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Two towns which come to mind are Vancouver and Bath. Vancouver has big, Bath has steep. I seem to remember big hills in Portland (Oregon, USA), too. All cycling-good towns. It is pretty hilly around Northampton, MA USA, a town known as the 'Athens of the East' because it has some five major universities, and of course, lots of cyclists. After you've died a few times climbing hills, you get better at it. - Richard Ballantine On 12 Sep 2007, at 19:43, Paul Rosen wrote: > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [UTSG] Cycling and Terrain > Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:44:59 +0100 > From: Steve Melia <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Steve Melia <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > > > > Does anyone know of an example of a city or town with a hilly terrain > which has nonetheless succeeded in achieving a relatively high modal > share for cycling? > > This question arose in discussion with a transport planner in Plymouth > who said one problem he frequently encounters is the view that it is a > waste of time promoting cycling there because of the terrain. I have > heard variations on the same argument in other circumstances. > > Clearly terrain does exert a strong influence on propensities to cycle > - some studies have attempted to quantify this (eg Rodriguez & Joo). > Some cities such as Freiburg are deceptive in this respect, because > they are surrounded by mountains but the vast majority of the urban > area where cycling takes place is flat. > Is anyone aware of an example which would help my Plymouth contact to > refute that argument? > > Steve Melia > University of the West of England > > RODRIGUEZ, D.A. and JOO, J., 2004. The relationship between > non-motorized mode choice and the local physical environment. > Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 9(2), pp. > 151-173. > > > > -- > Dr Paul Rosen > Research Fellow > Stockholm Environment Institute, York > University of York > Heslington > York YO10 5DD > > Tel.: 01904 434577 > Mobile: 07984 077106 > Email: [log in to unmask] / [log in to unmask] > URL: http://www.sei.se/index.php?page=staffbiog&staffid=Y34 >