Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 21. January 2020, 14:21

Dear Adis, dear colleagues,
when I remember our visits of Viet Nam, especially of HCMC, where we had the chance to become the part of that enthusiastic celebrations of the Viet Nam football team by thousands of motorcycles... Well, of course, motorcycles are not bike, but they need a lot less energy, a lot less space... But what we can observe very well about this phenomenon:
Symbolic capital, it's all about Bourdieu's symbolic capital: In the country of motorcycles, cars are becoming more and more prestigious, while simple bikes are without any symbolic value.
Different countries, different cultures... In regions such as The Netherlands, where towns and roads are narrow, space is a luxury... bikes became "hip", attractive, even "cool". Where people have already enough cars - and the usage of cars turns already into a handicap due to lack of space, the ennoying search for parking space etc.... it's getting nice to use a bike.
And where people are blocked with their cars in the traffic jam, while bike courier services are much faster.... bikes are turning into an instrument of positiv feeling, superiority, advantage and, in consequence, high prestige. But this works only where all the necessary circumstances are already existing...
After all: Can bikes replace cars? Yes, where the cultural and infrastructural conditions are fitting.

Any different positions?
Thanks, bye, Harry

Quote from Michael Meallem on 30. January 2020, 7:03

I think in many middle-income countries, the aspirations are still more moving up the "transportaion chain". "Our grandfather had a bicycle, our parents a motorbike and we want a car just like the OECD guys!" I fear that this cycle will be difficult to break as its aspirational rather than just practical. In the high-income countries, returning to the bicycle is seen as a badge of your sustainable credentials, but I don't think we are anywhere near that in Thailand. For sure in the tourism sector, it will be easier to convince international tourists to sweat away cycling around town, but the impact of those emmisions reductions will not be  substantial.

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 31. January 2020, 7:58

Dear Michael,

thanks very much for your reply which confirms very much my assumptions. Do you see a realistic chance that promoting bike tourism in some regions in Thailand could be attractive for European "LOHAS" - (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) - something like "exploring Thailand in an "authentic way" (the bad "a"-word...), and, in consequence, this could create some kind of "role-model-approach", somethink like "Oh, the "cool guys" from the OECD-countries are taking bikes now..."
I am afraid that this is much more some kind of hoping for christmas, and you are absolutely right, that the immediate effect on the climate is minimal. But what do you thing about the role-model-effect?

Thanks for your critical reflections,

bye, Harry

Quote from Adis Krdzalic on 4. February 2020, 10:49

Dear colleagues, thank you for the comments! I would agree with Michael, that the "transportation chain" is a big problem, especially in developing countries, where everyone is focusing to get a better social status. On the other hand (the reality is), bike usage is more practical and saves more time in the overcrowded Tourist Destinations. Role-model could be a good basis for using bikes, but education, investment, and infrastructure (roads) should follow this process. I believe we would get better results if some organizations (HEI etc.) would promote bikes and financial support the people who are using it.

Quote from Michael Meallem on 4. February 2020, 10:50

One example is in the historical park of Ayutthaya where the "must do" thing is a bike ride around the park..

A couple of years ago in Chiang Mai, we had the launch of a couple of bike app companies but they seem to have gone already...A couple of issues are the weather (its generally too hot), the lack of bicycle lanes (we have one) and the driving standards on the road....Maybe what is needed is a push for e-bikes or e-scooters...they are ubiquitous in China but I rarely see them in Thailand...of course the electricity generation source is a key factor in the emissions reduction value but it would reduce congestion and pollution for a start

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 4. February 2020, 14:13

Dear Mike, bycicle lanes are very important, as safety is a crucial factor. This plays even a role in Bad Gleichenberg, were we have only a few bike lanes, and ony very few people are cycling around - such strange people like this cracy professor...
So, in Austria, in countrysides, poeple in general tend to drive as much as possible as - according to a cultural pattern - there is the mentality that people work enough, so they should take any chance to drive...

This is changing very slowly in cosequence to new jobs where they sit all day. So, the main new motivation is to have more healthy activity.

Other question: What about transportation by bike in Thailand? Kinds of "Ritschas"? Cheap, "exotic"... could have potential.
But what would be the condition in order to better promote this?

Quote from Duy Phan Khanh on 2. March 2020, 11:42

Dear Adis,

My name is Jay and I come from Ho Chi Minh City. Your topic is a current problem in Vietnam whereas vehicles emission contributes to the air pollution. In my opinion, it is quite difficult to replace car by bike. First of all, cars have become a standard transportation in the tourism industry. For example, the transportation service from 5 stars hotel usually use vehicles such as limousine, cars or couches,.. We have to meet the general demand to compete with other countries. In addition, car is still much more modern and convenient compared to bikes, especially in the severe weather condition in Southeast Asia.

These are my personal opinion and experiences. If you would like to clarify more, please post a question for me. I am always willing to answer. Thanks you and goodbye.

Quote from Adis Krdzalic on 4. March 2020, 9:49

Dear Duy, thank you very much for your answer! I am really happy to hear opinions from locals. 🙂

What do you think...

If hotels make great marketing and present bikes as a sustainable way of traveling, would it be attractive for some guests? I believe that there is always a lot of tourists, who would rather take a bike service instead of a car to feel something unique, since many tourists are trying to find new ways of traveling. From my point of view, it would be attractive to me as a tourist, because I see cars everywhere. Transfer from the city to hotels by bike sounds really adventurous.

Is there any possibility for hotels or other local shops to transport/supply their food, goods or drinks by bikes? What about time efficiency and is it practical for them (see the picture above)?

Thank you 🙂

 

 

 

 

Quote from Duy Phan Khanh on 5. March 2020, 11:32

Dear Adis

Thank a lot for your question.

In Vietnam, bike is an attractive way of travelling but only suitable for the countryside, remote area or small city such as Hue City. I used to travel to Ninh Binh Province (the scene in the movie Kong: Skull Island) where tourists could take a bike for a scenic tour and it was great. There are also bike tour going across the country.

Hotel transfer by bike seems interesting but unlike European cities, Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi are crowded with motorcycle. The below picture is Truong Son Street, the main entrance to Tan Son Nhat Int’l Airport. As you can see, there are so many vehicles. I wish we could but the traffic is chaotic and dangerous for bicycle travelers.

In our situation, using bike for transporting goods for hotels is quite impractical. Hotels usually need a lot of equipment and transporting by cars is more efficient and money – saving. Bikes also have to compete with motorcycle. We hope that in the future when the authority restricts motorcycle and cars in downtown area, there will be more space for bike service.