Lessons from Japan: The Politics of Limit

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign]

We can hardly accuse Japan for the same wasteful ways as America, but
I still saw thousands of little cars being swept away by the Tsunami.
They have built bullet trains and have an effective public
transportation system as well, but still the MIGHTY BICYCLE seem to be
missing from the politics of limit.

"It is the greedy profit-seekers, who minimise these risks, whether in
the Gulf of Mexico or Fukushima...

These predatory forces are made more formidable because they have
cajoled most politicians into complicity...

Such a challenge must include the repudiation of a neoliberal
worldview, insisting without compromise on an economics based on needs
and people rather than on profit margins and capital efficiency."

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/201131691422585897.html

***

Contrast though the high-tech approach of the bullet train with that
assigned to the HUMBLE BIKE...

"I just returned from a trip to Japan... I found myself riding
sidewalks and riding slowly."

http://sites.google.com/site/urbanbicycles/japan

In other words, CAPITALISM IS INCLINED TO WASTE INSTEAD OF EFFICIENCY.
It's a beast --the Hungry Lion-- that must be tamed BEFORE we are
devoured.

WARNING: RIDING ON SIDEWALK IS DANGEROUS TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS --AND
IT'S PAINFULLY SLOW.


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

http://webspawner.com/users/BANANAREVOLUTION

[Miles Bader]

"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
"I just returned from a trip to Japan... I found myself riding
sidewalks and riding slowly."

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with this; whether you
ride on the sidewalk or the road in Japan is completely up to you.
People ride in whichever place suits their riding style.

Of course the real lesson is that bicycling in Japan _works_, and as a
result is a significant part of the transportation infrastructure there;
I suspect you might learn something from that...

-Miles

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
"I just returned from a trip to Japan... I found myself riding
sidewalks and riding slowly."

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with this; whether you
ride on the sidewalk or the road in Japan is completely up to you.
People ride in whichever place suits their riding style.
Of course the real lesson is that bicycling in Japan _works_, and as a
result is a significant part of the transportation infrastructure there;
I suspect you might learn something from that...

Notice they are being kicked out from the sidewalk in Kyoto as of
2008, so they were a problem.

I'm inclined to slow riding sometimes and sometimes not. My fast bikes
are in storage waiting for the revolution when you can take the lane
be respected.

Riding a bike can take many forms and today I will be riding my
chopper slowly.

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Believe it or not, a daredevil sidewalk cyclist almost hit me today.
If they ever do, I would try to sue the city for tolerating such
reckless behavior.

The monkey on the bike is going to be broke anyway. ;)

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Well, it seems the forces of capitalism (waste and corruption) are
hard to avoid in Japan too. It's this system that failed to provide
infrastructure for bikes and dumped them on pedestrians...

"The beneficiaries of all that spending were the so-called zenekon,
large construction companies such as Kajima, Shimizu, Obayashi, and
Taisei. The strength of the zenekon ensures that Japan is ready to
rebuild quickly in the wake of its latest -- and still unfolding --
catastrophe, just as it did after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. But the
sector, while a point of pride catered to by the nation's elected
leaders and bureaucrats, isn't always a force for good. Proof lies all
over Japan -- in mammoth tunnels and bridges to nowhere, dams built
against the advice of engineers, and seawalls raised over the
objections of those they were purported to protect."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Rebuilding-Japan-Without-the-bizwk-2941490576.html?x=0

***

Hey, our bike facilities are worse than nothing, lying unconnected and
leading nowhere.

[Miles Bader]

"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
Well, it seems the forces of capitalism (waste and corruption) are
hard to avoid in Japan too. It's this system that failed to provide
infrastructure for bikes and dumped them on pedestrians...

There's certainly a lot of wasteful construction projects in Japan, but
it's certainly not the case that bicycles are ignored.

Indeed, there's actually a lot of bicycle-specific infrastructure (e.g.,
bicycle parking), just not the sort you apparently want. They build
what seems to be needed, not what fits the theories of American bicycle
advocates...

-miles

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
Well, it seems the forces of capitalism (waste and corruption) are
hard to avoid in Japan too. It's this system that failed to provide
infrastructure for bikes and dumped them on pedestrians...

There's certainly a lot of wasteful construction projects in Japan, but
it's certainly not the case that bicycles are ignored.
Indeed, there's actually a lot of bicycle-specific infrastructure (e.g.,
bicycle parking), just not the sort you apparently want.  They build
what seems to be needed, not what fits the theories of American bicycle
advocates...

The case is that American advocates can pick between the Japanese
model, the Dutch model or something else.

