Lack Of Bike Infrastructure Builds Frustration: China Post Commentary

In today's China Post, Ian Gilchrist calls out Taipei for the city's failure to integrate cycling into the transportation grid.

Gilchrist adroitly spots some of the problems in this section of his commentary:

Politicians can point with some pride to the riverside rides which work well on weekends, but if a survey could be carried out for weekday commuting, they would almost certainly be deemed greatly under-used. And they're still far from being a sanctuary. While riding on a riverside cyclepath I was hit by a woman riding a motor-scooter who then screamed that it was my fault. The attending police officer was rather non-committal.

This blog has not been shy of highlighting many of the problems Gilchrist describes. What it really boils down to are the politics and economics of Taiwan's bicycle infrastructure.

For cities like Taipei and Taichung, the emphasis of bicycle infrastructure (or the lack thereof) is purely a profit motivated initiative. Government funds are being spent to ensure a select number of businesses can profit from bicycle infrastructure. This includes connected contractors, retailers and service providers. If bicycles were used freely around the city it would be harder to corral cyclists and direct them to those who will profit most from their presence. Leisure bike trails which have become so popular in Taipei, Taichung and Miaoli can be constructed to control and direct flows of customers to political patrons.

Some very powerful interests see more profit in this model than one that encourages making every street into a bike trail. Ever wonder why Taiwan's big bike retailers do not promote steel commuting bikes? They are not as profitable as aluminum or carbon fiber leisure and racing bikes.

The politicians are simply feeding their backers and giving the public a token symbol of "progress".

The other side of Gilchrist's frustration is that there is no political will to transform Taiwan's roadways into shared spaces for cars, scooters, bikes and pedestrians. This is not impossible, but it would take a commitment from both the central and local governments to carry out.

The cynic in me says Taiwanese drivers will not change. Then I remember when the law went into effect to mandate all scooter and motorcycle riders wear helmets. The law was first met with resistance as regular enforcement was brought to bear against violators. I recall seeing an old man with a cooking pot on his head in an attempt to both comply with... and circumvent the law. Helmet theft was rampant. You couldn't leave your helmet unattended outside without the risk of having it stolen by a rider in a pinch. Now, everyone (at least in the cities) rides with a certified helmet.

The same could be done for traffic. But it takes the political will to make it happen. So far, of the major cities in Taiwan, only the southern city of Kaohsiung has started taking the difficult steps toward crafting shared roadways. Of course, the police need to complete their transformation from a mediation force to a full police force committed to the rule of law.

Taiwan's road to becoming a bicycle paradise will be long and hard, but with a commitment to transforming Taiwan into a real bicycle island, it is not impossible. What the public doesn't need are more tourist trails that go nowhere.

___________________

In Other News: Frontier Sports put together this great video from the Taiwan Cup.

Sun Moon Lake Tour

Here is a fine report from a couple of teachers who set out from Taichung to explore Puli and Sun Moon Lake by bike. The full report and several other picture and travel posts can be found HERE at the Taiwhat blog.

In other, slightly less nerdy, news… I have just returned from a WONDERFUL weekend bike trip to Sun Moon Lake! Another teacher, Amanda, and I hit the road Saturday morning around 10. We would have departed earlier, but a week of rain in Taichung had made us a bit worried that maybe this weekend wouldn’t be the best for a bike trip; so, instead of renting Amanda’s bike Friday night we waited until Saturday morning to judge the weather and when we deemed it acceptable (in fact, pretty ideal) riding weather we had to wait for the Giant store to open at 10 so we could get her a bike and be on our way.

Wuling's King of the Mountain and Other Links

Forever Bicycle on display in Taipei by China's dissident artist Ai Weiwei who offers plenty of opinions in regard to his hosts.

• Fan Yong-yi shows he is King of the Mountain in this weekend's Maxxis Taroko Hill Climb. The word is the weather was rough and the brutal final few kilometers cracked some really tough climbers. A few friends who attended have complained that a lot of the riders simply tossed their feeding bags and energy pouches on the road, which is an insult to one of Taiwan's most beautiful and delicate eco zones. A lot of it may be an effort to look "pro", but when I see this behavior demonstrated by non racers out on the backroads, I am overcome with a sense that it is the result of an education system backed by a government that has spent precious little time teaching Taiwan's citizens to identify with their place.

• Cycling Taiwan for the visually impaired.

• Cafe Terry reveals his latest mini-velo.

• Satin Cesena observes the Taiwan Cup.

_______________________

Other Links:

• Is cycling city streets a young man's game?

• 74yo. cyclist killed in collision with car.

• Why does Amsterdam work so well for cycling?

• Mental health benefits of cycling.

• Campy-lectric. 20 years of Campagnolo waiting to power up.

• In simpler times he would have been happy with gold chains and a sports car. Amateur cyclist, 63, banned for doping.

Failure IS An Option: When Good Rides Go Bad

This past Sunday I had been planning an ambitious ride from Taichung, over Alishan, and back in a day. I know it is gruelingly possible to do and I tried to lay the foundations for a successful ride.

I bought new batteries for my lights. I packed a bag with extra clothing for the colder temps at high altitudes. I brought an extra tire. I packed some fruit and energy gels. I spent three days eating and hydrating for a 7000 calorie day. The mental preparations were there.

I woke up at 2:00am to dress, slather on some chamois cream, down a fruit smoothie and hit the road by 3:00am.

I nervously checked the weather from my deck and it was cold with a lick of rain in the air.

