The mayor of London is "the middle finger" by cyclists. How can cycling in Europe be "not blocked"

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, European Times Network, has been committed to building a "bicycle highway" in recent years. On the 19th, he officially opened the No.5 Bicycle Expressway. Only when his car passed the vauxhall Bridge did a rider give him the middle finger. But Mr. Mayor kept his good manners and waved to the passerby who offended him. Mr. Mayor didn't put his hand down until the passerby had gone away.

The mayor of London was given the "middle finger" and waved and smiled to show his gentlemanly demeanor. (Source: Daily Mail)

Boris himself is an avid cyclist and often goes to work by bike. Even when I visited China, I brought my own folding bike and ran wildly on the road in Shanghai. In the past seven years, he started an ambitious cycling project, dreaming of making cycling a famous sight on the streets of London, transforming London into a bicycle kingdom like the Netherlands, and making more than 5% of residents commute by bike every day.

Despite Boris's great efforts, there are still a few cyclists in London, and other European cities are no exception. Since the benefits of cycling to human health, traffic congestion and environmental protection are self-evident, why is the promotion of cycling in most parts of Europe still ineffective? What are the secrets of the Netherlands and Denmark as bicycle kingdoms?

road safety: cycling should not be a "high-risk" sport

to build a bicycle kingdom, the first thing to be solved is safety. In Europe and even many cities in the world, bicycle is still a weak means of transportation: the living space is constantly occupied by cars, and the bicycle lane is also isolated by buildings and overpasses. Cyclists have to go through many obstacles to reach their destinations.

There have been many bicycle traffic accidents all over the world, which makes cycling a "high-risk" sport. In May this year, an amazing scene happened in Sydney Street, England. A cyclist asked the man who was crossing the road ahead to give way before turning the corner, but the other side suddenly became angry, caught up with him and cursed him and pushed him into the traffic in the middle of the road.

if there is a bicycle lane on this road, or traffic lights are installed at the intersection, will road rage be reduced? (Image source: Daily Mail)

The Netherlands and Denmark have perfect bicycle road facilities, and the riding safety factor is high. As early as 189, the Netherlands built the world's first bicycle lane. So far, the total length of bicycle lanes has reached 35, kilometers. Although the total length of bicycle lanes in Denmark is not as good as that in the Netherlands, it also exceeds 1, kilometers, and there are even 11 "national routes" with a total length of 4,233 kilometers, which run through the east, west, north and south of the country and constitute the main roads of bicycle lanes.

In addition to establishing dedicated bicycle lanes, these two countries have also made great efforts to ensure riding safety. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the bicycle stop line at the intersection is 5 meters ahead of the car stop line, so bicycles can pass through the intersection first before the car turns right. In some areas with heavy traffic, bicycle lanes have also been widened to two lanes to ease traffic pressure.

Supporting facilities: make cyclists feel "friendly"

Apart from road safety, bicycle supporting facilities are also an important criterion for judging whether a city is "bicycle-friendly", including storing bicycles, renting bicycles and pushing bicycles on trains.

In the past 1 years, the Netherlands has been committed to the construction of bicycle parking lots, with remarkable results. Bicycle parking lots can be seen everywhere in crowded downtown, railway stations and central squares, and most of them are free to park. In addition, the Netherlands has also established many indoor parking lots, which are attended by special personnel.

The entrance to the underground bicycle parking lot on Eindhoven Square in the Netherlands. (Source: Data Map)

Beijing Global Network reported that in order to create a comfortable car environment for people, Utrecht, the Netherlands, is building the world's largest bicycle parking lot. When completed in 218, this parking lot will accommodate 12,5 bicycles.

In Antwerp, Belgium, there are not only many bicycle lanes in the city, but also self-service systems. In Seville, Spain, there are 25 self-service stations, and it is very convenient to park and pick up cars between stations. Every year, this city is rated as one of the most suitable cities for cycling.

In addition, the bicycle guidance system in the Netherlands is also well-established. Signs providing directions, places and other information for cyclists can be seen everywhere, which is very convenient. This move has also greatly promoted the enthusiasm and convenience of people to travel by bike.

At the initiative of Mayor Boris, the bicycle supporting services in London are also improving day by day. There are 742 bicycle rental points in London, and 11,5 bicycles can be used. These cars are also called "Boris bicycles". It is equipped with a 3-speed adjustable transmission, with an LED lamp at the front and a LED lamp at the rear to generate electricity by pedaling a flower drum, and a chip with RFID technology is installed in the front of the car, which can exchange data with the sensor at the rental point and calculate the service time.

Conveniently, this car rental service has also launched an official App, which can display the location of the rental point and the number of rentals, and can also pay the usage fee on the mobile phone.

London car rental software Santander Cycles also allows users to plan and review the formation and charges. (Source: Data Map)

Cultural differences: cycling is a fashion regardless of social status

With bicycle lanes, bicycle highways and car rental service points, why hasn't cycling in London become a landscape? This is probably related to people's views on cycling.

The Guardian reported that the bicycle trip rate in Britain is only 1% to 2%, which is closely related to people's class, race, values and aspirations. Some characteristics of British cyclists are: white, under 4 years old, male, with middle or high income. Most of them are in the middle class, like gardening, listening to BBC4 and eating organic food.

According to the report, a Muslim woman named Molly said it was "totally unacceptable" to ride a bike, while others pointed out that riding a bike "failed to show social status" and that "rich people would buy cars instead of bicycles". Some even suggested that they would not consider riding a bike unless they were "extremely poor".

Boris bicycles on the streets of London can also look "British". (Source: The Guardian)

In the Netherlands, things would not be so complicated. For local people, cycling is a natural thing, regardless of age, gender, race or social status. The People's Daily reported that most people's answers to the question "Are you a cyclist?" can be divided into two categories, one is affirmative answer and the other is negative answer. The Dutch answer is very special: "I am not a bicycle lover, I am just Dutch."

"Bicycle is the most reliable life partner of the Dutch, and it spends the longest time with us." A Dutch scholar told the author, "We started to contact bicycles when we were not able to walk, and learned to ride bicycles when we were very young, and we can't live without bicycles until the end of our lives."

According to statistics, the average age of Dutch people learning to ride a bike is eight and a half years old. When graduating from primary school, every pupil must take an exam, that is, the bicycle driver's license exam.

In Denmark, cycling is not only a fashion, but also a symbol of personal vitality. On the streets of Copenhagen, people can see parents driving their children to school, elegant women riding in high heels, men in suits riding to the distance, and sometimes cabinet members riding to work. For them, cycling is a basic skill, just like walking and talking.

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