Random notes from TCFC V, part 1

Protecting bicycle rickshaws in Bangladesh, Debra Effroymson: The govt protects the right to work, but not of rickshaw drivers.
What makes a city civilized is not the car infrastructure (Diaz of Bogota).
conferencebike.come -- a bike for up to 7 riders
300 cities worldwide celebrate Critical Mass.
Sept 2004 NYC Critical Mass: gross human rights abuses. This was the first I had heard about this response of the police (and the Mayor) to the Republican National Convention. Policing = loss of Democracy

Groninggen, a bicycle city (Cor van der Klaaw):
bicycles are just like water, they move downhill, always take the shortest path, and don't like to stop even at red lights.
They created a space for the bicyclists to wait in front of the cars at the light so that they don't have to smell the exhaust and so that they can go faster.
The city provides buses for that carry bicyclists for when the wind is not going in your favor. You can ride back with the wind at your back.
"about 2 people are killed on the streets each year, but most of them are old people" ...um, as if that makes a difference???

Berlin (Michael Cramer):
Public transportation must be attractive to be sustainable.
Signal timing would save 30%.

Debrecen, Hungary (Attila Nagy and Laszlo Varga):
Need fierce leadership of the Mayor.

Copenhagen, bicycle city (Lars Gemzoe):
Bicycle city = soft city, easier for families
City bikes -- first 2 times they just disappeared, coin return and now it works; One was found at NYC Penn Station
It is a story of a change in culture, now the central space has more people, creates culture, Danes have "become Italian" (people looking at other people), people picnic, there are dance fests and jazz fests, people start to do things outside.
Street musicians -- the law is no more than 1 hour each place and no more than 3 per area bc the neighbors complain.
bicycle program developed in response to carfee street program (pedestrianized center).
0.5 M passengers lost from the public transport system in response to the bicycle program, but it's not a problem, it's a solution.
4X more public space = 4X more public activity, more public life, increase in sidewalk cafes, people stay out later and longer
the summer season is extended = cafes provide heaters and blankets to their customers
Bicycle traffic just surpassed car traffic.
the city created a beach at a vacant harbor, cleaned the water, now people swim there, in the city center
necessary activities, optional activies, active urban activies
collecting data on pedestrians makes them visable to the city government.