星期六, 8月 14, 2010

「單車友善」城市 無煙交通楷模

在這個愈來愈炎熱的夏天,「香港對抗氣候變化聯盟」(CCCC)20多個團體終於可以與環境局局長邱騰華見面,面對面討論氣候變化危機與香港政府的政策回應。本人亦是與會者之一,在會上送了邱局長一本書,叫《鐵馬革命》,希望局長可以在努力推行停車熄匙的同時,參考一下外國推行真正「無煙交通」—— 單車的經驗。

英星視為正式交通工具

單車夠環保、健康、省錢,這些大家都知道;但說到要在城巿中的馬路上踏單車,大家都會不約而同地說:「好危險喎!」的確,香港每年都有人因為踏單車而發生意外,去年就有10 名騎單車人士因而喪生;香港道路人多車多,單車要與車輛分享街道,吃虧的多是單車。但政府回應問題的方法,卻是進一步限制和檢控單車,而非改善騎行者面對的路面環境。

怎樣可以令到騎行更安全?研究發現,騎單車者人數愈多,行車愈安全——這是因為愈多騎行者在路上出現,會使其他駕駛者對路上的騎行者更有「數量意識(Awareness in numbers)」,對於可能出現的與單車有關的意外便更有警覺性。

在香港,雖然政府只是將單車定位為休閒運動,而非正式的交通工具,但其實使用單車代步的人絕不少——當然有更多人被恐怖的道路嚇怕,如果有安全的環境可讓他們選擇的話,他們會毫不猶疑地以單車取代現有交通工具。

事實上,愈來愈多已發展國家的大城巿重視單車的可能性,哥本哈根那樣「單車友善」(Bike friendly)的城巿固然是典範,倫敦、新加坡等城巿亦已將單車視為正式的交通工具。

新城市規劃 助單車成主流

在《鐵馬革命》中,作者亦介紹了紐約和芝加哥的單車發展,它們在城巿大量開通單車通道、增加針對單車的交通路標(而非只有「禁止單車使用」一款)和教育,甚至在一些新規劃區中讓單車可以堂而皇之地使用。

事實證明,繁忙大城巿並不必然排斥單車。以紐約為例,路上的單車人數由90年的每天5,500位,到今天約13萬左右,單車開始由邊緣進入主流,逐漸為大眾所接受。

香港政府現時正規劃一條連接屯門及沙田的單車徑,對於假日去單車遊的巿民當然是好事;但要使更多人在日常生活中利用這種環保、健康、廉價的交通工具,卻必須從一些基本的態度開始、由一些簡單的改善做起,使單車使用者可以在城巿中更安全地騎行。希望《鐵馬革命》這本書內提到的外國經驗,可以讓本港的官員對「單車友善」城巿有更廣闊的想像。

(刊於 2010年8月13日經濟日報)

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