Realising how poor Melbournes cycling infrastructure is compared to cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam
Hey friends. Recently just got back from a trip where I was able to witness the amazing cycling infrastructure that exists in cities overseas. It was honestly a dream seeing how many people commute via bike in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and even London, and how those cities have been designed (or redesigned) to allow for safer cycling and encourage cycling as a mode of transport - it made me reflect on how fucking shit (and behind) Melbournes bike infrastructure is in comparison.
The sheer number of cyclists outnumbered cars on the road that you always felt safe riding in a pack. There was hundreds and hundreds of bike parks outside metro stations. Traffic lights specifically for bikes (I know we have this in some parts of Melbourne). In Amsterdam, everyone was giving way to cyclists first (even pedestrians). We’d observe entire families being ridden to school in Copenhagen in those cargo bikes. There was proper separation of pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. In London, we didn’t feel scared overtaking the busses because all the cars/taxis would stay behind the cyclists and we observed how many protected bike lanes there were in the inner city. All our friends in London regularly use Lime to get around as it’s way quicker than the tube.
I was also amazed at the sheer number of people using e-bikes (Lime and Voi) to get from A to B and how well utilised those e-bike services were used by everyone, and yet the City of Yarra voted recently to scrap all Lime Bikes from the LGA. It feels so backwards here.
It made me realise Melbourne is miles behind all these cities and owning a car / driving is so deeply entrenched in our society and how our city has been designed for cars first. I know it’s one of those things you are aware of, but it wasn’t until we saw examples of good urban planning and design overseas that you realise how much room for improvement there is here.