^fie ^ifce Cotumn By Danielle Janes A variation on the familiar “park & ride” facilities for cars, found at US commuter train stations, appeared recently in Munster. Germany. These ‘‘park & bike” lots include covered and locked bicycle minigarages that allow safe storage of bikes overnight. Driving cars to ‘‘park & bike” lots, then taking bikes the rest of the way, can help save people & cities from the expense of downtown parking. You might prefer to ride all the way from suburb to city if you live in Holland. With 9,000 some miles of bike paths, it is probably Europe’s densest region of bicycle friendliness ...although the town of Erlangen. Germany recently completed over 100 miles of paths. No one flying into Copenhagen. Denmark will probably need the International Bicycle Fund’s Survey of Airline Baggage Regulations for Bicycles (but to order one send $1 to the IBF address below). The city has over 5,000 bikes that can be borrowed/ree, scattered around town in specially- designed racks. Bike-carrying racks on taxis are compulsory, and free bikes are also available in the Danish wilderness at Hoge Velume National Park. Motoring tourists often drive right by potential friends and possible regional understanding. This is particularly true in poorer countries where the majority have no access to automobiles. The International Bicycle Fund’s Africa cycling tours offer an alternative to alienated, superficial tourism. These include: The Tunisia Odyssey, Oasis And Riviera, March 1992; Historic North, April 1992; and The Kenya Grand Tour, July 1992. For more information, contact: International Bicycle Federation - Africa Tour, 4887 Columbia Drive South, Seattle, WA 98101-1919. For teenagers. Sports For Understanding offers a healthy way to learn from other cultures and make new friends. They bring teenage cyclists of all skill levels on bicycle rides through foreign countries. For more information, contact: SFU, 3501 Newark St, NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA, phone: (800) 424-3691. Among local governments in the US, we have recently seen a number of creative and cost-effective uses of bicycles, or their co-optation, depending on your point of view. Fire inspectors from San Luis Obispo (CA) ride bikes to building inspections, and Seattle and King County (WA) employees can check out government bicycles for business trips during the day. The bicycle police patrol pioneered by the Seattle (WA) Page 18 Rain Winter/Spring 1992 Volume XIV, Number 2 Police department just reached our town (Eugene. Oregon) this summer, after finding Portland, Salem (OR) and countless other cities. If you want to see your police on bikes, consider this 77-page manual: Policing By Mountain Bike. Sgt. Paul Grady. $55 from PDG Enterprises, P.O. Box 14255, Seattle, WA 98114. In the summer of 1987, the Seattle police began the first mountain bicycle patrol in the country, using locally- produced Raleigh bicycles. They quickly discovered that without cars they maneuvered more swiftly in dense traffic, and that patrolling was turning into more of a preventative exercise. It became easier to hear, see and apprehend alleged troublemakers. The ~~ “ ^ project achieved overwhelming public approval, lowered patrolling costs and raised cop cardiovascular capacity. The increased personal interaction between the public and the bike patrols reduced friction, and the benefits to the urban environment, through reduced gas consumption and pollution, surely helped bring the enthusiastic response. It costs approximately $3,000 to equip an officer with bicycle, on-site maintenance, seasonal uniforms and accessories, so around 20 police can be outfitted for the cost of a single car patrol. With 40 Seattle Police mountain bike riders arresting over 1,000 felony narcotics dealers in just one year, the arguments in favor of automobile patrols are failing even among enforcement hawks. The manual describes Seattle’s bicycle patrol equipment, maintenance procedures, recruitment guidelines and ideas for finding funds. The bike patrol was funded through donations for its first five months. The idea finds support easily. Suggested sources include: 1) local community service organizations, businesses and professional associations, neighborhood associations, private corporations and bicycle clubs. The Tacoma Washington Police Department began their program with a grant from a business association interested in easing tensions downtown; 2) mayoral and city council lists for receiving donations from the public; 3) grants for narcotics enforcement; 4) other department funds for the low start-up costs. In addition to police bicycle training information, half the manual is specifics on vital equipment, uniforms and accessories. Although some recommendations might not be useful to the bicycle commuter (like the bullet proof vest).
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