The weather seemed to be improving, so I launched into the darkness and hit about every red light out of town. The lights were annoying enough, but the light drizzle made things even worse. I hoped things would improve, but the just devolved into a general feeling that the day was crapping on my head.

In Taiwan, the hostess bars seem to let out at about 3:00am so the roads are filled with drunks racing for the red lights in more ways than one so pre-dawn traffic can be deadly. I rumbled through puddles as taxies hydroplaned between lanes ferrying girls from the clubs to... wherever they may be heading. I had three close calls with the drunks before rolling up to a police roadblock. Just as I approached, a speeding taxi blasted through the cones at full speed sending the officers running for their cars. The roadblock was for a huge industrial fire that was in progress along the Highway 3, so I was diverted out to another road.

With puddles of water sloshing from my toes to my heels, I decided to swallow my pride and head back home. I really didn't see the fun in riding up a mountain in the rain and spending 250km soaked to the bone. I also did not want to encounter Nantou drunk traffic in the rain. Too many signs that this wasn't the right day.

Sometimes as a rider you need to rely on your intuition to help you make the calls. Although it can be tough, when you start feeling bad about a ride, you don't have to go through with it. Rides are just not fun when you lose the motivation. Rider intuition should not be ignored as it comes from experience. It is always better to live to ride another day.

Just as I neared Taichung city, the rain stopped and the clear morning sky emerged from behind the clouds. I had been following a band of rain toward the mountains. Those are the breaks.

Better luck next weekend.

Taroko Race Weekend: Maxxis Taroko International Hill Climb

This weekend marks the second Maxxis Taroko International Hill Climb on the racing calendar. Several of the guys from my team will be there to compete and I wish them the best of luck.

The Taroko climb is a 90 kilometer mash from sea level, up to the finish at 3275 meters. It is a shame the Taiwan Cup was devoid of this type of climb, which really typifies what makes Taiwanese riding and racing so special.

Sadly, I am opting out of this event as it would mean two days on the road and too much distance from my wife. We are expecting a baby at any time, so I need to be within a speedy cab ride home. All for the better. I will be there in spirit.

The route averages about 4% for most of the way with about three steeper sections before the finale just after Dayuling.

A few hundred meters from the fruit stands in Dayuling, the road pitches up saving the worst for last. It is a seriously demoralizing set of stairs, a dip and another final puker of a climb to the finish.

Of the 250 climbers, about 30 riders will be representing Japan and especially the victims of the earthquake and tsunami which struck Taiwan's northern neighbor last March. The Japanese cyclists would like to use the event to thank the Taiwanese people for their generosity in providing the largest amount of aid to Japan. Each Japanese rider will ride wearing a T-shirt, which reads, "Thank You Taiwan" as a token of appreciation.

Best of luck to all competitors and may the rainy forecast be in error. Jia you!

Phil Gaimon Blogs Taiwan for VeloNews... and gets a little lost.

You can't control how people are going to interpret their experiences... no matter how hard the Taiwan Tourism Bureau tries... and in his blog piece at VeloNews, Phil Gaimon attempts to win an invite back to next year's Taiwan Cup.

We also had some unbelievable training rides. I would never have considered Taiwan as a spot for tourism or cycling until this trip, but the rides there were some of the best I’ve ever done, no joke. Since they actually use bikes for transportation in Taiwan, there are bike lanes everywhere, and out in the country, bike-specific roads connect all the small towns, sometimes through really tight, barely-paved paths, which were fun to rip with tubulars, although Isaac was always scared of cobras on the smaller roads, which is no way to go through life, and not a bad way to die, if you ask me. We didn’t see any snakes (insert dirty joke here), or pandas or monkeys for that matter.

What Gaimon really gets right is the fact that Taiwan is a real cycling treat for the experienced cyclist or cycling adventurer. I try to bear testament to this fact in my weekend blog posts.

Aside from trying to reward his hosts for their largesse, I am bewildered by his comments regarding an infrastructure for bicycle transportation.

For leisure cycling Taiwan has made some great strides. There are great routes for riders of any level of experience and fitness. This is a check in the plus column if my friends at the Tourism Bureau are keeping track. Where Taiwan is really lacking is in its infrastructure for cycling as transportation or utility. The government has failed by and large to think of cycling beyond tourism dollars and weekend entertainment.

• There are few direct and effective bike paths for regular transportation like commuting.

• There are few busses equipped to carry bicycles.

• There are few safe places to store bicycles in or around busy urban hubs, such as shopping centers.

• The rules for bicycle trains are a labyrinth of official jargon and nonsense.

• There is no commitment or political will to transform the transportation system into a safe and civil environment for cyclists.

Sadly, with his comments about Taiwanese using bikes for transportation and pandas, I think Mr. Gaimon mistakenly thought he was in China.

-----------------------------

Also:

Don't miss this lovely and lively discussion on Taiwanese vs. Chinese bikes at The Lovely Bike.

Biking Eastern Taiwan: The Beauty of the Route 193

I receive a lot of requests for information regarding the best routes for traveling Taiwan's Rift Valley. The biggest mistake riders make is in sticking to the Highway 9 and Highway 11. The real secret to biking eastern Taiwan may be the Routes 193 and 197. I had to decline the invitation to ride the route this weekend. Our baby is at 35 weeks and it is just a bridge too far for a ride like that.

So, here is the beautiful picture post and ride report from Michael Turton at The View From Taiwan. Lots of great and useful information here. I am sure he took many of these pictures to hit me in my jealously nerve.

Enjoy!

LINK

--------------------------------

The Honeymoon Is Over: Taiwanese pair finish their two-year world tour.