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INTRODUCTION We are the bicycles! Our Life and Soul are full vitality, dynamic and strange simple,... These things depend on the way you “use us”. People create us to travel and use for their life purposes. The bicycles’ utilities help people so much,... in material and spirit. When you own me, I can sure that you and I become confidants.The development of technologies bring more choices to people. The typical is modern facilities and high buildings,... but people don’t fall into oblivion us. Thanks to the modern lives, the people close to us. As “a soldier”, ourselves bicycles are a symbol of the simplicity, nature. Bicycles pride of ourselves are “man” bring back peace, protect environment, and oppose our incremental heating of the planet. We create a beautiful story for our lives.
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“LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE: YOU DON’T FALL OFF UNLESS YOU STOP PEDALING.” -— Claude Pepper
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THEY BIKE ...
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— H. G. Wells
DO YOU
BIKE?
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PART 1:
TOP 5 COUNTRIES WITH MOST BICYCLES PER CAPITA
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PART 2:
STORY
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PART 3:
YOUR STORY
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TOP 5 COUNTRIES W I T H M O S T B I C Y C L E S P E R C A P I TA
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5: NORWAY In Norway 4% of all trips are made by bike, never to be seen by their owners again. Most bicycles are stolen from places owners assume are safe. Experienced thieves can take even locked bikes in about 10-20 seconds. The value of a stolen bicycle is approximately 5-10% of the bicycle’s original retail value, with an inverse relationship between value and percentage worth on the street. About 10% of the stolen bicycles are exported to Russia and Eastern Europe.
People: 4,943,000 Bicycle: 3,000,000 Cyclists: ~60,7%
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4: SWEDEN In Sweden 9% of all trips are made by bike. The average distance cycled per person per day is 0.7 km. The bicycle in Swedish family is a necessary thing such as a TV-set. For Swedish people bike is even more valuable than a TV. Often a family has a few different bicycles, depending on the number of members of a family and their age.
People: 9,418,732 Bicycle: 6,000,000 Cyclists: >63.7%
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3: GERMANY In the Germany 9% of all trips are made by bike. The average distance cycled per inhabitant per day is 0.9 km. Cycling is ingrained in the German culture. It is rare to find an adult German who did not grow up riding a bike and whose children, parents, and even grandparents probably still ride bikes. This fact makes drivers and pedestrians understanding and accommodating to bicycle riders (unlike in the US).
People: 81,802,000 Bicycle: 62,000,000 Cyclists: ~75.8%
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2: DENMARK In the Denmark 18% of all trips are made by bike. Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, cheaper, environmentally friendlier and often even quicker way to travel around towns than car or public transport and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015. In Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark) 37% of all citizens ride their bike on a daily basis. The local town hall even offers the visitors rental bikes for free.
People: 5,560,628 Bicycle: 4,500,000 Cyclists: ~80.1%
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1: NETHERLANDS In the Netherlands 27% of all trips and 25% of trips to work are made by bike. About 1.3 million bicycles were sold in the Netherlands in 2009, at an average price of 713 euros ($1,008) each. Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly large cities in the world. It has 400 km of bike lanes and nearly 40% of all commutes in Amsterdam are done on bike. And bike theft is a big problem, with about one of five (20%) bicycles being stolen each year.
People: 16,652,800 Bicycle: 16,500,000 Cyclists: ~99.1%
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STORY The following chapters are personal accounts and stories of real world. Some of them are avid cyclists, some are not. Each of them has a unique perspective, raising important issues about urban cycling. You will probably find something you can relate to in our Real Life Stories because they can be about any topic. You might recognize your own joys and struggles in the completely different scenarios of others’ stories.
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LEARNING TO RIDE My father first started to teach me how to ride a bike when I was small.
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Firstly my father started off pushing me on the bike then letting go, but the first problem was that I stopped peddling after a bit and the second problem was that I turned too quickly and lost my balance, but after I got those sorted I was fine. Next they started teaching me to go further and faster on the beach and at first I found it hard and kept on falling off and hurting myself but just as I was going to give up I tried once more and this time I did it. As I gained speed I felt a real accomplishment in the fact that I’d learnt how to ride a bike and that soon I would be able to go faster and faster and not fall off and hurt myself and this summer I’m going to do my cycling proficiency.
