The Different Uses of Cycles Around the World

In class, the countries in North America and Europe. I was curious about how other countries utilize bikes. We mainly see bikes as a recreational activity or a mode of transportation. Bicycles are children’s first step to freedom, so we mainly see an increase in children riding bikes, but as they reach the age where they can level up to a car, bike riding starts to decline. Driving cars to locations that could take a 15-minute bike ride is a societal norm, it is perceived as going against society to be using any other type of transportation. Americans view cycling as a lower-class mode of transportation, but cycling is more than that. Other countries hold value in the freedom they receive, being able to go longer distances. They provide jobs and even promote climate change. If America changed its views on cycling, we could start to appreciate what bikes have to offer.

As I was browsing the internet to find articles that answered my questions, I came across a CNN news article. There was a slideshow of pictures taken from around the world of the different functions a cycle holds. I found it interesting that these cycles not only had a purpose, but they held meaning. In Vietnam, they use bikes are part of the pre-wedding ceremony. A bundle of cycles is seen carrying family members to the wedding ceremony. In their arms are gifts and decorations that will be used in the wedding ceremony. (Picture #1) In the Philippines, they often use cycles during environmental protests to support their causes and reasons. You will see large groups of cyclists traveling along the roads, advocating for better environmental control and safety. In the image depicted below, citizens apart of the Greenpeace organization are parading through the streets to bring awareness to a petition they created in opposition to nuclear power. They used their cycles as a symbol, which I thought was very powerful. (Picture #2)

Picture #1 is slide 6 of 10 and Picture #2 is slide 10 of 10. https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/20/living/gallery/bicycles-green-world

In European countries we’ve studied in class, like the Netherlands, we mainly saw them riding their bikes to and from work. I wanted to know if other countries used bikes for work. A study, where researched collected data from 17 different countries, across 6 continents, focused on finding data about cycling behaviors. I found it interesting that the cities with lower cycling levels have higher cycling rates of only work trips, while cities with high cycling levels have rates that are equal to work trips and non-work trips. Below I attached the link to the table in the found showing the different rates from the cities the researched collected data from. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1915898?cookieSet=1#

From Articles:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/20/living/gallery/bicycles-green-world

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1915898?cookieSet=1