The start of a new cycle

New York, London and Dallas are cities that are now paying much greater attention to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. Street revitalisation plans are being drawn up. City squares are being created in places once blighted by car parks. Roads are being narrowed to give more space for pedestrians and cyclists. Across the faces of these cities more greenery is being cultivated and more locations for street cafés are being marked out.
Urban planning specialists have noted the major significance of the introduction of the bicycle rental system in these cities for the development of public space and the revival of street life. The first such bike rental point was opened in 1965 in Amsterdam. However, the wider revolution took place at the end of 2008 and early 2009, when they had been installed in fifteen cities around the world. It is estimated that such rental schemes are now operating in 500 cities in 49 countries. Over half a million bicycles are available to city dwellers. The Earth Policy Research association, which promotes sustainable urban development, claims that cycling is the fastest growing form of public transport in the world. Interestingly, it turns out that the bicycle revolution, which has also come to Warsaw thanks to the Veturilo city rental system, is also contributing to the development of retail on its high streets. Hard evidence already exists to support this. In New York, where the bike rental system has also recently been introduced, studies have been carried out into its impact on the development of local business. It turned out that the streets where safe and designated cycle paths had been introduced are more eagerly frequented. This was the case along a large section of Ninth Avenue, where the local shops experienced a growth in sales of 49 pct. In other parts of the city, where cycle paths had yet to be marked out, the growth amounted to just 3 pct (source: New York City DOT). It is also worth pointing out that the introduction of such facilities for bicycles and pedestrians has considerably increased safety - the number of accidents involving all street users on Ninth Avenue dropped by 58 pct. Such data cannot be dismissed out of hand. In the last issue of 'Eurobuild CEE' we wondered whether high streets would pose any kind of threat to shopping centres in the future. Even though it might seem a fanciful scenario today, it cannot be denied that there are an increasing number of factors that could combine to spark a revolution in retail trade. The development of internet commerce is now a fact; the decrease in the footfall of shopping centres is another. And this shift in shopping habits will be accelerated by factors that cannot be expressed in numbers. Modishness is one such example - it seems today that classic shopping centres have simply gone out of fashion. Will these trends deepen? Will bikes bring new life to the streets? These are still open questions. However, it is worth taking note of such changes, because in five years' time we might turn out to be living in completely transformed cities. All we can do is hope that they will be safer, friendlier and healthier places to live.