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— Michael Palin
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I NABBED MY BIKE BACK TWO MONTHS LATER… About twenty years ago, my bike was stolen because I had locked it, with a U-lock, to a street sign I didn’t realise was broken.
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JANEZAN It was a man’s mountain bike, a bog-standard white one I’d bought for £50 out of the local paper. I’d put the U-lock around the bike’s top bar, not the wheel, so the thief just easily slipped the bike away from the sign and, I presume, cycled off. I was unemployed at the time, and couldn’t afford a new bike so was pretty upset with myself. About two months later I was walking along the seafront with a friend when a cyclist passed us – on my bike! I recognised it right away, and to clinch it, the U-lock was still dangling from the bar. ‘Stop thief!’ I yelled, and began sprinting after the cyclist, leaving my friend standing, baffled on the pavement. The cyclist picked up speed but I was attracting attention and a crowd gathered and stopped him. The cyclist protested that he’d bought the bike at a car boot sale but voila! I produced the key to the U-lock, which was still on my key ring. Once I’d opened the lock, the crowd was completely on my side. He had no choice but to give the bike back and slink away, just as my friend caught up, still completely bemused.
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1.
No burn gasoline
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It can reduce stress
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No traffic
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Always be the first one in line at a light
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A bike goes where you want, when you want
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Get your exercise while commuting to work
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Builds muscle and increases strength and improve your overall health
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Annual cost of operating a bike: $120 vs. annual cost of operating a car $5170
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100 bicycles can he produced for the same energy and resources required to build one medium-sized car
10. Decreases your carbon footprint 11. Limit your otherwise excessive purchases at the grocery
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12. Tend to support local businesses 13. Automatic air conditioning 14. There’s adventure around every corner 15. You get to see the city 16. Less expensive to fix or replace than a car 17 You can learn now to fix your bike and maintain it 18. Makes you feel like a kid again 19. You appreciate a beautiful day 20. Feel the wind on your face and in your hair 21. Get some vitamin D 22. Make friends 23. You can cancel your gym membership 24. Anyone can do it 25. Have fun
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R N G AS O L I N E 1. NFuelO isB Ucheap compared to last year, and the economic downturn is likely to keep a lid on petroleum demand for a while. But we’re not producing any more oil today than we were when it was more than $100 a barrel. A healthy bike culture will help ease pressure on supply once demand returns.
2. IT CAN R E D U C E S TR E S S
Most scientific research has generally supported the idea that exercise helps to ease stress. Bicycling is very much a part of that, but it’s also worth considering that bike commuters have reported lower stress levels than their counterparts using cars and mass transit, as found in a New Economics Foundation study last year. A 2006 study by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute supports this - a much higher rate of cyclist commuters reported liking their commute than people making their way to work using other vehicles. Just another reason to consider doing a bike commute.
3. N O TR A FFI C
But bikes are often faster than cars in urban areas, especially when city designers have set aside proper bike lanes. There’s nothing more satisfying as a bicycle commuter than breezing past a long line of gridlocked traffic
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SWITCHED TO A
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(your) STORY
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ARE YOU READY TO TURN RIDE ON? The last part of this book is dedicated to you, the reader. Your story is just as important as everyone else’s and it should be recorded. Take some time to record your rides and story. You’ve heard what others have to say about urban cycling, now it’s your turn. Hopefully this book has been enlightening, inspiring or just plain entertaining, but it don’t end here. The last part of this book is a choose-your-own-adventure chapter. You’ve been informed of the risks and the benefits of riding a bike, but there are still a few more things you should know. The power of making a difference is at your fingertips, or toes since you pedal with your feet
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IF YOU’RE GOING TO RIDE A BIKE IN THE CITY HERE’S A FEW
THINGS YOU SHOULD
KNOW 1
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EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SEE TROUBLE, YOU CAN SENSE IT BY ATTENDING TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Up-coming intersections are a major source of accidents but many people roll into them blind, hoping to react to whatever might come. A better way: Use walkers as a clue to what’s going on ahead. Are they crossing in your direction? And more importantly, have people suddenly stopped? It sounds obvious, but most bike riders pay attention only to the pavement in front of them. That’s a good way to get hurt. Also, if a car ahead of you swerves right, there’s a good chance they’re trying to pull a sudden U-turn, Slow down in response. LEARN HOW TO TURN YOUR HEAD CORRECTLY. Most bikes, especially road bikes, make you hunch over at least a little bit. That means you can’t look over your shoulder as you normally would when walking, by keeping your neck straight and turning your head. If you do that on a bike, you’re blinding your-self to the road ahead and you’ll naturally turn your shoulders too. That throws your balance off and makes you more likely to fall if something unexpected happens in front of you. Instead, if youre looking left for example, lower your chin onto your left collarbone. You vs don’t have to turn your head from the road, and you don’t shift your center of gravity.
