It's all too hard...
The transport modes we choose to use every day are by necessity habitual. Most of us don't have the time or energy to burn when we leave the house in the morning to explore new transport possibilities. Perth's high rate of car use has made it a highly ingrained and habitual behaviour. Only 23% of private motorised vehicle trips are over a distance of 10 kilometres or more. I read something regarding parking at train stations that said that 40% of cars parked at Claremont station had been driven less than 800 metres to get there. Clearly there are advances that can be made with a behavioural based awareness raising program, and TravelSmart's figures show it as being fairly successful - but its nowhere near widespread enough.
An old uni friend of mine posted on Facebook, his problem is the 'you can't take bikes on trains at peak hour in the peak direction' rule. He was suggesting a rental program where you could 'subscribe' and then pick up bikes from train stations for the non-train part of the journey. I have several suggestions - a fold up scooter (such as a Xooter, or if you are cheap and short a Razor), a folding bike (as long as they fold completely to the size of one wheel they should be OK but I haven't checked the rules), or having a bike at each train station U-locked to something and rough looking so hopefully noone steals or immobilizes it. None of them are ideal - it would be better to just have longer platforms and 6-car train sets for peak hour. I agree it's a problem but I believe it's not one without some low tech/low cost solutions for the individual.
Anyway this post created all kinds of random spewing. There was one guy in particular who claimed to be 25, never driven a car in his life, lived and worked in central Freo, but, he reckoned for 'the majority' of the poor sods in suburbia biking is not a viable solution. I think he should tell that to the hundreds of people who already bike to work. His attitude was somewhat elitist, as if there aren't 4 other train lines (and a 'spur' to Thornlie) and uncountable numbers of bus routes, and as if all distances are surmountable because of low density living. Its kind of that Freo attitude that only Freo is dense enough to offer employment and housing in a sustainable way. Also, in some ways lower density makes cycling more pleasant because it means there are plenty of 'backroads'. Only 1/4 of private motorised trips are what many consider 'too far' to ride, and there are also cost and time viable public transport options for those trips (although, mixed-mode trips are still a bit difficult because of the no-bikes-on-trains rule and require thinking beyond that habitual pattern again). Then there was a 'oh but you need bike lanes and changerooms' post from a different guy. I think that is a bunch of poppycock. Again this is an information problem. Sure there are areas of Perth that are poorly served for cyclists (like Wattle Grove for instance), but Perth has a pretty good bike network of safe streets, dual use path, and overpasses etc. I actually think that by and large, Perth is a pleasant city to ride in, and when I read accounts from the US I am really thankful taht the majority of Perth drivers are observant and know the road rules. The streets are wide and there is plenty of space for everyone. The DPI produce maps of the 'bike networks' but these are cumbersome PDF files on their website which are slow to load and slow to navigate. Otherwise you can buy an inconvenient folding map for your 'region' for $5 from a bike shop. I think the DPI could turn this into a UBD type directory and make it much more user friendly. But they haven't. We had a bit of a buddy system amongst our mates so that it was easier to ask each other about the best routes than look at that stupid DPI map.
In terms of facilities - do these people not have toilet cubicles at work? After becoming accustomised to cycling, a 10k or less trip just needs a change of clothes and maybe some baby wipes. I know that some people choose this method rather than brave the 'common area' type changerooms that are supplied. Also, if you work in one of the office blocks in the CBD I can pretty much guarantee that there are changerooms. They may be underprovisioned for the growth in bike commuters but at least they are something. Secure bike parking - noone said anything about that - our commuter population keeps outgrowing the storage space but while slow moving, the wheels are turning to continue expansion.
Anyway, it all smacks of making excuses to me.
An old uni friend of mine posted on Facebook, his problem is the 'you can't take bikes on trains at peak hour in the peak direction' rule. He was suggesting a rental program where you could 'subscribe' and then pick up bikes from train stations for the non-train part of the journey. I have several suggestions - a fold up scooter (such as a Xooter, or if you are cheap and short a Razor), a folding bike (as long as they fold completely to the size of one wheel they should be OK but I haven't checked the rules), or having a bike at each train station U-locked to something and rough looking so hopefully noone steals or immobilizes it. None of them are ideal - it would be better to just have longer platforms and 6-car train sets for peak hour. I agree it's a problem but I believe it's not one without some low tech/low cost solutions for the individual.
Anyway this post created all kinds of random spewing. There was one guy in particular who claimed to be 25, never driven a car in his life, lived and worked in central Freo, but, he reckoned for 'the majority' of the poor sods in suburbia biking is not a viable solution. I think he should tell that to the hundreds of people who already bike to work. His attitude was somewhat elitist, as if there aren't 4 other train lines (and a 'spur' to Thornlie) and uncountable numbers of bus routes, and as if all distances are surmountable because of low density living. Its kind of that Freo attitude that only Freo is dense enough to offer employment and housing in a sustainable way. Also, in some ways lower density makes cycling more pleasant because it means there are plenty of 'backroads'. Only 1/4 of private motorised trips are what many consider 'too far' to ride, and there are also cost and time viable public transport options for those trips (although, mixed-mode trips are still a bit difficult because of the no-bikes-on-trains rule and require thinking beyond that habitual pattern again). Then there was a 'oh but you need bike lanes and changerooms' post from a different guy. I think that is a bunch of poppycock. Again this is an information problem. Sure there are areas of Perth that are poorly served for cyclists (like Wattle Grove for instance), but Perth has a pretty good bike network of safe streets, dual use path, and overpasses etc. I actually think that by and large, Perth is a pleasant city to ride in, and when I read accounts from the US I am really thankful taht the majority of Perth drivers are observant and know the road rules. The streets are wide and there is plenty of space for everyone. The DPI produce maps of the 'bike networks' but these are cumbersome PDF files on their website which are slow to load and slow to navigate. Otherwise you can buy an inconvenient folding map for your 'region' for $5 from a bike shop. I think the DPI could turn this into a UBD type directory and make it much more user friendly. But they haven't. We had a bit of a buddy system amongst our mates so that it was easier to ask each other about the best routes than look at that stupid DPI map.
In terms of facilities - do these people not have toilet cubicles at work? After becoming accustomised to cycling, a 10k or less trip just needs a change of clothes and maybe some baby wipes. I know that some people choose this method rather than brave the 'common area' type changerooms that are supplied. Also, if you work in one of the office blocks in the CBD I can pretty much guarantee that there are changerooms. They may be underprovisioned for the growth in bike commuters but at least they are something. Secure bike parking - noone said anything about that - our commuter population keeps outgrowing the storage space but while slow moving, the wheels are turning to continue expansion.
Anyway, it all smacks of making excuses to me.