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Life in the bike lane

WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH, BANGKOK CAN BECOME A CYCLING-FRIENDLY CITY

Good news for Bangkok cyclists! Thanks to its geography, the capital has the potential to be turned into a cycling-friendly city. What is needed is better understanding by the public and the government as well as a strong effort from the cyclists themselves.

Can Bangkok really become a bicyclefriendly city?

Koy Thomson, former chief executive of the 30-year-old London Cycling Campaign (LCC), recently encouraged his fellow cyclists in Bangkok.

"When engaging with politics, you need a bit of luck," said Thomson, who has been campaigning for bike lanes in London for two decades. It had been a tough job to convey that message to the public and to convince urban politicians about the need for bike lanes in London.

In a city where cycling had not been considered in the initial planning stages, London saw an 80% increase in cycling in 2007, with 400,000 cycling trips made around the city, he said. The LCC expects 900,000 cycling trips to be made in the city next year and 1.7 million trips in 2025.

If London, a medieval city with narrow streets, can become so friendly to cyclists, why can't Bangkok follow suit?

Berlin, with its wide streets similar to Bangkok's, started to encourage bicycle riding only 15 years ago and now outnumbers London in terms of cyclists; not to mention Copenhagen where cyclists are not only given space but priority on the roads.

While working hard to convince politicians, Thomson was lucky enough to get support from the Green Party for his cycling policy.

Thompson and the LCC have made politicians realise the fact that bicycles are a solution to help ease the strain of the tremendous growth of population and transportation of London. Unless cycling is encouraged in London, the buses, trains and tube will become overcrowded, the roads will become congested. Thomson also fears a similar plight for Bangkok unless the city adopts a cycling strategy.

Koy Thomson spent more than 20 years campaigning for bicycle lanes in London.

Convincing the politicians in Bangkok is tough, but even tougher is changing the attitude of commuters, most of whom think the roads are for motorised vehicles.

However, Bangkok commuters will have to learn to share the public space with cyclists.

"Most car drivers take it for granted that the roads are for them," said Thomson. "But they can learn to share the road.

"You have to give people a taste of what it's like to experience a city without cars," he said. "Free Wheel", a project launched on a Sunday in London, gave people the chance to experience traffic-free streets in the most congested areas of the city.

Bogota, Colombia, is very similar to Bangkok in terms of climate, but the city has successfully implemented strategies to encourage cycling. A 1.5km road now closes on Sundays to allow people to enjoy cycling, roller blading and walking on the car-free street.

Thomson prefers a separate space for bicycles even though many modern cyclists have no problem riding amid traffic.

Most importantly, cycling must be made into a chic activity accessible to everyone. Rather than associating biking with daggy reflective vests and helmets, said Thomson, it should be linked with chic things such as fixies (fixed-gear bicycles).

At a university campus in Nakhon Ratchasima, a bicycle lane does not run through the campus. It is rarely used, however its existence is a good start.

"We need to make people say, 'I want to belong to that club' when they see a bicycle group passing by," said Thomson. But it needs to be communicated to the public the right way.

From his experience, turning a crisis into an opportunity is a key to communicate with conventional commuters. A group of cyclists in London turned themselves into "taxi riders" and transported people from suburban areas into town on days when public transport workers were on strike.

Although Thais complain about the tropical climate not being suitable for outdoor activities, it shouldn't be a problem if offices are encouraged to provide a bathroom for cyclists to get ready for work after a sweaty bike commute.

Thomson suggests the most comfortable distance for a cycling trip should about 5km. The best-fit model for city people is a folding bicycle that can be conveniently carried on public transportation when required.

After all, this is a matter of co-existence and road sharing as car-only cities may no longer be feasible.

"If driving is to continue in the future, the amount of cyclists must increase. It's as simple as that," said Thomson.

Despite the bicycle logo on the left hand side of the road, this lane does not seem to exist in the minds of motorists and pedestrians.

In Ranong, like elsewhere in Thailand, bicycle lanes do not really exist.

Some bicycle lanes are inappropriately designed and can lead to unnecessary accidents. This photo features the overhead bicycle lane at the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly compound.