19.10.12

Bikes are the way to go

COUNTRIES like the Netherlands take full advantage of a transport system that’s really ecological. The ‘fiets’ – bikes in Dutch - are omnipresent and everybody uses them, from the executive wearing a suit and tie to the mother carrying her two sons and the granny buying her groceries at the market.
When I lived in Utrecht I had the privilege of breathing clean air in the city center, even during rush hour when people leave their offices and head home. During those peak hours, the roads were crowded only in the lanes dedicated to bikes. There were few cars, since parking is expensive and the use of private vehicles for short trips is not encouraged. The Utrecht residents who live in the beautiful outskirts of the city - where gardens and parks abound – and who don’t have the time to use their bikes can use the ecological buses that pass by frequently and are comparatively silent. This doesn’t mean that people don’t own cars. In a country where the minimum wage is around MOP 15,000 for those above 23, locals can afford to own a private vehicle. But they use them in a rational way, for long trips and purposes that demand an automobile’s amenities.
The fact is that the Netherlands has set up a smart and eco friendly transport system heavily reliant on bikes and public transport, like trains (where, of course, people can carry their ‘fiets’), and buses. Everywhere you go there’s space to park a bike (although heavily locked, since many are stolen) and cycling lanes run uninterrupted all over the country. Because of this, people not only use two wheels to go about their daily business, but also for leisure. During my weekends in Utrecht, I used to take the blue Peugeot (the notorious brand of my very basic bike) for long rides in the countryside, sometimes crossing up to 50 kilometers of postcard landscape in one day. It’s a form of exercise that’s good for the body and the mind, so they say. The sports-loving Dutch don’t need the gym to improve their fitness. They cycle. 
Macau could also be a “bike region”, although the weather here is quite different from the Dutch climate (almost never too hot, sometimes too cold - but one gets used to cycling when it’s snowing - perfect weather for bike users) and the roads are narrower than the usual Dutch roads. But what seems impractical can sometimes become reality and many more measures could be implemented. So far, Macau has taken very shy steps (if any) towards encouraging bike usage.
The few cycle lanes that exist in Taipa don’t make up for the increase in the number of cars and the plentiful SUVs and other high cylinder vehicles that circle around this small region. Stating that it is not mandated to define a limit for the number of cars circulating in Macau, the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) has pledged to eliminate “vehicles that produce a high amount of pollution” and increase the use of electric cars (but nothing has been done - it seems that there are only three electric cars in town). As to bikes, Macau’s 2010/2020 Environmental Protection Plan states that “the public transport system should be optimized, trough the LRT, ecological buses and taxis, usage of bicycles and a pedestrian system,” all of this coordinated with “strategies of limited usage of cars in certain areas”.
But we need more than just words. For a long China was a country where bikes were widely used. With the economic boom, many have now stopped using them. Nevertheless authorities in the major cities see that this is causing a dependency on the automobile and are now improving amenities for millions of cyclists. In Beijing, according to a recent China Daily article, the number of car owners has been on the rise. In 1997 there were one million car owners, and by early 2011 that number reached 5 million. Estimates indicate that bikes account for 16 percent of the traffic flow, less than the 30 percent recorded in 2005. But the authorities want to improve the cycle lanes, assuming “their determination to bring back the most people-friendly mode of transport as part of the city’s development plan”. It’s also time to think about this in Macau, so that we can all enjoy better air quality and health. (in MDT)

Etiquetas: ,

0 Comentários:

Enviar um comentário

Subscrever Enviar feedback [Atom]

<< Página inicial

Em Macau: Em Lisboa:
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos and videos from BARBOSA BRIOSA. Make your own badge here.
Bookmark and Share