Zen and the Art of Bicycle Promotion - The Culture of a Car-Centric Economy and Prospects for Change
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Zen and the Art of Bicycle Promotion
The Culture of a Car-Centric Economy
and Prospects for Change
Anne Savage
CEO, Bicycle Queensland
June 2018
“How embarrassing to be human.”
Kurt Vonnegut
Culture Change
Infrastructure & Road Safety & Cycling Promotion &
Safe Systems Law Enforcement Healthy Travel
Design for all ages and abilities Minimum Passing Distance Laws Market research and analysis
Planning, road design, and traffic Enforcement of Minimum Passing Identifying barriers to cycling and
management towards harm reduction Distance Laws and other regulations potential solutions
Wide on-road buffered bike lanes Emphasis on compliance Discouragement of private car use
Separation to avoid conflict points Focus on key issues e.g. visibility Women and children on bikes
Safe speeds and signage Road safety education campaigns Access to end-of-trip facilities
Reduce kerbside hazards Improved awareness of Road Rules Convenient, secure bicycle parking
Address intersection risks Combatting driver distraction Promote multimodalism
Floating bus stops Targeted strategies and campaigns Access to training and development
Bike boxes and priority treatments Better care of vulnerable road users Provide social opportunities
Outcomes will be sub-optimal with no culture change
Status Quo
Is there a conflict between motor
vehicle marketing, road safety goals,
and driver behaviours?How is riding a bike represented?
How does this influence perceptions,
and misperceptions?Are road safety campaigns
getting the right message
through to the right audiences,
in an effective way?Mass media alone does not work. To be effective, campaigns must be targeted to difference audiences, and combined with education and enforcement strategies.
By not issuing fines for unsafe passes,
are we being soft on bad drivers?
And does this lead to complacency –
and risky driving?Future Vision
Every dollar invested in cycling infrastructure will return nearly five Cycling is low impact, higher intensity than walking or
dollars in economic benefit to Queensland with improved health jogging, and offers the added benefit of increasing strength
outcomes, reduced traffic congestion, and lower transport costs. and muscle tone while improving cardiovascular fitness.
Owning and operating a car costs about Riding a bike is better for the planet. Cars emit about half of all
$225 per week, not including parking. transport-related greenhouse gas emissions in Australia every year
and account for about 70 per cent of air pollution in Brisbane.
Congestion costs Australia about $5 billion every year, on
top of the $27 million it costs every day to maintain
Australia’s transport infrastructure. Why bikes? At the population-wide level shifting just 5% of short
distance car trips to active transport could result in a
reduction of between 20,000 and 50,000 motor vehicle
trips per day on our roads.
International studies have shown that properties within
50 metres of a bikeway are likely to sell for at least 10%
more, and businesses co-located with bikeways enjoy Every kilometre travelled by bike saves the community
greater sales and revenue. about $0.75, while cars cost the community money.
While most people associate cars with movement and
Riding just 10km to and from work every day will save the
freedom, they're parked more than they are driven, in fact,
average household about $1,700 per year, reducing
it's estimated that cars are parked 95 per cent of the time.
greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 tonnes annually.How has infrastructure design evolved to reinforce a car-centric culture? Is there a way back, and forward?
Don’t hate the battle; change the game.
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