In the right place, bikes can be a boon
Everybody loves a bicycle. There is something about the non-polluting, people-powered machine that conjures up childhood dreams of self-reliance. The collateral benefits of bicycle use are many - better health, a cleaner environment, and aesthetic appeal.
In 1980, New York's feisty mayor Ed Koch visited Beijing, whose wide avenues were then ruled by bicycle cavalcades in basic blue and black. Mr Koch was so impressed that he decreed the creation of bicycle lanes along Manhattan's major downtown corridors. These have been the subject of intense controversy ever since.
The problem is that until cars, trucks, and motorcycles are banned from city streets, bicycles occupying the same space become a slow-moving hazard, even if the roads are wide enough to mark off special lanes for them. In Hong Kong, they are not.
Now Hong Kong's transport department is proposing spending up to $4.7 million on creating a bicycle commuting and recreational network through Hong Kong. Advocates cite projects to construct a recreational cycling path circling Manhattan and a London plan to improve cycling facilities. The Hong Kong Cycling Alliance is particularly keen on a waterfront cycling route that would eventually stretch from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan, arguing that it could become a healthy alternative for commuters.
This newspaper would be the last to argue against a complete rethink and revitalisation of the potentially beautiful and people-friendly Hong Kong and Kowloon waterfronts, now more aptly described as examples of urban blight. But does it really make sense to bring commuters into central Hong Kong and Kowloon by bicycle?
Linking existing dedicated bicycle paths for recreational use is another matter. Planners need to look not only at such links but also at ways to make it easier for people to get themselves and their bicycles to trails by way of public transport. But it doesn't take an engineer to figure out that the narrow roads, steep elevations, flyovers, and complex intersections of Hong Kong Island, and the choked streets of Kowloon, are a recipe for bicycle disaster.
We need to make it easier for bicycle enthusiasts to pursue their sport in country parks and scenic areas - not add to the nightmare of city traffic.
