking process.

Creating a more harmonious culture on the road may be another approach. Changing people’s behaviour on the road – regardless of how they travel – is a terrific idea and one badly needing implementation. In theory, few people disagree with a statement that “we all have to share and care for each other”. But then there is reality. On our daily commute home we’re sorely reminded that it seems everybody elses mission to get home QUICKLY counts more than safety.

Encouraging road-harmony requires advertising and educational campaigns to change actual road behaviour. Reports looking at behaviour changes as a result of Queensland’s passing distance laws suggest the media blitz around the introduction of the new laws had an instantly positive effect on people’s behaviour.

Admittedly, this can be a costly approach, not as pricy as building a more cohesive network, but still worth a couple of millions, no doubt.

While we might be waiting for both advertising and infrastructure a little while longer is there something we can do to increase our own safety (apart from flatly refusing to ride a bicycle)? Without people on bicycles already riding “out there”, proving and promoting that riding a bicycle is a smart transport solution, there’d be little point in tackling any long term solutions.

What we can look at is the most common factors for accidents. Particularly useful is the Monash Alfred Cycle Crash Study (MACCS), completed in July 2012, which collected data from 158 patients who were presenting at two emergency departments in Melbourne.

Reading a comprehensive crash report may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is fascinating, completely worthwhile and I encourage you to give it a go though.

Firstly, there are a few parameters of the study that slightly skew the image: the study surveyed people on bicycles who had been involved in an accident – excluding fatalities. The majority of interviewees were male, between the age of 35 and 54. Almost all possessed a drivers licence. More than half were riding more than 50 kilometres weekly and almost all of the other half were riding even further – more than 100 kilometres per week. If your guess is they were mainly riding road bikes you’d be spot on. And yes, most wore a helmet, also no surprise given Australia’s helmet laws.

In other words, according to this study, if you’re male, middle-aged, riding long distances you’re more likely to have an accident. Well, the majority of people on bicycles tick those boxes, it doesn’t mean young female riders are safe.

Elements of the study that were useful (keeping in mind above bias and the small sample number) are the following: 60% of the accidents occurred as a single road user crash, meaning only the rider was involved. The other 40% of crashes involved moving cars, other bicycles, parked cars and stationary cars (in exactly this hierarchy of occurence).

More specifically, of the 21 cases which involved moving cars the cars had been turning (either parallel left turn, same direction or across an intersection).

Particularly interesting was the fact that more than half of the riders involved in an accident were travelling at or over 20 kilometres an hour. Given that more than half of the accidents only involved the bicycle speed is a crucial factor. People travelling on fast road bikes have little time to respond to obstacles. Unfortunately, being conducted in Melbourne, tram tracks are a big problem.

So, advice to take with you when riding out and about: slow down, pay attention to objects in front of you and watch out for turning cars. On that note, happy pedalling.

 

Cycling: Creating a Culture of Positivity

News about accidents and fatalities on our roads – regardless of people’s mode of transport – is always terribly sad. If the incident involved a person on bicycles it can be particularly intimidating for other people on bicycles.

Unfortunately bad news is always a great angle. Media outlets thrive on it like mushrooms on manure. We love to focus on problems. Accident between two people – one in a car the other on a bike – makes great headlines and it solicits opinions. We love problems and love our opinions about the problems even more!

If there’s any doubt about that have a read of any random news article and scroll to  the ensuing comments. The follow a reoccurring pattern: blame, shame, entitlement (I pay tax and you don’t), introduction of licensing for bicycles, further escalation. This is terribly good click bait (read: money).

What it also inadvertently does is creating an aura of threat, humiliation, negativity and fear. Riding a bicycle becomes dangerous undertaking were the perceived risk is disproportionate to its actual risk. For those who could hop on their treadlie for a short commute the mere thought of swapping to a bicycle becomes absurd. Why would you put yourself into harms way if you can drive and it’s much safer?

It’s very easy to get caught up in focusing on the dangers of riding a bicycle. With any activity there’s no denying that it involves some risks. However, the truth is, you can also slip in your shower, chop your vegies mistake your index finger for a carrot. Would you a) consider giving up showering and eating vegetables? and b) continuously talk about the perils of personal hygiene or food preparation? And c) would they actually stop you from doing either? No, I didn’t think so.

