La Repubblica (Italian local media) had reported that Italy have bought bicycle more than cars in 2011 for the first time in decades.
This's good way for environment but the real reason is about the economic crisis in Italy. Every one known that European Union got a big economic problem, that is started by Greece, and soon for Italy and Spain. So, it's reasonable to save a living cost by use a bicycle. In generally every countries must decrease them budget after got the economic crisis, and use bicycle is a good way in Italy.
But if you live in Thailand, cycling to work it's not a good idea. It's OK, if you did in the early morning but not for the during the day because Thailand is a super hot temperature, and we have a bad traffic and really not comfortable road for cycling.
I would like to say that I love cycling because it's make the people get more relax and comfortable. I known that Thailand we got a bad infrastructure. The train and the road are absolutely dangerous. But I still hope that in the future we have a chance to be better and all of us can cycling with each other uncaring.
Reference
Italian bicycle sales 'surpass those of cars'. (2 October 2012). BBC News Europe. Retrieved October 2, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19801599
Reference
Italian bicycle sales 'surpass those of cars'. (2 October 2012). BBC News Europe. Retrieved October 2, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19801599
It reminds me through about my university’s life. When I was in Salaya campus at Mahidol University, Many of students including I used a bicycle to travel around there. It was very sweet when a couple of students who had fallen in love rode with same bicycle together. I often envied them.
ReplyDeleteIn my university too, Kasetsart University have some story about a couple lover.
DeleteI do love cycling as well and have a strong desire to ride my bike to AUA. That can help me save money, but may not save my life. It's very difficult to avoid traffic jam in Bangkok. However, there are more bikes in Bangkok and it is inclined to increase significantly. Some people (not much) deserted their old-styled driving habit and began with the bicycle like the man in this clip (http://shows.voicetv.co.th/divas-cafe/50275.html). He rides to his office every day and it became a part of his life. He can make it because the distance between his resident and his workplace is not too long, but I believe we can change our conditions.
ReplyDeleteIn my case, when I first moved to Bangkok to study in my high school near Siam Square, I chose to live with my relative's house in Sathorn district. After that, my father made a decision on buying our house in Bangkok based on the convenience for travelling from home to school. We bought it near our relative's and when I applied for higher education, I think Chulalongkorn University is suitable for me because of the short distance from my home. And that is an internal drive that changed the laziness inside my mind to an industrious student which hoped to study in University which is not far from home.
In my opinion, we have to think more about transport system as well as the rights of cyclists.
I think that riding a bicycle is one of the good idea of transportation in Thailand especially in Bangkok where traffic is awful. This is because you don't have to stuck in the traffic for a long time. You can have your own traffic lane. I mean the space between the cars' lanes. I know that many Thai people who ride bicycles and then take a sky train or subway to work. This is because doing this much save more time than driving cars.
ReplyDeleteFor the hot and humid weather, I would say you may bring your toilet stuff with you and then you may take a shower before you start the day because I believe that there are usually a shower room in one of the rooms in each building.
However, I am really concerned about the cyclists safety. Since there is rarely bicycle lane in Thailand, the car driver may not be cautious about them. Also, there are a lot of accidents relating to riding bicycles in the traffic lane occurred in the past.
This reminds me of a weird thing that the Bangkok governor did some years ago. I think it was Samak Sundaravej before he went into national politics, but I'm not sure if my memory is right.
DeleteHe, or whoever it was, decided to give Bangkok bicycle lanes. An excellent idea, I thought. But instead of creating real bicycle lanes on the roads, where they belong, he just painted some white lines on footpaths and called those "bicycle lanes". It was made even sillier by the fact that the painted lines ran into things like bus-stops, and simply stopped at one end of the obstacle and then continued on from the other end, as thought the bicycle riders were able to quantum tunnel through the solid object in their path. The evidence is still there on bits of Rajadamri Road between the Erawan Hotel and Lumpini Park, along which I used to walk daily until AUA moved to Chamchuri Square this term.
I can't help thinking that Bangkok's bicycle lanes might have been an opportunity to distribute tax money more than anything else.
Giving a lane on some major roads to bicycles only seems like an excellent idea to me. It would do the people in cars good to see the citizens on bicycles zipping by much faster.
That idea of bicycle lanes, from my point of view, may cause more problems.
DeleteI think the best solution is that the local government of Bangkok should provide a lane for bicycles in each roads. The result of this policy will be more severe traffic jam, but it is a good start to point out that riding is better that driving.
Sorry if my idea seems like dreaming before going to bed.
I like that dream.
