Hi VicBug Chatters,

 

Chris has just invited me to this listserv (thanks Chris) following the last BUG Pub thingy where I spoke a bit on the VeloCity Conference I recently attended.

 

VeloCity

Ok so now for my comments on the VeloCity Conference

 

“Hmmm well I should first point out that I have presented at several cycling and other conferences over the years and that this was the first conference that I have attended as a delegate (always sounds kinda pompous that delegate word).

 

There were about 900 delegates and many doing amazing things in cycling.  I had a lovely time, got to meet some interesting people at lunch and dinner, drank some lovely beer, saw an amazing city in Munchen (why do we need to change this to Munich in English anyway - and the same for Bayern and Bavaria and Deutchland and Germany). The conference was superbly organised – German precision engineering.

 

However for the most part I am left kinda disillusioned by conferences and offer the following;

• What about an online conference on a specific topic where we don’t all have to fly around the world and we can listen in over a pod cast or Skype or something. Much cheaper and might get a larger audience and grow new ways
• What about a speed dating type of meeting session.  The most interesting bits for me were at coffee and dinner et al where I met some delicious folk. So what say we twist the speed dating concept and organise one minute meetings with people and we can swap business cards and work out who we want to catch up with later.
• I reckon they need a category of folk they actively invite and perhaps even pay for to attend and present. Some of the folk I would find most interesting (Sue from the Thunderhead Alliance (the umbrella US group), Suzanne form Velo Quebec (the largest cycling NGO in the world) and lots more were there but not presenting.

 

Some of the things I saw and heard that interested me were

• A “Slow Up” ride in Switzerland. A bit like a Cyclovia, except in a rural area. 30,000 people pedalling a circle route of about 30km. 10 villages dressed to the nines, no start times and no start place (you choose), closed roads, lots of roller bladers – simple and wonderful, cafes all over. http://www.slowup.ch/
• Call a bike. I had heard of these and it was super to see. Strange but useful bikes dotted all over the cities. If you want one you call or sms and give your credit card, they give you a code and the bikes is yours for 8 euro cents per minute up to a max of 15 euro per day.- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_a_Bike.  I see JC Decaux are playing with something here and there are questions around whether we are ready and how helmets are managed – fair enough questions and I would have thought eminently resolvable.
• Lots of interesting bike parking rails (makes us look really limited here) and routine accommodation for cycling on roads and trains and paths and all over
• Interesting to meet with the president of the ADFC the German cycling organisation with 100,000 members who have a program to get to 200,000
• An interesting presentation by some marketing students who suggested that cycling was a marketing issue rather than an engineering issue. Since 1987 cycling’s modal share has fallen from 12% to 10% whilst there has been an investment in infrastructure. They noted that cars are sold with passion and sex and cycle commuting was not marketed and seen as drab and something my mother did.
• Bike Licensing in Switzerland – each year you pay an amount and get a sticker for your bike that means you are licensed and have some insurance – probably more like a fishing license than a car liscence we are used to
• Dublin cycling festival – more like an art festival with bikes as the theme than a cycling festival with bi8ke rides n stuff – sounded super and I loved lots of the creative ideas
• Bikes on buses – I know there is a view here that we want people riding bikes rather than sitting on buses with their bikes on the back but it works in the US with similar tspt physiognomy to us.  There are over 100 transit authorities and bus companies that have implemented it
• Combined bicycle and helicopter paths in Poland.  I enjoyed the presentation and this line to describe those paths that stop suddenly and start again down the road
• London and NY have a trail blazing leader.  I suggest the city in the world that has done the most for cycling in a period of time is Bogota.  This happened with the passion of the Mayor.  London and NY have mayors pushing bike stuff so I am hopeful of real progress and also that these people pave a way for a genuine trail blazing leader in Aus.
• Copenhagen mayor – aiming at 60%.  They have around 40% modal share and are aiming at 50% and then 60%
• Footpath cycling.  Lots of the cycling in Deutchland felt to me like I was on a footpath (segregated pathways) and felt strange when I was both walking and cycling.  Locals seemed to cope just fine so perhaps it was just me.
• The dough really is in health.  I have been saying this for some time and it was great to meet a fella in the US who had read the same stuff as me and made the same conclusions – like wow there is someone else out there.
• Some silly helmet thinking.  Where helmets are not compulsory, there are some really strange conclusions they make when the point to cyclng in Melb.  One guy had the poster demonstrating how compulsory helmets had ruined cycling in Melb and that cyclists were imprisoned for not wearing helmets…
• Touring – ahhhhhhhhh.  This was my first love in cycling but has waned somewhat in Aus.  My heart sang to see all the touring cycling and the facilities and gear.
• Politicians are the same all over.  You could spot the politicians when presenting even before I turned the translater thingy on just by their demeanor and clothes and posture…  And they seem to say the same stuff the world over.
• Cooking analogy.  A dutch fellow presented a sweet analogy between building cycling infrastructure and cooking – we have a range of ingredients and we don’t always want the same meal….
• European cycling federation – wow – like a functional BFA.  Most national organisations have formal relationship with state and local groups and it seems to work.  They are all then members of the ECF and this seems to work too.  I hear they have their fair share of politicking (both at a national level and at the ECF) but they seem to survive this and flourish.
• Lots of really interesting Ride to Work programs and numbers.  I thought ours was pretty good but some of the tricks I hear of were real neat.

