Who should lead cycling change?
Image: Copyright 91影视 / Robb Williamson
Last week Jamie Oliver launched his latest campaign: better, healthier and affordable fresh food for everyday Australians in a bid to tackle Australia鈥檚 obesity epidemic. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got more opportunities to affect change than any Government,鈥� said Jamie, and he鈥檚 right.
This guy reaches 300 million people on social media 鈥� that鈥檚 about 1 in every 20 people on earth. We love Jamie. He鈥檚 a bit like us. He went to a state school, grew up in a pub and his mum and dad are down-to鈥揺arth, working-class folk.
As I write this hundreds of people from across the globe have gathered in Adelaide 鈥� Australia鈥檚 鈥榗ity of churches鈥� 鈥� for the . Velo City, the world鈥檚 premier cycling conference with high-profile speakers from every continent, celebrates what鈥檚 great about bike riding and focuses on three key themes:
–聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 how to design our cities to make it easy for people to choose cycling;
–聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 how to motivate people to ride a bicycle;
–聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 how to create cultural change.
So to add to the debate, I鈥檓 asking, 鈥渟hould private companies and celebrities like, for example, Jamie Oliver, create change in cycling?鈥�
Yes, I think they should.
I say let鈥檚 consider creating change in 3 very different ways.
1. Let鈥檚 focus on action
“Most cities in the world were bicycle friendly in the beginning” tweets @bicyclesa.
The problem is, now they are not.
鈥淲e need to stop taking baby steps to getting people on bikes鈥� tweets @wheelwomenride 鈥渁nd get on with it!鈥�
The problem is, in the western world, we fear failure.
Imagine we understand one real problem affecting everyday people in one real city. Imagine we take the real problem 鈥� perhaps a lack of safe off-road bike paths to school 鈥� in one self-contained city in Australia that鈥檚 somewhere like Rockhampton or Toowoomba. Then we put the best people with the best resources onto solving that problem. We could make one city really bicycle-friendly again.
2. Let鈥檚 identify new investment vehicles
The problem is “Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of the South Australian transport budget goes to cycling…” tweets @MarkParnellMLC.
The solution is that we need to put great-quality technical expertise into identifying new investment vehicles to leverage more money. Imagine we find partners who can provide capital or investors who provide seed capital. In London, Boris Johnson secured private investment to secure a cable car across the River Thames.
3. Let鈥檚 try a new design and delivery model
鈥淓verything we need to make cycle-friendly cities was invented 100 years ago鈥� tweets @FunOnTheUpfield.
We have the solution; the problem is, we don鈥檛 always have the best mechanism to deliver the solution.
Imagine if a private-sector entity were to deliver a fully integrated solution. They would design, build, finance, operate and maintain the bikeways, the education, promotion and enforcement 鈥� yes they鈥檇 operate the cycle proficiency training and they could even go out and book the car parked illegally on the bike path. If they succeeded and met their targets, they鈥檇 get paid. If they didn鈥檛, they wouldn鈥檛. Many Councils in the UK privatised traffic enforcement many years ago.
If we really want riding a bicycle to be a viable and normal way to travel then let鈥檚 focus on action, identifying new money and using a new delivery model. Because like Jamie Oliver says, its people like him who really do have more opportunities to affect the change that we all want to see.
Who are you looking to for guidance, hope and inspiration?
What are people doing that鈥檚 excellent?
Where do these ideas fit in with what you are doing?
Rachel Smith (rachel.smith@aecom.com) is an internationally-recognized聽urban planner and commentator, and principal transport planner with 91影视鈥檚 Brisbane office. Connect with her on聽听辞谤听, or follow her blog聽
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