While many folks leave their bicycles here n there (usually bunched up
outside train stations), the proper place to park ones bicycle is in a
parking lot like this. One has to pay however to use the lots but not
much - maybe just over 1000 yen per month. Folks can also stop off
their bike for a few hours which may cost a few hundred yen.
When I was living back in the UK 10 years ago, the bicycle wasn't a
really common form of transport like it is in Japan. High bicycle
usage in your neck of the woods?
ロンドンに住んでいた頃に、自転車文化は日本のように盛んでいなかった。最近だけ自転車が乗れるようになり、よく「自転車って便利だな〜」と自分につぶやく^^;
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Student
Bicycles are mostly used by teenagers and under or the elderly folk, we don't have anything extravagant like bicycle parking spots besides a small area of the car park with metal structures so you can chain your bike to them.
Full-time geek/Part-time student/Part-time musician
http://randomgeekness.livejournal.com/
Here it's all cars.... D:
カタイ－ガクセイ
I live in a college town, so maybe 10 years ago there was a lot of bicycle usage, but these days all the students are lazy, so they drive Vespa's and other types of motor scooters everywhere. If you go on campus theres scooters parked everywhere. I might walk up there one day and take some pictures!
Student - IT
Yeah, damn those kids and their crafty motorized go-makers! haha =P
There more walkers there than bike riders, but both were common in your town. ^^
animetard and a writer
http://kluxorious.blogspot.com/
Sadly no but I guess considering our almost-always-scorching-hot weather, it won't be practical anyway. There are only two weather scenario: either scorching hot or cat&dogs rain over here....
code weaver
http://thejimdandy.com
Not to mention that driving in most parts of Malaysian borders on suicidal, let alone cycling. So far the only places I've heard that it's nice (and safe) to cycle in Malaysia are bordering the kampung (village) areas.
http://www.khimhoe.net
It is dangerous to ride a bicycle here.... ^^;;
???Confused???
not too many bikes here...mostly cars...and smog...
College Freshmen
I don't get why people would pay money when they could just leave it outsides stores for free, albeit illegally. It's not like the police confiscate those bikes right?
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
They do take them away - sometimes just a warning, sometimes no warning - no bike.
Exploring worlds and ways of thought
The system here is way to much for cars and trucks. I managed to use mass transit and bicycle for 2.5 years here. That's with 40 lbs. of tools on my back and safety equipment. Had I not been working electrical construction, I would have had an easier time of it.
I do like riding the mountain bike around though. You can see so much more, rather then taking a car. With a car you are rushed to go places, with a bike you can browse more freely.....Ace Frehley...get it? lol Ok bad joke. But he rocks.
http://otakuposts.blogspot.com/
here its mostly bicycles and motorcycles. there are parking lots outside the stations and people have to pay. no idea about the rates since i dont use them.
Student
>High bicycle usage in your neck of the woods?
Nope, I thinks it's about the same as in UK.
Student artist
http://www.requestview.wordpress.com
Only in Japan =)
code weaver
http://thejimdandy.com
Lot's more cyclist out now that it's spring over here. Unfortunately all are cyclist preparing for the December and January races. Very few people here cycle to just 'get around' so it's all road and mountain bikes.
I've yet to see a mamachari bike here. New Zealand is all about V8 and 'utes' ^^;
Multimedia Technology Student
http://thehappyninjadrawn.wordpress.com
Not many people use bikes as transport here, but there are still some that ride their bikes to the station so you'll see one or two bikes locked up at the station.
When I was over in China last year hundreds of bikes were just piled up out side of one of the stations we were catching a train from.
浦の引き篭り
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3219/haruhimemew.gif
It's been so long since I last rode a bike that I doubt I could even use it to go around the city. :/
That may give you an idea of how uncommon is bike usage here.
Student and full-time otaku
Pah, that yard is nothing compared to the pile o bikes at the train station near my university. But then again, this is a bicycle country....in fact, I'm gonna try to arrange for my thesis research to be done at uni instead of in some company miles away, so I can bike instead of having to use public transport again ^^;
Mobile exoskeleton engineer
Its allot better in the UK than it used to be, Especially in London. If your round in the early morning there's loads on the streets, like mini biker gangs.
Its gone up since the tour de France start, since folding bikes have improved and since our success in the velodrome track sport.
Next weekend (20th of sept) 15K of London's roads are closed except for cyclists to encourage more to cycle. Its the second year with a fair about half way round. I went last year and its a great day out for all the family.
(Did you guess I'm a London cyclist)
Eh In NYC There has been a recent increase of the usage of bicycles. Which led to the formation of bicycles Lanes Which honestly take up way too much room in the already busy traffic. People in NYC who use bikes often act smug and treat the drivers with disrespect or have an extremely smug attitude. Although bikes are becoming popular the main forms of transportation here are still Buses, Trains, and cars.
In Vietnam though there are alot of motorbikes as well as bikes, as well as the electric bicycle. Though there are know real designated parking areas. Usually people park in front of the establishment aka store fronts (sidewalk) making pedestrians maneuver around them or if the establishment is large enough it will have space designated for parking.
http://lolanime.wordpress.com
It's common to use a bike here in the Netherlands, if it's about short distances. Or else, we'll go by car of public transport. Motorbikes are for the cool here.
Student
Bikes are really popular in davis... we have bike racks but not parking space like that o.o;
College Student
http://www.projectsaber.com
Yeah, those bike racks were filled with bikes when I went to Davis.
Bike usage around here is somewhat common, never saw a bike parking lot before though.
Mad scientist
I see bikes everywhere. I like the idea that people use bikes instead of cars if their destination is within biking distance. There are a few problems which needs to be solved though.
1: turning right in a car during rush hour can be an issue. Once the light turns green all the bikes starts and the car has to wait until all the bikes have passed. This often happens when the signal turns yellow, meaning only 2-3 cars can turn right for every green. Needless to say the intersections suffering from this problem can queue up cars.
2: so many bikers drives recklessly. They pass red lights, uses way more than their space on the road, overtakes other bikes without looking to see if they are being overtaken by a car. This means they can drive slower than the car and then turn out right in front of the car. Bus passengers have problems getting in and out of busses due to high speed bikes. Worst example was last time I drove in the city. It was rush hour and traffic was dense. The cars were going around 40 km/h and some bike comes from a small road, ignores a give way sign and crosses in between the cars in order to cross the road. I'm surprised he didn't get hit by the cars.
Bikes should be in the cities and there should be room for them. However in order to make traffic work, the bikes should know their place in traffic too and not violate it.
MSc student, Software Technology
http://www.deblanck.org
I live in Copenhagen which is one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world so yeah, there's a LOT of bicycles! Almost everybody has one.
Student in Internet-based Systems
I wouldn't say Germany is a bicycle nation but some cities have marked ways just for cyclists so here's some usage, e.g. many families do bicycle tours in summer.