Actually I favor something else: TAKE THE LANE FOR SERIOUS BICYCLING,
LET THE CARS WORRY ABOUT YOU. Automatic blame is placed on driver
until proven otherwise. Notice, NO INVESTMENT IN STUPID
INFRASTRUCTURE.

On the other hand slow beach cruisers and folding bikes can be OK on
sidewalks. Haven't the clever Japanese found out that the folding
bikes don't need parking lots. Well, the Dutch haven't found out that
they are the best solution for theft, a big problem in the
Netherlands.

[Miles Bader]

"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher

Post by Miles Bader
Indeed, there's actually a lot of bicycle-specific infrastructure (e.g.,
bicycle parking), just not the sort you apparently want.  They build
what seems to be needed, not what fits the theories of American bicycle
advocates...

The case is that American advocates can pick between the Japanese
model, the Dutch model or something else.

They can pick and choose, of course; none of these models is anywhere
near perfect.

The Japanese and Dutch experiences at least have one (very big) thing to
recommend them: they're real, not theoretical, and involve significant
amounts of the population riding bicycles every day.

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
On the other hand slow beach cruisers and folding bikes can be OK on
sidewalks. Haven't the clever Japanese found out that the folding
bikes don't need parking lots.

Folding bicycles are actually very popular in Japan; however, they are
not a good general solution, as they simply aren't portable enough when
folded, nor very good bicycles when not folded.

The thing about bike parking lots though, is that they're a pretty good
investment (of both money and space): they take _far_ less room than
car parking lots (maybe 1/10 the space), can usually be fitted into odd
left-over spaces that would never work for cars, and play a significant
part in advocating bicycle usage.

-Miles

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher

Post by Miles Bader
Indeed, there's actually a lot of bicycle-specific infrastructure (e.g.,
bicycle parking), just not the sort you apparently want.  They build
what seems to be needed, not what fits the theories of American bicycle
advocates...

The case is that American advocates can pick between the Japanese
model, the Dutch model or something else.

They can pick and choose, of course; none of these models is anywhere
near perfect.
The Japanese and Dutch experiences at least have one (very big) thing to
recommend them:  they're real, not theoretical, and involve significant
amounts of the population riding bicycles every day.

Yeah, but the Dutch made it so much better.

Post by Miles Bader

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
On the other hand slow beach cruisers and folding bikes can be OK on
sidewalks. Haven't the clever Japanese found out that the folding
bikes don't need parking lots.

Folding bicycles are actually very popular in Japan; however, they are
not a good general solution, as they simply aren't portable enough when
folded, nor very good bicycles when not folded.

I think they are good. We have four of them. I rode many miles on one
the other day, single speed. They have a particular advantage
squeezing through sign posts on sidewalk.

Post by Miles Bader
The thing about bike parking lots though, is that they're a pretty good
investment (of both money and space):  they take _far_ less room than
car parking lots (maybe 1/10 the space), can usually be fitted into odd
left-over spaces that would never work for cars, and play a significant
part in advocating bicycle usage.

I want to know why we don't exploit the folding bike more. Big wheels
are good but also it's a big problem with theft, not in Japan but in
the Netherlands.

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
Well, it seems the forces of capitalism (waste and corruption) are
hard to avoid in Japan too. It's this system that failed to provide
infrastructure for bikes and dumped them on pedestrians...

There's certainly a lot of wasteful construction projects in Japan, but
it's certainly not the case that bicycles are ignored.
Indeed, there's actually a lot of bicycle-specific infrastructure (e.g.,
bicycle parking), just not the sort you apparently want.  They build
what seems to be needed, not what fits the theories of American bicycle
advocates...

We may learn something from Japan: What NOT to do...

"Until about 1970, when these signs first started appearing, it wasn't
permitted to ride on sidewalks at all. But the rapid increase in the
number of automobiles during the first postwar decades forced
bicyclists up onto the sidewalks for sheer safety. Traffic was
chaotic, and there were few of the safeguards we take for granted
today, like guardrails and pedestrian lights. Readers who were in
Japan in the '60s and '70s may remember the term kotsu senso (traffic
war), coined when traffic fatalities first exceeded the number of
Japanese who were killed in the Sino-Japanese war. Dangerous traffic
became a social issue, and one strategy to reduce deaths was to change
the law to allow bicycles on designated sidewalks.

The trouble with that is that pedestrians and bicycles move at
different speeds, and forcing them to share the same space increases
the likelihood that they'll crash into each other. In 2005, there were
2,435 collisions between bicycles and pedestrians in Japan that were
serious enough to be reported to the police. In six of those accidents
there was a fatality.

