Where's Today's Blog Post?

My trip is going great. My blog isn't doing so well. I am in France and my blog is still trying to get out of Barcelona.

I have met many wonderful urban cycling leaders, seen the way bikes are used and accomodated differently in different cities. It is exciting. I have lots of pictures and stories. I just don't seem to have time to write.

The idea was to write and post a few pics everyday. It's been too hard. My schedule and itinerary have been intense. Lots of meetings, logistics, sightseeing, and arranging the next visit. I also need to sleep and chill out once in awhile. So I'm going to quit feeling guilty about not blogging or trying to catch up on my entries. I'll turn this blog into a report on the trip with lots of pictures over the next month.

I am keeping up on my email, so please email me if you have questions or follow-up to conversations we have had during this trip.

Barcelona goes Bicing

Bicing (www.bicing.com) is a big part of Barcelona's cycling story.  Now with 6000 bikes and 200,000 members it is a vibrant integral component of the city's transport system.  Bicing racks seem to be everywhere in the city, with all kinds of people taking, returning, and riding bikes.  Unscientifically, it looked like about a third of the bikes on the street were Bicing.  There were lots of different types of people riding the bikes, including kids being ridden on the plastic rear fender.  It seemed like the whole range of Barcelona society is riding the bikes.  I was struck by how normal Bicing was, when I saw a teen say goodbye to his friends, swipe his card, and ride off.

These are the same bikes and the same system as in Washington DC, though the current size of DC's tiny system doesn't make for a good comparison.

Bicing was the first modern European public bike system to be funded separate from an advertising contract.  It was initially funded from the new parking revenue but now the system has expanded and it subsidized by other municipal funds.

If you can't fit a bike in your apartment and you can't afford a folder, Bicing is a good workable solution.  It also works because of the combination with Barcelona's excellent public transport.

The Bicing system is not perfect.  There are many complaints about the system, mostly about the distribution of the bikes.  The bikes are sometimes all gone when you need one or the rack is full when you want to return one.  I remember a guy waiting with his bike at a full rack near our hotel, hoping someone would come and take one soon so he could return his.

Many bike dealers think the system is a disaster.  They believe many people stopped buying bikes because Bicing is available.  Koos thinks that is mostly a matter of unfortunate timing.  The system was expanded about the same time as the economic crisis which was the real reason for the drop in bike sales.  He also notes that Brompton sales have not dropped and thinks that people buy one because they are more reliable and flexible than Bicing.  Most agree that Bicing is good for business because it has expanded, maybe even created a market.

Stolen Bicing

Koos pointed out this stolen and repainted Bicing bike in a local rack. Koos could tell because of the unique frame design. There are supposed to be hefty fines, but it is hard to enforce.

Sorry tourists, No Bicing

Unlike in Copenhagen and Sevilla, Barcelona's public bike system is only available to residents. This is primarily to protect the bike rental businesses.  As a tourist I was of course, unhappy about this.  If public bikes are a dimension of public transport, it means that this mode was unavailable to me.   I'm not going to rent a bike for a 15 minute trip.  The theory is that tourists come without the car and use public transport.  I think there should be a way for tourists to use Bicing as public transport but not compete with the rental biz.  The way to do that would be to price longer use by non-residents at a very high rate, say 10 € per hour after the first hour.  That way people could use the Bicing to get to the bike rental places.

There is the question of whether the system could handle tourist use.  Maybe Bicing should be made available only to tourists from Chicago?

Making Friends for Cycling in Barcelona

I'm pictured here with Elena Medina and Albert Garcia at the headquarters of Amics de la Bici (Friends of the Bicycle) in Barcelona.  The group represents cyclists in the city.  They are also leaders in  Coordinadora Catalana d'Usuaris de la Bicicleta: CCUB is a Catalan umbrella federation of local Catalan bicycle user organizations, they are all volunteers.  Albert has been involved in cycling issues for over 20 years and has seen many changes.  They have attended many meetings, helped write promotional materials, safety campaigns, testified on plans, and generally fought for the rights of cyclists.  They feel that progress is slow and wish they had more power to make long-promised plans happen.

Haritz Ferrando and BACC

Haritz Ferrando graciously connected me with advocates throughout Spain and eloquently described the progress and challenges of cycling in Barcleona.  He is co-director of  BACC with Diana Gonzalez.  Along with a staff of five they promote cycling and provide services to cyclists in Catalunya.  BACC stands for Bicicleta Club de Catalunya .  http://www.bacc.info/

Hartiz sees 2006 as the beginning of the present explosion of cyling in Barcelona.  The Catalan region, which has it's own language, culture and  regional parliment, passed a requirement that all cities create mobility plans.  This led to a set of policies and programs that resulted in paid parking zones, car-share, public transit improvements, and bicycle programs including the first cycling facilities and BiCi public bikes.

