Alan's Letters:Japan's New Cycle Laws
I recently wrote the following to a vehicular cycling advocates' group in Japan who are appalled that the law has been changed to allow cyclists there to ride on pavements,-as they(even the Police) have always chosen to do.
To read what the new laws actually say ( in English )click here
Subject: 07.12.20 Alan to http://www.atnak.com/blog_e/
Sidewalk cycling in Japan
Konnichi wa, Alan Preston here in New Zealand.
The fact that so many people choose to cycle in Japan has a lot to do with their not being forced onto the road with motorised traffic.
Young children, teenagers, women with kids, middle aged women, the elderly,
the unfit and unsporty,- are all well represented in the utility cycling demographic in Japan.
I know,- I cycled on pavements (and on roads) there every day for 10 years (in and around Nagoya, Yokkaichi and Kyoto).
Where I'm living now, in Christchurch, New Zealand's (mythically) 'most
cycle-friendly' city, less than 2% (and falling) of traffic is cyclists.
Cycling on sidewalks is illegal (and enforced) and the above-mentioned demographic groups are extremely poorly represented among cyclists.
-They WON'T ride on the road with traffic,-even where there are cycle lanes.
The vast majority of cyclists in New Zealand are young(ish) men, assertive
advocates of 'vehicular cyclism', riding mountain bikes and road racers
as fast as they can, who for the main part seem to think that anyone on
a bicycle should behave as they do.
The cycling advocacy movement is strongly influenced by their
perspective, perceptions and assertions,-all backed up with statistics
of course...-which plays into the hands of the auto-lobby because
keeping middle-aged women, children and the elderly off the pavements
keeps them from taking up cycling AT ALL,-which, by keeping the numbers
down and the cycling demographic narrow, emasculates the cycle advocate
lobby's technocratic approach to 'encouraging' cycling by compelling
everyone to ride on the roads or where possible, by providing cycle lanes,
because local government councillors, who have the last word, are
hamstrung without having the political credibility that the numbers
which a universally inclusive cycling demographic would give them,-to
secure funding for the establishment of cycling infrastructure which
has actual ( not just 'asserted') separation from motor vehicles.
Cycling advocates need to realise that we cyclists are not all the same and
that we all have different styles of riding, preferences and needs.
If the Japanese Police were to force all cyclists onto the road (which your group is advocating ) I have little doubt that you'd see a similar death of cycling to that which we have experienced here in New Zealand.
If I'm in a big hurry, I want to be have the right to ride on the road, but if I'm not, as one who is choosing the preferable (emission free) 'way forward', I also want the right to choose to ride on pavements where I see it is preferable and safe.
Alan Preston in Christchurch, New Zealand
Watch this short video taken on Kyoto's Oike Dori.
http://utilitycyclism.blogspot.com/
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From an article in the Japan Times on the 24th of February 2008
"Three killed and more than 11,000 injured in the past five years.
In 2006, 2,767 pedestrians across Japan reported being hit by cyclists, up from 2,576 in 2005 and an almost fivefold increase on the 1996 figure."
Yes, terrible. -But how does this stack up when, according to this article
"a total of 86 million people in Japan own a bicycle".
The Land Transport New Zealand Road Toll web page shows that 12 cyclists have been killed in New Zealand ( on the roads) in the year to date.
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For more on cycling on pavements go to:
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/pavements
For more on cycling in Japan , go to:
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/japan
For the new ( 2008 ) cycling laws in Japan go to:
Anyone who has spent more than a week in Japan has probably been surprised at the lack of regard that cyclists here often show both for their own safety and for the safety of others. It is not uncommon to see housewives cycling with one child on a seat in front and one behind, or salarymen riding one-handed in order to hold an umbrella(even on windy days!), or even high school students steering with one hand while sending text messages on their mobile phones with the other. Unsurprisingly this type of irresponsible behaviour has led to a dramatic increase in the number of accidents involving bicycles, with the result that the National Police Agency has, on paper at least, begun to clamp down on dangerous cyclists. New laws governing cyclists have been passed that will come into full effect from the 16th of June, 2008. According to the new laws: - footpaths may only be used for walking, except in the case of small children or where the road and traffic do not allow safe passage of a bicycle. In certain cases, there will be a bicycle lane provided on the footpath, in which case bicycles have right of way only in that section of the footpath (penalties of up to 50,000 yen)
- children under the age of 13 must wear a helmet, even if they are only a passenger on the bike.
- bikes must be ridden on the left hand side of the road (penalty of up to 50,000 yen)
- bicycles on the footpath must always give way to pedestrians, in particular to elderly people (penalty of 20,000 yen)
- you may never ride a bike under the influence of alcohol (penalty of up to 100,000 yen)
- “doubling” a person over the age of six is prohibited (penalty of up to 20,000 yen)
- riding in tandem with another bicycle is prohibited (penalty of up to 20,000 yen)
- riding at night without a light is prohibited (penalty of up to 20,000 yen)
- you must adhere to all traffic signals and stop signs (penalty of up to 50,000 yen)
- you may not use a cell phone while riding a bike
- you may not use an umbrella while riding a bike
An illustrated pamphlet describing the changes is available online, but only in Japanese. It will be interesting to see if the new laws have the desired effect of making Japan's streets safer for pedestrians, as well as for motorists who are unfairly blamed for collisions with reckless cyclists. I for one am not holding my breath.
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