How to encourage Bicycle usage in Pakistan(or/and elsewhere)?

[FuturePAF]

built dedicated bikeways
https://cycling.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/bike-path-china.jpg

 

[Cookie Monster]

the roads in big cities in subcontinent are constantly gridlocked because number of vehicles surpass road bandwidth... govts need to constantly widen roads and within 1 or 2 years, its back to same.... the population is huge and public transport inadequate. Cities are more horizontal (spread across) than vertical.
you think govt will create dedicated cycle track in prime land which can carry 2 cycle side by side... what percentage of people will that benefit?
as to cyclists using main road, can you do a mental calculation? see that guy in the picture? multiply that into hundreds... its not cute anymore... because even fast moving vehicles slow down and you basically reduced the number of vehicles per second in the same surface area. not good for cities of subcontinent.
what percentage of california cycles to work? do you see the scalability issue?

cycling to work is an excellent idea for individual, horrible for city planner with finite resource... i will spend lions share on building a public transport.. and zero on dedicated cycle track.. may be once numbers stabilize and cars reduce, i would build them.

And again u r back to square one...I never argued against public transportation. It should be improved regardless of bicycle usage or the lack of it. The thread is about encouraging the use of bicycles.

But since we are already on that topic I would like to point out that ur following statement, if true, isn't the solution...
"the roads in big cities in subcontinent are constantly gridlocked because number of vehicles surpass road bandwidth... govts need to constantly widen roads and within 1 or 2 years, its back to same"

In numerous experiments and studies it has been found that widening the roads and adding more lanes doesn't actually fix the problem of traffic. Traffic is usually caused by humans and it's worse in the subcontinent bcuz of ppl behaving in an uncivilized manner on the roads(for the record I've driven in both Pakistan and US).

Solving traffic would require a multipronged approach...some of those are discussed in this informative video below

Another approach that was being experimented recently is called super blocks. This was being tested in Barcelona earlier this year in an attempt to alleviate traffic.

As for the human errors making traffic worse, this video below highlights some of those.

In any case I would just like to point out AGAIN that I'm not arguing against public transportation. I am in favor of improving it. What I am saying is that there are more pros to encouraging the use of bicycles than there are cons.

 

[livingdead]

And again u r back to square one...I never argued against public transportation. It should be improved regardless of bicycle usage or the lack of it. The thread is about encouraging the use of bicycles.

But since we are already on that topic I would like to point out that ur following statement, if true, isn't the solution...
"the roads in big cities in subcontinent are constantly gridlocked because number of vehicles surpass road bandwidth... govts need to constantly widen roads and within 1 or 2 years, its back to same"

In numerous experiments and studies it has been found that widening the roads and adding more lanes doesn't actually fix the problem of traffic. Traffic is usually caused by humans and it's worse in the subcontinent bcuz of ppl behaving in an uncivilized manner on the roads(for the record I've driven in both Pakistan and US).

Solving traffic would require a multipronged approach...some of those are discussed in this informative video below

Another approach that was being experimented recently is called super blocks. This was being tested in Barcelona earlier this year in an attempt to alleviate traffic.

As for the human errors making traffic worse, this video below highlights some of those.

In any case I would just like to point out AGAIN that I'm not arguing against public transportation. I am in favor of improving it. What I am saying is that there are more pros to encouraging the use of bicycles than there are cons.

the amount of money you got is finite... are you going to blow that up in acquiring land for cycle tracks? of course its either -- or... not both... at this point.
i understand the health benefit and pollution reduction but its not affordable at this point... still an elitist idea... majority of poor who do hard labour don't need it(should not burn precious calories in commute)... and subcontinent is full of them.
ya, I know road widening is not solving the problem, nor will cycling help.
The reason I keep saying public transport is not because you are against it, its because it has to precede any such scheme, for years. Otherwise its immoral to blow up money for rich/middle class benefit.

 

[Valar.]

Pakistani cyclist becomes first woman to scale Africa’s highest mountain

A young girl from Pakistan’s northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has achieved the feat of becoming the first woman in the world to scale Africa’s highest mountain – Mount Kilimanjaro, on bicycle.

Samar Khan, a cyclist from Dir, was sponsored by Pakistan Army for her participation in the mountain cycling event in Tanzania.

Khan, who has cycled on glaciers in Karakoram range, scaled 5895-meter Mount Kilimanjaro on Thursday. She was awarded by Tanzania’s Tourism department.

She is also the first woman in the world to have cycled on the 4,500-metre-high Biafo glacier in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Khan, a Master’s degree holder in physics, enjoys paragliding, trekking, and mountainclimbing in addition to cycling, which she has a penchant for.

She is also the first female in history to summit 6000+ meter high Virgin Peak; with the successful attempt of cycling.

http://nation.com.pk/10-Dec-2017/pakistani-cyclist-becomes-first-woman-to-scale-africa-s-highest-mountain

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

I was surprised that people dont even prefer walking and use taxi rikshas/cars/motorcycle if need to travel shorter distance even when traffic is congested during busy hours. I understand that we dont have proper footpaths for pedestrians and its often occupied by shop keepers but still men have no excuse for this laziness

Cycling is not easy either and you have risk of some rough/untrained driver hit you hard on road as they are all in rush and consider cyclists as insects