paying to get back to basics
Interesting project undertaken at Qatar. The article quotes:
a large proportion of the population suffers from problems brought on by prosperity
To solve the problem they need a consulting firm, an advisory committee and loads of ‘innovative’ technology. Why don’t people hop on a bike and ride would probably never have an answer.
These projects remind me of the top down approach to solving problems in Singapore. You need a LTA to do a pilot project to share pedestrian paths. You need SMRT to open up MRT system to allow bikes. You need traffic advice from government. You need ministers to remind you to exercise.
It is a real pity that a educated bunch of people do not see obvious options in front of their eyes and take initiative to address problems from the bottom up. It does not take much courage or effort to ride a bike to the grocery store or to the ATM or to the cinema.
As in Singapore, so will be in Qatar. A top down infrastructure setup may try to encourage a couple of people but is not going to change the culture. I wonder when will policy makers start to learn this simple lesson.
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August 28th, 2008 15:07
This remind of the non-factual story about the NASA space pen and Russia pencil.
Actually, I have thought about this issue since Singapore is also hot and humid. My idea is if it is feasible to have a battery, i.e. an energy storage device so that a portion, say 33% of the peddling energy can be captured and stored, and used to complete the last ~25% of the journey. If so, hopefully the final cruise can cool and dry the cyclist by the time he arrives at the destination.
August 28th, 2008 18:10
Heh funny one, that story.
Cycling in hot weather is kind of common all over the world. In an inclusive society, there are little thoughtful details that evolve over time to alleviate the hot weather. When I was younger, it was common practice to get a drink of water wherever you go.
In a recent trip to Japan, I saw that people of all ages were cycling is hot humid conditions. many thoughtful accessories were added to the bikes. Some were riding with umbrellas clamped to their handle bar and others wore long, loose, white gloves to reflect the sun.
I suppose that when people discover and internalise cycling as a viable mode of transport, this would happen as a consequence. But as the article quoted, we are suffering the problems brought on by prosperity…
August 29th, 2008 11:57
Yeah, Japan has lots of innovative practices. I have never been to Japan, but I saw such practices common in Taiwan and Korea. Examples are caps with extra large shelter in front with hollow top, gloves and tubes to protect hand from sun common for riders but even drivers use them. Some how, I sense it might be due to historical reasons that these are not well adopted by Southeast Asia countries.
Have you read about the girl who got blown away by wind while riding in New Zealand? I think securing an umbrella to a bike is very dangerous.
Another idea I have is a shirt with ventilation design, such as overlapping stripes on the rear so that air can flow through.
August 29th, 2008 15:43
you seem to have a lot of good ideas… time to monetize
Umbrella on a bik could potentially be dangerous but danger never stops innovation…
To me the sun is not particularly a problem. It is a problem to someone, they can innovate or look elsewhere for inspired design solutions. The bottom line is that the shoul be sustained need and interest to biking.
I believe in Singapore, there is a need but it seems like people would rather suffer in crowded buses and traffic jams than to find alternative modes of transpot. Is is not particular to singapore but to a lot of other ‘prosperous’ nations too.