1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202 
HARD SHOULDER
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ON YOUR BIKE!
There are nine million bicycles in Beijing, as the latest song by Katie Melua goes. And if the price of fuel continues its current meteoric rise, the odds are that Beijing may soon have some stiff competition from the UK.
How expensive does it have to get before we seethe financial screws begin to tighten? It amazes me that when it costs more than £50 to till the family hack you still see streams of single occupancy cars heading for work, with no regard for economy.
Take a look about 100 miles east towards Holland, and you will find the equivalent parents of 2.4 children happily sharing their cars with neighbours on the way to and from work. What is it about car-sharing that scares us? Have we lost the art of conversation? It has taken the Dutch centuries of practice to win their reputation for frugality. They make good role-models.
Coincidentally, it's hard to think of the Dutch without thinking of bicycles. If ever a country got the biking bit right, then it must be Holland. Conversely, if ever a country has got it wrong, then we must take first prize. It's no wonder the average cyclist In the UK comes across as an aggressive, bad mannered moron carrying a chip on his shoulder the size of a barn door.
He has probably just risked life and limb mixing it with 44-tonners on a single carriageway, or negotiated the complexities of a multi-exit roundabout designed by a committee of 'bike-friendly' town planners.
Having said that, with the spectre of dark evenings drawing rapidly nearer, how many cyclists will you (not) see dressed in dark-coloured clothes, showing no lights or reflectors? For a miserable three quid they could buy themselves a high-viz vest that has the potential to save a life. My drivers have to wear them in broad daylight, even in the depot. It amazes me that when it costs more than E50 to fill Ihe family hack you still see streams of single-occupancy cars"