I thought this might be of interest to others.
(And if you're connected to a cycling demo town or city, you might want to
suggest the leaders of your councils go along - I've no doubt it'd be money
well spent.)
Dave
****
> CYCLING STUDY TOUR
> A Study Tour for transport professionals, politicians, campaigners and
> journalists with an interest in sustainable transport. 19th - 21st August
> 2008
>
> There have been many words spoken about reducing CO2 emissions to tackle
> climate change, increasing the amount of exercise taken by the population
> to
> fight obesity and about the streets becoming threatening places where
> people
> don't feel safe, and where motor vehicles are more important than people.
>
> However, few countries yet invest sufficiently in cycling, the one truly
> sustainable practical mode of transport. New infrastructure is still
> designed very much like it has been for most of the years since the second
> world war, emphasizing flow of motorized traffic above all else, reducing
> opportunities to take exercise as a part of everyday life, and decreasing
> the freedom of people to make use of the space outside their home. As a
> result, in many countries cycling continues to decline, obesity is growing
> and children are not given the freedom to get sufficient exercise.
>
> It doesn't have to be this way.
>
> Having made different policy decisions since the 1970s, the Dutch reversed
> the fall in cycle usage and now travel by bicycle more often than by car.
> Decades of investment have produced a universal well designed
> infrastructure
> which makes cycling an appealing option for most people. As a result, most
> people cycle. Cyclists feel safe and their journeys are efficient and
> direct. Virtually all children cycle to school daily, incidence of obesity
> is comparatively low and reliance on fossil fuels for travel is also
> smaller.
>
> The Dutch success is very real. It could and should be copied.
> Quick Facts: In Britain, under 2% of all journeys are made by bicycle. In
> the Netherlands the equivalent figure is around 30%.
>
> In Britain, most journeys under 2 miles are made by car. In the
> Netherlands,
> more journeys under 5 miles are made by bicycle than by any other means.
>
> In the Netherlands, older people are also mobile. The over 65s made 24% of
> their journeys by bicycle.
>
> Virtually all Dutch school-children cycle to school.
>
> Dutch cities spend around 27 Euros per person per year on new cycling
> infrastructure (e.g. Assen, 1.8M Euros per year with a 65000 population).
> The quoted figures do not include maintenance or cycle training which come
> under different budgets.
>
> There is far greater potential for reduction in fossil fuel reliance by
> encouraging cycling than by subsidizing public transport.
>
> Cycling has additional fiscal benefits such as reduced fossil fuel
> dependency and lowered injury rates and health benefits for society such
> as
> an increase in fitness and a reduction in noise and fumes.
> Who are we ? We are a British family who have lived and cycled in many
> parts
> of the UK including London, Cambridge, Somerset and Yorkshire. Our cycling
> experience includes commuting, shopping, tours with and without children,
> a
> little racing and even riding Land's End to John O'Groats.
>
> We now live in the green city of Assen in the North of the Netherlands.
> Winters are cold here and headwinds are fierce, but the population of
> 65000
> makes an average of over 70000 cycle journeys per day. We make our share
> of
> those journeys.
> What are we doing ? We are organising Study Tours for all interested
> parties
> to show how much has been achieved in this country. We will be showing
> participants the result of design for people rather than for motorised
> vehicles. We will show the practical results of putting into action long
> term plans to achieve a more mobile and fitter society.
>
> Over 3 full days we will show commuting routes, school routes, city
> centres,
> residential areas, links between villages. We will see how cycling has
> been
> made the priority in older areas of the city as well as how it is central
> to
> the design of new developments. We also have a presentation from a local
> expert giving the rationale.
>
> The cost of participating has been kept low in order that it will be
> accessible to as many people as possible.
>
> Full details of the Study Tour, including photos and feedback from
> previous
> participants, can be found on our website:
>
> http://www.hembrow.eu/cycling/studytour.html
>
> Our first two Study Tours in May this year had participants from around
> the
> UK, including Avon, Bromley, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Sheffield and
> Southampton. We are now taking bookings for the third Study Tour which
> runs
> from the 19th to the 21st of August.
> References: Articles in English about Dutch cycling policies:
>
> http://www.hembrow.eu/cycling/articles.html
> Photos: Photos and videos of Dutch cycling conditions can be found here:
>
> http://www.hembrow.eu/cycling/photos.html
> Contact details
> David and Judith Hembrow
> Vechtstraat 19
> 9406 PM Assen
> Netherlands
> 0031 592 854808
> [log in to unmask]
> www.hembrow.eu/cycling
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