An interesting piece of Barcelona's quest for sustainable mobility is the Mobility Pact.  Recognizing that change is hard and space is limited, each citizen is asked to agree to working together and respecting other modes to acheive a better city and transport system.  It is an interesting model for other cities and worth a read.  Has it made a difference?

Why folders?

Creative bike storage in Madrid.

Long Live the Folder!

Shiny new folders ready for sale in a Sevilla bike shop.

Koos Kroon and Bike Tech

This isn't a very good picture of Koos but it's the best I have from the very nice tour of Barcelona he took me on. (Koos, you're a photographer, maybe you can send me a better picture.)

I’d only been in Barcelona a few hours and I said to my wife Susan, ”Wow , there are a lot of Bromptons here.”  It turns out that a Brompton folder is the most desirable commuter bike throughout Spain.  It happened because of Koos Kroon and his company Bike Tech.   As a Dutchman and a cycle tourist, Koos saw the potential of the bicycle in Barcelona.  When he couldn’t get a proper tire for his Dutch bike he got the idea of opening a shop.  He never imagined that his business would grow so quickly.  His stroke of genius was seeing the potential of the Brompton.  Realizing that apartments in Barcelona were too small for full size bikes, he talked the UK maker of folding bikes into letting him try a shipment of ten.  They sold quickly and soon he was buying them by the hundreds.  Now his company, Bike Tech, distributes to shops throughout Spain.  They also sell Ortlieb bags and other high-quality transport oriented gear.

Like in the US, The bike industry in Spain has always been very sport oriented.  With the great road racing tradition, they have been very high-end focused.  As a result, the economic crisis that began at the end of 2008 has been very hard on them.  Interestingly, Bike Tech has bucked this trend with 2009 being their best year ever.  Koos attributes this to strength of the city bike market.  Even in tough times people need to travel.  He tells the story of a customer coming in with a flat tire on his Brompton.  Instead of a repair, the customer asked for a new bike because he had to get to work.  Koos say that would never happen with sport bikes.

Bikes with Motors

Barcelona is presently a city of motorcycles.  This is the clearest indicator of the potential of the bicycle.  Motorcycles are everywhere.  Some are swarming through traffic, but even more seem to be parked and clogging the pedestrian space.  Motorcycles are of course bikes with motors.  The big advantage of the motor is not the speed, it’s the access.  It allows you to take advantage of the primary street infrastructure.  Every major street and intersection gives priority access to motor vehicles.  The only problem is congestion.  With a motorbike you can squeeze past the jams plus you can park anywhere you want, close to your destination.  If it were’nt for the noise, exhaust, and danger, motorcycles would be perfect.  The bike is perfect, but lacks the access.  Maybe Barcelona cyclists need fake motors?

Barcelona vs. Amsterdam

Thanks for reading this.  Today is day 6 of the trip and the first chance I have had time to write.  I am on the train between Barcelona and Zaragoza.  It’s a fast train so I better write fast.

Koos  Kroon is a Dutchman that owns Bike Tech, a shop in Barcelona and distributor of Bromptons in Spain.  He thinks that Barcelona has the potential to be the greatest cycling city in Europe.  I agree with him.  90% of the city is relatively flat  with diverse land use and extremely compact neighborhoods.  The climate is much drier and warmer than Amsterdam.  With the right infrastructure the bike would be faster and more convenient than either car or public transport for most trips within the city.

Jet lagged in Paris

Our adventure is off to a cold and rainy start in Paris. We're warming up and using the wifi in a public library on Rue Mouffetard, a famous little shopping street.  We had planned on walking off our jet lag but it's tough under these conditions.  Not much fun to be outside.  One idea was to hang out in the Louvre, but it is closed on Tuesday.  Not many bikers on Paris streets today.   Cycling volumes look similar to Chicago in February.

I had a nice picture of about 60 Velib bikes parked by a university with one kiosk for both sides of the street.  Unfortunately the file got corupted somehow.  This many public bikes in one place indicates a really vibrant program.  But not much Velib action today.  Most of  the bikes we've scene have been private.  We did see a few Velibs.  It's not the kind of day that makes you want to go for a spontaneous ride.

The bus lanes with a sharrow type marking look really terrifying.  These are 9 foot lanes that you are supposed to share in fast, heavy traffic.  Taxis are also allowed to use them and the few bikers along those routes were on the sidewalk.

Tonight we take the night train hotel to Barcelona.  I can't wait to get to bed.