 

The invitation also suggested I write a brief introduction – so here goes – long story but I shall try to keep it brief so maybe point form eh.

 

Introduction

• I attended my first bike meeting in winter of 1982.  Pedalled across town to a BV meeting in someone’s lounge room.  This was when BV was about the size of large BUG.  I have since had a range of positions at BV including treasurer, ride manager, rides dept manager, general manager, volunteer, marketing consultant and lots more
• I was a lead part of the team that identified the potential of BUGs (even came up with the name) based on a group that Ron Shepherd, Charlie Farren, Chris?? And others had set up in Prahran.  At BV we had got good at making a bit of dough and didn’t want to waste it.  At the time there were 202 municipalities in the state and we reasoned that we would never be able to afford to run campaigns in all and that if we like plotting and scheming about bike stuff then others would too.  So we set about establishing BUGS all over – had 30 or so within a year and they seemed to have proved a resilient structure and I see them starting in many places of the world (US, Europe and even one in Africa)
• Some of the projects I have conceived or facilitated or helped on are
• Setting up rides in SA, NSW, Qld, NZ, Tas, WA and more and figuring out how to have these provide a financial base for BV
• Figuring out how to have lots and lots of people on rides and still offer great service – which means lots of the systems for these rides – catering, toilets and showers, council relationships, route selection, volunteer process, sponsorship, transport and lots more
• Copying the Cycle Instead program and adapting to Shepparton
• Invented a health and cycling program that was to tag into the active script program
• Studying and copying the Cyclovia and setting up the wheels and deals for this in Moreland (sure how we can sort out another)
• Hanging out with Cobug (which I think I recall was actually the very first group that used the BUG name) now merged with brunsbug – was even the convenor at some stage
• The free bike on the rides
• Sat on the State Bicycle Committee (the forerunner to the Victoria Bicycle Advisory Council) for several years
• Set up the Campaign dept at BV and put together the first campaign – a bike lane for St Kilda Road
• The early bike parking rails and dept
• Lots to do with the equipment building in the early days
• Others I cant recall just now
• Some project I would love to see put together or grown in Aus
• Timing and seeding systems
• Cascade systems – I see that BV are playing around the edges
• Cyclovia
• Health programs – indeed I would suggest that the main game for cycling is “how much inactivity money will cycling get”
• Some real marketing for cycling – like the cycle instead program
• A “getting started” program
• Currently
• I am a somewhat active member of Morebug (when in town).  Have you heard about O’Heas Road – ripper of a project.
• Setting up some Great Rides in South Africa see www.greateventcompany.com
• Have put together a program of getting cycling mobility to poor folk in Africa see here for a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH2MdjA5TRA and see here for details http://www.greateventcompany.com/topic.php?a=15 and pls pls contact me if you want to help
• Seem to spend lots of time in other places studying what and how their bike stuff works and dreaming of how to get it going in Aus
• Running a workshop at Australia’s first conference of parliamentarians

 

Ok so there you go – apologies for the length eh

 

Regards,

 

 

Paul McKay

Great Event Company

Australian Mobile – +61 425 796 001

South African Cell - +27 83 333 8416

South African Office - +27 21 674 2266

Skype name - paultmckay

www.greateventcompany.com

 

We aspire to a place where people work on projects that improve others’ lives. We love bicycles and cycling. Imagine people’s lives if they rode their bicycle more: their health and fitness, the environment, the impact on infrastructure, the economic ease of transport, the freedom, through the pure enjoyment. We just love cycling.