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Bicycle Culture by Design

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Started 10 years ago by Kim
Latest reply from PS

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Kim
Member

There are still some tickets available for the Bicycle Culture by Design talk on Saturday (15th June). Regardless of your occupation or your preconceptions about Mikael Colville-Andersen, this is sure to be a thought-provoking, lively and ultimately inspiring evening.

You can get 1/3 off the ticket price at checkout by using the voucher code Spokes. There will also be a limited number of tickets available on the door, but best to book to avoid disappointment.

Never heard of Mikael Colville-Andersen and want to know what the fuss is about? Take a look at this video from TEDx Zurich.

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

There is an optional CCE meet-up afterwards as well. I've proposed the Bow bar (purely because I like it, and rarely get there).

Posted 10 years ago #
paolobr
Member

I can come along after the lecture, who should I look out for, not having met any forumites before? Should I wear a flower in my lapel? I'll not be in cycling gear, as I don't drink and bike :-)

Posted 10 years ago #
PS
Member

Mmmm, Bow Bar...

Who's all going to the talk? I am.

Posted 10 years ago #
LaidBack
Member

Got my tickets...

Although we sometimes do the 'wrong' kind of cycling I still think it should be entertaining.

Let's hope the Black Isle Porter is on at Bow Bar....

Posted 10 years ago #
amir
Member

"Who's all going to the talk?"

I'm not sure.

Posted 10 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

I shall be at the talk, but probably not at the beerfest afterwards.

Posted 10 years ago #
fimm
Member

... and Arellcat is easy to spot, because she rides... oh, wait...
;-)

Posted 10 years ago #
Kim
Member

Come to the talk, leave you preconceived ideas at the door and see if you learn something new. He is an entertaining and inspiring speaker.

Lets face it this guy gets paid €4000 + expenses to do 15 minute slots at TED events. If he wasn't worth listening to he won’t command that sort of fee.

Posted 10 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

"Lets face it this guy gets paid €4000 + expenses to do 15 minute slots"

Not sure you'll have made him any more popular with that news Kim... ;)

TED is an 'interesting' organisation (protests outside the EICC this week at an event organised by them with the former and current Greek PMs).

Posted 10 years ago #
Cyclingmollie
Member

I can't go as I'll be at a fiftieth birthday party.

Posted 10 years ago #
DaveC
Member

Looking good for your age Cyclingmollie!! ;o)

Posted 10 years ago #
amir
Member

What makes you think that it's his, Dave? It could be the previous generation.

Hope there's cake, Cyclingmollie

Posted 10 years ago #
DaveC
Member

Look at amir!! angling for an invite ;o)

Not sure I can make the evening talk. I've done quite a lot or riding recently and I think it'll be frownded upon if i bunk off Saturday bed time for more cycle related stuff.

Posted 10 years ago #
wingpig
Member

It's unfortunate that repeated appeals to leave preconceptions behind make you think that the guy must have a problem with causing them to be frequently generated.

"If he wasn't worth listening to he won't command that sort of fee."

Not necessarily. To command that sort of fee he only has to convince the people who book him for that sort of fee that he can command that sort of fee. The people paying a small bit of the fee to listen can't make their judgment on whether he's worth their contribution to the fee until it's too late.

Posted 10 years ago #
Morningsider
Member

I can't make it, but please let me know if the "Burdz on Bikes" guy says anything interesting.

Posted 10 years ago #
Uberuce
Member

I can't make the talk, but if it's long enough or dinner is quick enough I might make the pub. Any idea how long the talk is?

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

Remember having a twitter conversation with either him, or the other one from Amsterdam about the merits of clothing.

I suggested that 'normal' clothes were fine for short journeys, but I wasn't about to wear 'normal' clothing for a 30 mile round trip commuting to work.

He suggested that I was stupid cycling that sort of distance and should get the train, and that I somehow gave cycling a bad name.

Don't worry, I'm not getting into the 'clothing' debate again, but I was rather perturbed that his 'advocacy' appeared to only be aimed at people that were prepared to cycle on his terms, and in a fashion he would approve.

That's not 'advocacy' in my book, and pretty much as a result of conversations with both of them, I don't really get the 'advocates'.

Posted 10 years ago #
DdF
Member

Congratulations to Kim and edfoc for organising this talk - really inspiring, plus very helpful in terms of pushing Edinburgh Council to take cycling further.

Transport Convener Lesley Hinds and deputy Jim Orr were both there, and getting LH to give the vote of thanks was really valuable. She was very public about wanting to see Edinburgh competing with the other 'emerging' cycling cities (including Dublin) and got a big round of applause which can only help reassure her that the current budgetary and staffing input into cycling needs continued or increased.

