Baby on board - Euro style
I’ve always wanted one of these dutch workcycles, they look great, and can carry pretty much anything you throw at it. They are the perfect solution if you have small kids or have extreme cargo needs. I was delighted to see something similar today on my way home from the City, I’ve always thought these types of trikes would be quite wide, but in reality they take up little more space than a normal bike, and certainly no more room than a recumbent trike you often see in Canberra.
The Trike is an Christiania from Copenhagen, available in Australia from PS Bikes.
On a somewhat related note, saw this video on the development of bicycle infrastructure in Copenhagen over 40 years, some very heartwarming comments by the commuters, as well the cute, inescapably Scandinavian accent.
In stark contrast, another great cycling culture - the Chinese, especially in cities like Shanghai & Beijing, is slowly marginalising cyclists in favour of automobiles. Bikes are no longer allowed on many of the roads, and existing dedicated cycle lanes are either removed or narrowed in order to accommodate the exponentially increasing traffic burden. There are even some academic studies (not surprisingly funded by an auto company) suggesting that bicycles are a cause of major traffic congestion, and even recommending the reduction of bicycle use. It is true that traffic regulations are often taken as subtle suggestions by many road users, unfortunately a phenomenon witnessed in many other aspects of life as well in China, but it is ludicrous to even suggest that bicycles places a heavier burden on traffic conditions than cars. It may be a sign of progress where more and more people are able to afford private cars, but it is sad to see the loss of one of the things worth preserving.
