Rainy Days

Not a lot to write about this weekend. 


The weather this time of year can go from dry to downpour in just a few moments. 


The only thing Taiwanese cyclists are getting these days is cabin fever. 

Cycling Taiwan's Northern Tip (Video)

Here is a nice little video from a rider who chose to climb up in the hills around Jin Gua Shi and Jin Shan along Taiwan's northern coast. Beautiful scenery that makes be rue this recent spate of foul weather.

Enjoy!

Taipei Times Letter: Blowing Smoke Against Better Bike Policies

Today's Taipei Times has a juicy letter from one Cilliers Landman that dips into several topics, not the least of which is government spending for bicycle infrastructure.

Landman writes:

In your editorial of April 17, you chose a valid topic to comment about. More people should ride bicycles, not only for recreation, but also to work. Unfortunately, you couldn’t help yourself and had to blame somebody for that not happening. So you went after the Taipei City Government. It’s all their fault.

Don’t you realize that Taiwan will never be Holland or Denmark? People here will never ride their bicycles to work en masse. Should the city government spend money on things like bike lanes and other bicycle-friendly facilities that few, if any, would use, you would be too happy to criticize such spending as a waste of money.

And isn’t it interesting that during the DPP administration, when their policies were ruining Taiwan economically and the president and his wife were stealing millions of dollars from the public, you were right there supporting them?

Mr. Landman is blowing lots of smoke and seems to hardly have the facts or the context of Taiwan's economic or political history at hand to form much of an educated opinion that reaches beyond the screen of partisan talking points.

The bulk of Landman's letter deals primarily with Ma's recent decision to partially revoke the oil subsidies that have artificially capped oil prices at an unsustainable level in the hopes of fueling economic growth. This is a policy that had remained steadily in place since the days of single party authoritarian rule, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could more easily transfer and inject cash into its various industrial monopolies without the hassle of democratic oversight. Landman somehow pins these long-standing policies on the Chen Shui-bian administration, which was characterized as a weak executive branch facing an overwhelming opposition majority in the legislature.

Landman also erroneously believes the Chen administration stole public funds and ruined the economy. Chen was not jailed for misappropriating any public funds and despite a global economic crisis, Taiwan  experienced sustained economic growth from 2002 until 2008, when Taiwan's economy stagnated and even shrunk. Ah... but I digress.

What I really want to point out here is that the local and central governments do play a significant role in how bicycles are integrated into the transportation grid. For decades Taiwanese commuted to work on bicycles and pedicabs. It is not an alien concept to adopt. Whether Taiwanese will ride bicycles to work en masse can be greatly aided by a government that takes cycling seriously rather than an elitist pastime of leisure. The Dunhua Rd. bike lane debacle is ripe for criticism as it was a disastrous waste of NT$60 million of public money (I pay taxes too) on a project that was hastily designed and completed with the aim of blatant political grandstanding and spreading largesse to the valuable constituency of construction contractors without the consultation of cyclists.

Projects like Dunhua Rd. and other ill conceived bike lane projects that consume public funds to benefit only a small minority of recreational riders in the name of "tourism" only serve to sour the public appetite for real, functional bike lanes that provide returns for everyone in the form of a cleaner, less congested environment. This practice should really be characterized as a scandalous misappropriation of public funds that voters and people like Mr. Landman should be concerned about.

These policies fall right in the lap of the Ma administration, which enjoys the benefits of controlling both the executive and legislative... and probably even the judicial branches in government.  Even KMT politicians see that towing the party line may not be in our or their best interests.

Mother's Day: Six-year-old Bikes 15k for Missing Mom

In a similar story to the case of the 6yo. boy who rode his bike all day looking for a puppy, we have another story of a Taiwanese child biking far and wide. 


The news last night had a story of a six year old girl rode her little bike 15 Kms to find her mother. When her dad was sleeping, she got her ribboned bike out and took off. She naturally got lost. Someone thought it was weird that the girl was out riding by herself, so the police were notified. The police suggested that she should get in their police car. So she reluctantly got in the car. They attempted to help her locate her mom at work, but, like most Taiwanese children, the lost rider couldn't really remember where her mom worked. The police were forced to return her to the police station. Eventually, the girl's father went to the police station and took his daughter home.


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Links:

• British PM, David Cameron, looks to appoint a cycling tsar to address the concerns of cyclists in the UK. If everything goes accordingly, Bradley Wiggins will be limping out of the TdF this July and will have ample time to devote to UK cycling. 