Other countries have reduced traffic fatalities by providing separate
space for motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, but Japan has been
slow to adopt the idea of dedicated bicycle lanes, partially because
of a lack of space. Not surprisingly, riding a bicycle in Japan is a
lot more dangerous than in other developed countries. According to
data from the International Road Traffic and Accident Database, more
people die on bicycles in Japan than in Germany, France, Italy and the
Netherlands put together. Japan also has far more cycling fatalities
than the U.S., despite having less than half as many people."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ek20070123wh.html

***

But it seems like they tamed traffic and that's something good.

[Miles Bader]

"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
We may learn something from Japan: What NOT to do...

Like what, in particular?

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
According to data from the International Road Traffic and Accident
Database, more people die on bicycles in Japan than in Germany,
France, Italy and the Netherlands put together. Japan also has far
more cycling fatalities than the U.S., despite having less than half
as many people."

Perhaps because far more people actually _ride_ bicycles in Japan. And
because it's more a "normal part of life" in Japan than in other
countries, it's treated not as a special activity, but just something
you do without much thought, like walking. People don't put on safety
lights and helmets when walking (maybe they should, but...)...

It's certainly true that Japanese bicyclists have a lot of bad habits
(riding with an umbrella in one hand, a cellphone in another, and a
cigarette in the third hand), and should really be more careful, but I'm
not sure what that has to do with bicycle facilities -- such behavior
would still cause accidents regardless of where it happens.

-Miles

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
We may learn something from Japan: What NOT to do...

Like what, in particular?

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
According to data from the International Road Traffic and Accident
Database, more people die on bicycles in Japan than in Germany,
France, Italy and the Netherlands put together. Japan also has far
more cycling fatalities than the U.S., despite having less than half
as many people."

Perhaps because far more people actually _ride_ bicycles in Japan.  And
because it's more a "normal part of life" in Japan than in other
countries, it's treated not as a special activity, but just something
you do without much thought, like walking.  People don't put on safety
lights and helmets when walking (maybe they should, but...)...

Pedestrians wouldn't need helmets if it weren't for the cyclists. Yes,
we may accept them for Japan but not a solution to be exported
anywhere. They can "make virtue out of need," in this case the lack of
proper space.

Post by Miles Bader
It's certainly true that Japanese bicyclists have a lot of bad habits
(riding with an umbrella in one hand, a cellphone in another, and a
cigarette in the third hand), and should really be more careful, but I'm
not sure what that has to do with bicycle facilities -- such behavior
would still cause accidents regardless of where it happens.

Again, when you remove the innocent pedestrian from the equation it's
so much better for all.

Let me remind you also that the sidewalks are not safer for the
cyclists either as the dangers are multiplied but usually not as
lethal as being struck for a car.

[Miles Bader]

"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher"

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
Pedestrians wouldn't need helmets if it weren't for the cyclists.

Nonsense. The main danger to pedestrians is motor vehicles.

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher

Post by Miles Bader
It's certainly true that Japanese bicyclists have a lot of bad habits
(riding with an umbrella in one hand, a cellphone in another, and a
cigarette in the third hand), and should really be more careful, but I'm
not sure what that has to do with bicycle facilities -- such behavior
would still cause accidents regardless of where it happens.

Again, when you remove the innocent pedestrian from the equation it's
so much better for all.

Nobody is suggesting that.

Post by His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher
Let me remind you also that the sidewalks are not safer for the
cyclists either as the dangers are multiplied but usually not as
lethal as being struck for a car.

Again, nonsense. A typical Japanese bicyclist is not particularly
aggressive or fast, and, absent motor vehicles, the overwhelming risk in
an accident is minor scrapes and bruises. Most people would certainly
regard a risk of minor scrapes and bruises as "safer" than a high risk
of _death_ (which is what you get when you start adding motor vehicles
to the mix).

There are certainly improvements that could be made, but trying to force
all cyclists onto the existing roads (of course, many are already on the
roads by choice) would not be one. It would not improve safety, and it
would hurt cycling (and overall, would hurt society).

-miles

[His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher]

Post by Miles Bader
There are certainly improvements that could be made, but trying to force
all cyclists onto the existing roads (of course, many are already on the
roads by choice) would not be one.  It would not improve safety, and it
would hurt cycling (and overall, would hurt society).

OK, let's leave Japan for alone for a while, and WHAT DO YOU THINK
WOULD THE SOLUTION FOR THE NATION MOST ADDICTED TO OIL?

Are you also happy with the status quo in America, ie. the cyclists
grinding on sidewalks, where we could hit pedestrians or poles?