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DRIVERS WILL DRIVE WHEREVER THEY’RE GIVEN ROOM. So when you’re sharing the road, don’t encourage them to squeeze past you. Claim your space, especially on busy streets. Don’t hug the curb to give yourself a slim profile. That only encourages drivers to whip around you. Instead, give yourself a wide berth, The worst you’ll hear are honks. The alternative is getting knocked off your bike while trying to be poiite to a driverwho doesnt care.
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LOOK AT THE ROAD FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE CARS AROUND YOU. Be aware of where drivers’ blind spots are. If you’re in one, slow down or speed upto get out of it. Never, under any circumstances, put yourself between a big truck and a curb. Too many people get seriously injured or killed when trucks swerve or turn suddenly. You might feel goofy stopping behind a truck at a light and not passing it when there’s a three-foot gap on the side. Deal with it. Be patient.
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DON’T RIDE FAST AT NIGHT. Accidents happen faster when it’s dark, since you’re slower to react when you can’t see as much. And an unappreciated danger is the road itself. li you’re moving quickly, a small, invisible hump can send you flying. (This is what produced my most potentially severe accident, when I cracked my helmet.)
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MOST WHEEL AND BIKE THEFTS TAKE JUST E FEW SECONDS. Increase the time required to steal yours. A couple of tips:
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Don’t skimp on the look, and look your bike right. Those ubiquitous black-vinyl covered U-locks are terrible-they can be popped with a six-inch piece of metal. Cable locks are just as bad. Get yourself a hardened U-lock, or, better yet, a city. Chain like the messengers use. They’re not heavy when worn around your waist. When you lock your bike, loop through the wheel and, more importantly, the frame-few thieves will saw through it to steal your bike. WEAR A HELMET. If you’re too embarrassed you’re also too dumb to ride a bike in a city Seriously.
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THIS COULD BE YOU
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GET OUT THERE AND RIDE A BIKE, SEE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO KNOW THAT YOU’RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITH EVERY PEDAL REVOLUTION.
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ENDNOTES Listed below are the research resources for my research. For more information please visit the websites or books listed here. There are many more resources that have enriched my overall knowledge of my ______ topic but that are not represented here because the specific information was not used. Research and interactions with people have been the most enriching part of this project and gaining insights.
PART ONE: Top 10 Countries with Most Bicycles per Capita: Posted by admin John, on 3/14/11. Web < http://top10hell.com/top-10-countrieswith-most-bicycles-per-capita/> Indicators. Web < http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/05/06/bike. friendly.cities.matador/> Image source: collection PART TWO: History. Web < http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trang_Ch%C3%ADnh> Image source: collection
PART THREE: -- (There) Story. Web < http://bikestory.org.uk/your-story/> Image source: collection -- (My) Story: Posted by Ulrich, Rarl, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fight Global Warming, Reduce Your Carbon Footprin. â&#x20AC;&#x153; TerraPass Inc, 2007. Web. <http:// www.terrapass.com/>
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25 reason why you should ride. Written by Cliff Kuang “bike commuting and Living to tell about it - conflict of Interests - GOOD.” GOOD Magazine.21 Apr.2009.Web. <http://www.good.is/post/ bike-commuting-and-living-to-tell-about-it/>
All Quote from page. Web < http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/ keywords/bicycle.html> Use of images: Photographer :Warszawa rowerowa, Hly5, Ineverstoppedlooking, Factory Five, EcoVelo, Vicktor Abrahams // Flickr
THANK YOU Now put this book down and get out there!