Sternfahrt Berlin 2016

Hundreds of thousands of cyclists took to the streets of Berlin in support of safer conditions for bikes. There is an urgent need for real cycle facilities, not just cycle streets where cars can drive and cycle paths which they park on. The traffic infrastructure need to support pedal powered vehicles and not just the fossil fuel users. Berlin needs to meet the needs of modern road users.

Sternfahrt is the one day each year when the potential of streets for pedal transport can be experienced first hand. Cycling on the Autobahn in the fresh air is so easy compared with dodging illegally parked vehicles.

Unfortunately the event was tainted by a massive release  of balloons distributed to participants in the ride with the slogan ‘ride bike' on them. The high cost of such balloon releases to children, wildlife and rural animals seems to have gone unnoticed to those giving away these free balloons.

Hopefully next year it will be different.

Segregated Cycle Superhighways for London and Fahrradstraßen for Cars in Berlin

London is getting a segregated cycle superhighway. "Under consideration is a series of new or upgraded bike lanes, many of them based on the principle of fully segregating cyclists from motor traffic for the first time." Guardian and Dezeen

London Cycling Design Standards, pdf

Images of a typical low-speed street Fahrradstraße/ bicycle boulevard in Berlin. Linienstraße is fully taken by cars, despite the aim of a Fahrradstraße, that it should discourage motor vehicle traffic.

Why don't we convert more roads into bicycle paths?

Why don't we convert more roads into bicycle paths?

One less car

Space gobbling private combustion machines pollute cities. Free public transport and driving restrictions for (inner) cities are a must to keep them habitable.

The more cylists, the less accidents OECD

Safety in numbers
The more bikes are around, the less the risk for an accident. To provide safety for cyclist, cities should provide a sufficient bicycle infrastructure. This 2013 OECD reports on "Trends relating to fatalities, injuries and crash rates are presented alongside international data on levels of cycling."

Cycling, Health and Safety, Analysis of international trends in bicycle use and cyclist safety
DOI:10.1787/9789282105955-4-en

In good cities one can cycle to work and education without stress. It appears 'normal' to go to the movies (Babylon) or an ADK concert/ exhibition at the Brandenburg Gate by bike.

Association between Traffic-Related Air Pollution in Schools and Cognitive Development in Primary School Children

"Air pollution is a suspected developmental neurotoxicant. Many schools are located in close proximity to busy roads, and traffic air pollution peaks when children are at school. We aimed to assess whether exposure of children in primary school to traffic-related air pollutants is associated with impaired cognitive development. Children attending schools with higher traffic-related air pollution had a smaller improvement in cognitive development.

Human brain development is a complex and lengthy process... "

Association between Traffic-Related Air Pollution in Schools and Cognitive Development in Primary School Children: A Prospective Cohort Study, PLOS