Also a great coincidence that she was going to Dublin to study their tram, but as a result of the meeting will also be meeting their cycling people and looking at how both cycling and tram are seen there as elements of that modern European city.

[NB - all cynics - I know she is a politician - but that is part of my point!]

Also, one specific question - can anyone help with this? M.C-A twice in his brilliant speech mentioned the proposed bike ban in Princes St (in the area between the shops and the tramline). Did anyone take notes or have a clear memory of what exactly he said? It'd be useful for future lobbying to have it as a quote, or nearly so, and I only remember it in fairly general terms.

Posted 10 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

I know I like the guy, so this may be a bit biased, but I thought it was really a very engaging piece. Cycle Chic hardly got a look in, it was pretty much all about designing cities to be liveable, and there were some fantastic insights into it all.

Jim Orr came to the pub afterwards and there was a wee group carrying on the discussion with Mikael - he also mentioned that he's a good friend of the Dublin mayor and is going to get him to widen the discussion from the trams they're going over to see,

All rather positive really.

The tram answer was really in an answer form, more or less, "What's the first thing you could do to help cycling in Edinburgh? Well don't ban bikes from Princes Street for a start."

Copenhagenize1 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr

Copenhagenize6 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr

Posted 10 years ago #
Morningsider
Member

Unlike WC I'm not a fan and I wasn't at the talk. However, this does sound positive - particularly that many local politicians were in attendance. Sometimes it does take a star turn to get a politician to listen to something that their officials and others may have been telling them for years.

I particularly like the focus on liveability, rather than just cycling - as it is generally an easier sell to politicians.

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

I'm not a 'fan' either. And some of it was corny beyond belief. But I'm glad I went.

a few points stand out:

(1) he pointed out that copenhagen etc had already made mistakes and corrected them, and we should learn from them, which was a nice change from his preachy 'we know it all' usual stance.

(2) he had some interesting points to make about different kind of cities and what lessons we should take from where

(3) he had what looked like a useful diagram (but I couldn';t see it terribly well), which showed their three (i thinK) strategies for different styles of infra depending on speeds, number of cars, cyclists etc. so you decide what type on infra depending on what type of road it is. If we could use a simple tool like that I think we'd be much better off.

It also seemed to me to be a useful solution to the fracticidal debates currently underway between London Bike activists - the pro-infrastructure types totally bashing hackney's 'permeable' strategies for quieter streets. My take is that we need both. More permeable infrastructure so as to make it easy to get about by bike, but a pain by car, AND on the main roads, good quality segregated bike lanes.

Posted 10 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

Kinda shows you don't like the guy...

"which was a nice change from his preachy 'we know it all' usual stance"
I've heard the 'learn from our mistakes line' a lot.

Interested to know the 'corny' bits?

I did wonder after how many people were put off by thinking it would all be about how people should dress.

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

"kinda shows you don't like the guy"

have no idea at all if i like the guy or not. seemed nice enough in person.

I don't much like the persona/brand he is selling, especially when his whole schtick is 'we don't have a bike culture' when that is exactly what he is selling...

On a more academic note, I thought he flunked badly in trying to answer my colleague's question about developing countries - although he did realize how condescending he sounded and tried to fix it at the end. I also found his rather flippant references to 'the anthropology' of it - both in talk and my discussion with him after - a bit glib and unsatisfactory - pop anthropology rather than the real thing.

But, if Edinburgh were to buy into his package 100% I would be delighted and absolutely convinced that the city would be a million times better to live in.

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

On another note entirely, I was quite pleased that at least three people came simply because they saw an email that I asked our school and our transport office to circulate.

Too bad we didn't manage to do that at all the local unis (maybe we did and I just don't know it?).

One of them said that she didn't cycle in Edinburgh because she is too scared. Just the sort of people we need to get on board our campaigns.

Posted 10 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"Just the sort of people we need to get on board our campaigns"

Presume you know who they are...

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

Well sort of, but not really. we were just chatting after when we realized we'd been at a workshop together some months back.

Posted 10 years ago #
Kim
Member

@SRD thanks for getting the word round Edinburgh Uni, I did try to get the word round the other Unis and even offered discounted tickets, but there just wasn't any interest.

Posted 10 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"
Monica Magnussen (@twitmomag)
16/06/2013 15:20
Visited @edfoc @copenhagenize photo exhibit @thehubroyalmile Very inspiring! LOVE the bike cargos, and that 80% still cycle through winter!

"

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

Oh, the other thing i was really glad to hear last night was the mention that Dublin doesn't allow HGVs in the city centre. had asked for this to be on transport forum agenda. May just 'remind' Lesley and Jim to ask them about this too.

Posted 10 years ago #

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