• Remember to hydrate in the heat. Palm Desert heat claims cyclist. 

• Because the truth hurts: The Cyclist's Wife.

• Why do cyclists look funny? Q&A

• Cyclists Clash With Toronto and the only thing that can restore the peace is if Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette and Alasdair Gillis can come together as a Giant Robot. 

• Injured veteran cyclists ride on Washington.

• The only cyclist who can afford a Cervelo R5ca will donate $40 million to support NY sports.  As if NY sports teams are hurting for cash. 

• Injured cyclists deserve to be disfigured, crippled and killed. Look at the way they are dressed. They're asking for it.  

A History of Mongoose BMX Bikes: I loved my old Motomag!

SALE!: Get A Garneau Steel Taiwan Touring Bike

I am putting this up as a favor for a friend. TiC is in no way responsible or liable for any transaction. Any and all transactions are strictly between the buyer and the seller.

I have seen this bike in action and it is a decent, capable tourer for Taiwan. Please see the information below for details.

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From Dom:

I am selling my steel road bike. If you live in Taiwan and are interested, contact me...0987763144 The frame size is for an adult. I am 5'9 and it fits me well. The tires, upgraded, are new Continentals. The handlebars, stem are upgraded. The pedals are upgraded- They are regular pedals, but also have another side with clips. I have ridden this bike probably about 4ooom K in the 15 months I've had it. It is sturdy and comfortable to ride. It has been stored indoors. 16k NTD.

Weekend Update

Well... the weather kept me close to home this weekend, but I did manage to get a short ride with some hot climbing done. Dom and I did a little ride over Dadu Shan between Taichung and the coast. It was nice to try out my climbing legs to better evaluate how I am coming back from all that down time. 


The goal was to push heavier gears to about 70rpm on the climbs


The speed was there, but the recovery times were not. I guess I still need some engine work. 


Good times. 


Here is the route for a short jump over the hill with limited time. 


Links:

• Pedaling Madly Backwards has a nice article about Taiwan's child bike seat nonsense.
• I am also happy to see Bikemaps has reverted back from using a map in Hanyu Pinyin for Taiwan. Whatever your feeling on Romanization systems, the fact of the matter is that on the road, a visitor will need to know the local spellings. 
• Don't Miss OzSoapbox as he continues to take the piss out of Taipei's bike lanes. 

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In other cycling news, the big one-day races are over, with my favorites in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The Ardenne series also wrapped up without the heavy favorites faring terribly well. I get the feeling Radioshack, BMC and a few others are holding back before the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. 


I did enjoy seeing Nibali make a great effort to only place second in last night's Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He showed a lot of the courage that made him a standout in the 2010 Giro. 


It is a shame that so much racing is reserved for the final few kilometers of these races.  

Polar Opposites: Taipei Urged To Follow Kaohsiung's Lead In Bike Rentals

In the wake of a crumbling urban bike "plan", KMT City Councilor, Lee Yen-shiu is urging Taipei to take a more proactive approach to integrating the bicycle into the urban grid by following Kaoshiung's lead in offering an extensive bike rental program.

The Taipei Times Reports:

Taipei City has set up 11 public bicycle rental sites in Xinyi District (信義) since launching the program in 2009, providing 500 bicycles for rent near MRT metropolitan rail stations in the district, including Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station and Taipei City Hall Station.

According to the city’s Department of Transportation, an average of 23 people a day use the system. The department has budgeted NT$14 million (US$ 470,000) a year to manage the program, and incurred a loss of more than NT$10 million since its launch.

KMT Taipei City Councilor Lee Yen-shiu (李彥秀) said the department has failed to promote the program by limiting it to the Xinyi District. She called for the number of rental sites to be expanded to 12 districts and for a friendlier environment to be created for cyclists.

“Public bicycles should not only be used for recreational purposes, but as a short-distance commuting tool. With rental sites only in Xinyi, it’s difficult for more residents to take advantage of the service,” she said.

In Greater Kaohsiung, which also launched its bike program in 2009, there are 49 rental sites around the city, with 800 bicycles available, she said, adding that the number of residents using it has reached 1,300 per day.

It is refreshing to finally see some growing criticism on how the government is choosing to craft cycling policy. Now if only someone would commit to giving cyclists space to safely ride.