DeleteI agree with you. I don't want to ride bicycle in Bangkok because most drivers are dangerous and not kind, and the air pollution is terrible from cars which are not maintenance. However, I want to ride on bicycle in country side, not city and mountains. There are many beautiful places here in Thailand, and riding on bicycle is very good exercise, too. I hope the drivers or riders have thoughtful mind and maintain their vehicles.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I never take motorcycle taxis. It's not that I think they are bad riders. It's that I don't trust the people in cars around them. A taxi might be slower, but at least their pretty safe.
DeleteI also think it is not a good idea for riding in cities of Thailand, especially Bangkok because it is really dangerous. Many Thais always break traffic rules and drive really fast, so it is difficult to cycling on main road, even riding motorcycle or driving starters.
ReplyDeleteHowever, riding in the country is beneficial for us, especially saving money, energy, and the world;although it takes time. About few kilometers distance is suite to riding. Of course, cycling is seen many beautiful scene along the road, so it fulfills our trip perfectly. For few years ago, I went to ancient city in Soko Thi province and cycled through this city. It is really optional to travel in small cities. I could record all most every beautiful places because I cycled slowly through the cities and sometime stopped to take photos.
I suggest you to ride a bicycle at Ayuthaya, pretty good there.:)
DeleteCycling is one of my hobbies in Japan, but as some of you mentioned, it seems too dangerous to ride a bike in Bangkok. In the Park called Benchasiri, ( Sorrry I don't know how to spell the name correctly), there is a cyrling road. I sometimes enjoy cycling there. It is safe, and the park is very well organized, but still I miss the cycling road along the river in my home town.
ReplyDeleteChieko, I agree with you. Cycling should be one of hobbies that people in Bangkok can do as usual. When I was in Nakhonsawan nearly 10 years ago, I rode bicycle every morning on weekend or holidays. And I think we can do it in Bangkok, and now there are far more cyclists. I believe you've seen them. I look up to their courage to express their own intention about the right of the cycling-lovers.
ReplyDeleteIf mine is repaired, I will do like them.
Another most popular park for cycling is Suan Rotfai (it means the park provided by State Railway authority) or Vachirabenjatas Park (its formal name, but people usually don't call it).
It sounds like we should do cycling only for recreation in Thailand due to the safety concern. Also, I think that riding bicycles in Bangkok theoretically works but it doesn't in prcatically.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on which country and also city. In Thailand is difficult and very dangerous for the riders, but some of my friends who live in Chiang Mai, they participate in a bicycles club and they ride to visit many places together every Sunday that a very good idea.
ReplyDeleteI was living in a small city in France for 3 years. It is very beautiful, peaceful and around with mountains with a fresh weather. People over there love riding bicycle as exercise. There are small bicycles path which connect to every village nearby. It is not dangerous at all. French people also love promenade with their family or their dogs. I used to do sightseeing by ride a bicycle from the village where I was living to another Strasbourg city. There were many people who rode bicycles and walked, there are a small rill and big trees along that path. I passed many peaceful villages along that path, such amazing view. I took 12 hours and around 60 kilometers to go-return. I was painful all of my body but it was the wonderful time and unforgettable in my life.
I would like to share some information which I did research last night about cyclist in theUK.
ReplyDeleteAccording to number of cycling accidents in 2011 from RoSPA the UK, this report stated that 107 people were death and over 19,000 people got painful from bicycle accidents. Moreover, 80 % of accidents occurred in daylight, more over 75% of fatal or serious cyclist accident occurred in urban areas and most of them were children aged between 10 to 15 year old and elder people aged about 60 year old who were injured or death from seriously injured.
I think people who want to use bicycle in urban area should aware them self very much.
Source:
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/cycling/info/cycling_accidents_factsheet.pdf
Thank you Bas.
DeleteIt is always a good idea to get some evidence for ideas, however common those ideas might be. For example, a common belief among Western people is that Thai society is more peaceful than American and other Western societies, but this is false. The statistics for murder and other violent crime clearly show that Thailand is a much more violent country than the US, and the US is far more violent than most other Western countries, such as Australia and Switzerland. The murder rate in Thailand has for the past 15 years or more been higher than, and for some years almost double, the murder rate for the US, although since 2007, Thailand appears to have become far more peaceful ("List of Countries", 2012). Perhaps the recent political protests and turmoil have somehow led to this pleasing decline the murder rate? maybe people are now starting to voice their concerns and thus relieving the internal pressure? (This is a very unsure guess on my part.)
If we do not check our beliefs with some solid statistical or other evidence, we are likely not only believing things for no good reason, perhaps simply because someone told us, but also holding false beliefs.
Bas's statistics further persuade me not to start riding either a bicycle or a motorbike in city traffic.
References
List of countries by intentional homicide rate by decade. (2012, September 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:49, October 5, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate_by_decade&oldid=511660046#1990s