Many aspects of our daily life contain high levels of risk. In fact, you’re probably sitting comfortably in front of your computer or mobile phone reading this and completely disregarding the fact that sitting for prolonged times will cause serious diseases, shorten your life and eventually kill you. Will you stop you from sitting? Nah, didn’t think so.

Tragedies and accidents, unfortunately, are newsworthy and paint a stark picture of an activity that brings joy, ease and exhilarating happiness to many. The mundane daily ride may not a story that makes the front page. The routine is not news, but it doesn’t mean it’s completely boring.

Just it’s not a page turner it doesn’t diminish the impact of this daily dose of happiness which people experience when they swap their bicycle.

So, how do we find a balance between acknowledging the perils and sharing the good stuff? How can we make positivity part of how we talk about riding a bicycle? Exploring the many facets of the culture of riding a bicycle in Australia is certainly a way to do it.

Things we have forgotten: Distance

“Don’t you have a car?” is a question that carries a fair amount of judgement. If you’re a frequent rider you may have heard it before. What do you reply?

The first time I was asked why I didn’t drive I felt obliged to explain myself and justify that riding was my preferred choice. At the core of the question is people’s default assumption that everybody drives, everybody owns a car, it’s just “natural”.

I touched on our car centric look and approach last time, but I’d like to dig a bit deeper. Our love affair with cars, or “Automophilia”, manifests itself in so many aspects of life, which are worth to examine and become aware.

This is a great exercise to conduct amongst your colleagues or friends: when we talk about the distance of destination we will usually say talk about time as in “that’s only 20 minutes away”. This, of course, is entirely based on driving distance – on some instances perhaps walking or public transport. Then there will be the two different travel variants: Peak-hour and quiet times, which will be the time it takes to commute or drive in a perfect world where you are the only one on the road (read: never).

People don’t think of destinations anymore and know the actual kilometres. They know the driving time and the sad part is, they have no idea how far or close things are to travel by bicycle.

Let me give you two examples. Last weekend was the first social ride of the beginner ladies on bikes group. The first session is always tricky. Participants tend to be nervous and as a coach you really need to see the riders out and about to make a judgement on how far you can travel. The rides start being slow and short and progressively get faster and longer over the course of six weeks.

We rode for half an hour, waited for the very slow people to catch-up, did some skills training then turned around and rode back. The entire group was baffled when I said they just did their first six kilometre ride. Most thought that was quite a long distance (I didn’t tell them that by the end of week six I was hoping to ride 20 kilometres with them, baby steps). Did they think six kilometres were such a pleasurable short distance to ride? Nope. Would they walk six kilometres? No way.

Example two. The Fremantle train line broke down a few weeks ago. A gentleman in the coffee cue in front of me was complaining. He lived in Swanbourne and had to use busses, there was more traffic than usual, he had been late. He’d drive into the city if parking wasn’t such a huge problem, blah blah blah.

I asked him whether he had considered riding a bike. After all, he could ride along the train, or even better, along the river. He said “No way, that’d be way too far. See, I live in Swanbourne that’s like 28 kilometres from here”. Swanbourne? That’s 10 kilometre from Perth’s CBD.

See where the problem is? We have no clue anymore. We don’t know what’s far or close. We have no idea what it feels like to ride a distance for half an hour, enjoy it without sweat trickling down like a waterfall. We sure don’t know what’s completely doable to ride on bicycle without being “sporty”.

We have become so accustomed to use our cars whenever we “need” to without considering alternatives. While it may not be an alternative for everyone, every day, the truth is that often a bicycle is a real transport option.

Over to you: do you have similar experiences? Have you had to “learn” distances again? How do you respond to people’s Automophilia?

Helmet or no Helmet?

Helmet laws have been in place in Australia for the last two decades. Avid cycling advocates and active transport promoters continuously argue that having to wear a helmet is not helping getting more people on bicycles.

The point: making people purchase a helmet and wearing it discourages them from regarding a bike as an easy means of getting around. It adds more hassle than it should. Also, it makes cycling look more dangerous than it really is.

Australia is one of the few countries with compulsory helmet laws. Has the introduction of these laws lead to the demise of cycling participation?

