How cities fail their cyclists in different ways | Peter Walker

Share your nominations for cycling no-hoper cities, and others which simply could do betterIt's an intermittent, and probably fair, complaint that this blog can get a bit negative. I'm hoping to counter that, through a roundabout and slightly contradictory method, with a backhanded celebration of the fact that the UK isn't always such a bad place to be a cyclist ? that is to say, there are plenty worse.A recent trip took me to two cities which, in their own ways, have significantly more limited cycling cultures. They fall into two distinct camps, so I'll treat them separately. I'd be very happy to hear your views on both places, or other towns and cities where the cyclist faces a (metaphorical) uphill struggle.? Cities where cycling will seemingly never thrive. Example: Hong KongI lived and worked in Hong Kong for just under 18 months and cycled less than at any other time since I resumed the pursuit in my early 20s. I occasionally trundled around the minor, car-free island where I lived, but as for commuting, or even riding at all around Hong Kong island (the main business and residential area) ? forget it.I was reminded of this a few weeks back when stopping over in Hong Kong for 24 hours. It's one of the very few cities where, in the centre, you barely see any riders at all. There's several perfectly good reasons, not least that for more than six months of the year the climate is so hot and steamingly humid that even walking more than a few hundred metres raises a fair old sweat. Plus, it's pretty hilly.But even if you were tempted ? and winter-time temperatures of around 15C or so can be ideal ? you're taking your life into your hands. I'd forgotten till my return how dominated by cars the roads are. The centre is bisected by multi-lane highways filled with Hong Kong's pillar box red 1980s-vintage Toyota taxis and homicidally-driven minibuses, generally speeding at a good 50mph. Even on foot the only way to get about is to quickly memorise the network of pedestrian overpasses.Hong Kong might never be Amsterdam but it could certainly do with a bit of a transport rebalance, not least to alleviate its notorious air pollution.So, two questions: can a city like Hong Kong realistically become any more bike friendly? And is their a worse city for cyclists? I'm only talking about the centre of Hong Kong island and Kowloon, by the way. Cycling on the outlying islands or New Territories can be a different prospect.? Cities where cycling should be more popular than it is. Example: AucklandYes, it's hilly in places and, once you reach the suburbs, very spread out, but Auckland really should be awash with cyclists. It has suitably temperate weather and that same spread out-ness leaves plenty of potential space for bike lanes.But wander, with the eye of a regular cyclist, around the city centre, and you're almost immediately struck by the lack of bikes on the road. Outside peak times they're almost non-existent, barring the occasional cycle courier. Those you do see generally sport the Lycra garb and haunted expression of the cycling enthusiast in a bike-unfriendly environment.The city is trying to boost numbers and, according to the most recent annual cycling survey, with some success, with 30% more riders on the roads than five years ago. But the numbers remain fairly small ? just under 13,500 "cycling movements" observed on one day at 82 monitoring sites. It's not helped by a compulsory helmet law, in place since the mid-1990s.I was aghast to learn that the city's harbour bridge, the main link between the centre and suburbs to the north, has no way at all for cyclists to cross. They must either plonk their bike on a ferry or take a fairly long detour. As an emblem for a city dominated by cars and roads it's hard to beat.Like with Hong Kong, it's not as if Auckland couldn't do with more cyclists. New Zealand might more or less define itself through sport but it's simultaneously one of the more obese nations on earth.My questions here: are things really as bad as they seem in Auckland? What other cities should be better than they are on this front? And what can be done?CyclingHong KongAucklandPeter Walkerguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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