Participation rates in cycling had been declining long before cycling helmet laws were introduced in Australia. In fact, the decline grew as rapid as car ownership increased. Cars have always been marketed and perceived as desirable goods that showed-off people’s status in society. Walking, cycling or, God forbid, using public transport became synonymous with low income. Nobody wanted to be associated with that.

More cars required better car infrastructure. Not only did car suitable infrastructure increase it became the primary traffic to focus of planning and building. Think of streets, car parks, shopping centre, schools, workplaces, even your own house – what do you access first, the garage/car park or the front door? Our key infrastructure pieces in life are designed and built for easy access and use: BY CAR.

Getting around any other way became less important, if not forgotten. When infrastructure and people’s behaviour wasn’t conducive to riding a bicycle anymore it made sense to try and protect those (crazy, few) people who were still riding through the easiest possible way: make them wear a helmet.

There is very little doubt about the actual effectiveness of helmets. A helmet will protect a cyclist’s head perfectly – given it is worn correctly and doesn’t dangle from the handlebar. It won’t protect the wearer from any other injuries that can occur, but it will do a fine job IF it the cyclist is involved in the worst possible scenario, a full impact car collision…eeeek!

Surely no one, neither a driver, cyclist nor pedestrian wants to imagine such a situation, let alone be involved in it. But let’s think it through theoretically. How likely is it that a vulnerable road user is involved in a car collision? Depending on location, style and speed of riders it’s a moderate to low likelihood. How severe could the outcome be in a collision between a car and cyclist? Super severe!

We do these risk assessments in all areas of work life. We go through the potential dangers, their likelihood and potential impact. A scenario with a severe outcome requires minimisation of its likelihood and severity wherever we can. We do the same for bicycles. A helmet can save lives in a worst case scenario, but a whole range of much more likely outcomes won’t be addressed with a helmet.

As a person on a bicycle we can influence are where we ride (shared paths, low traffic and high traffic environments) and how we ride (predictability, attention, speed and skills). People contemplating hopping on their bicycles often lack the knowledge of good cycling routes and solid cycling skills – that can make riding a bike a dangerous activity.

Safety remains one of the key issues amongst those contemplating to ride and those who already do. Surveys show the same results again and again. People want to feel safer, they want better infrastructure, ideally separated from cars – and these are all valid asks.

The demand is certainly increasing (Perth’s cycling population has grown by 12% only in the last year), which is terrific. Now is the best time to join the calls for more and better infrastructure and rethink our transport culture (this includes defensive riding, which we will talk about later). There is great value in safety in numbers – the more people ride the more people pay attention to vulnerable road users and EXPECT them out and about.

The more people are out and demand improved infrastructure, the better paths will get and focus will diversify on more than just one mode of transport. If history is anything to go by helmet laws will then be again a consequence of people’s choice of transport rather than the cause for more people joining in (or not).

Helmets – what are your thoughts. Love them or loath them?

 

Who are these people on bicycles?

For quite a while now Gill and I have been doing what we do best: philosophising about life, planning how to change the world and pedalling around town on our bicycles. We also have also been watching curiously to see what motivates people in life, why and how they make decisions. See, while both Gill and I have quite positive, optimistic dispositions we’re not happy. Not happy at all.

As you know, people in Australia get fatter and unhappier. Why? We drink too much, eat too much fat and sugar and don’t move enough. The question we’ve been contemplating is – why are we the only people who can see that (at least it feels like we’re kinda alone in our observations) and, more importantly, what can we do about it?

Over the last thirty or so years we – you, me, the person next to you and the guy sitting over there who’s picking his nose (eeew!) – have become accustomed to a lifestyle that makes us inherently unhappy and unhealthy. It’s our priorities we pick and it’s social norms we follow. By and large it’s out of balance.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
Albert Einstein

This is why we are creating this very space you’re currently reading. Balance. “The ability to maintain the line of gravity or also the point between two opposite forces that is desirable over purely one state or the other.” We feel current culture needs more of it – it’s a mono-culture and needs some serious spruiking.

So far, I’m fairly elliptical, but rest assured, it’ll contain more about people on bicycles in the future. If that sounds vaguely like something you might enjoy please join. It might also completely outrage you, well, then please join anyway.