如今，最熱門的出行工具是什么？
David Z. Morris
2020-06-23
2020年4月12日，新冠病毒大流行期間蘇豪區的騎車人。圖：Noam Galai-Getty
就在6月8日紐約市解封之前幾天，美國疾控中心給出的一項新指南令重啟過程再添變數。該指南建議人們開車上下班，不要搭乘公共交通工具，以減少病毒的傳播。
紐約市的官員們迅速作出回應，稱疾控中心的建議并不適合本市，且有可能導致交通惡化。不過，倒是有一種替代方案：騎自行車。這樣不僅可以減少汽車擁堵，也可以避開容易感染病毒的密閉空間。
與之相應，人們似乎也在調整通勤方式。數據顯示，自行車和共享單車短期租賃服務的使用量在一定程度上有所增加。
需求的增長（以及因疫情造成的生產中斷）已導致紐約和北達科他等地區的自行車供應出現短缺。根據調研公司ITDP的數據，自城市解禁以來，北京的共享單車使用量增長了150%。與此同時，總部位于歐洲的共享單車運營商Nextbike表示，今年4月和5月的用戶數量同比增長了35%。倫敦交通部門估計，騎自行車的人數增加了10倍。費城的共享單車服務商Indego也稱自行車的使用量有所上升，但沒有透露具體數字。
紐約市的情況相對復雜，但同樣顯露出了未來可能增長的跡象。3月初，當人們意識到新冠病毒已迅速傳播，但尚未封城時，該市的Citi Bike共享單車系統使用量增長了67%。Citi Bike的總經理勞拉?福克斯稱，受居家令影響，4月的單車使用量同比下降60%。到了5月，雖然仍未解封，但使用量同比僅下降20%。福克斯認為，隨著城市重啟，共享單車的使用量將顯著上升。
參考2005年紐約市交通工人大罷工和2012年颶風桑迪之后的情況，她還預計，人們通勤習慣的改變將是長久的。上述兩起事件均嚴重影響了地鐵系統，并使該市的自行車使用量增長了20%。（當然，這兩次持續性增長是從總體而言，與2013年成立的Citi Bike自身并無關系。）
美國自行車聯盟的政策主管肯?麥克勞德表示，新冠疫情造成的經濟下滑有可能進一步推動自行車市場的繁榮。根據美國汽車協會的數據，在美國擁有汽車的成本平均接近9300美元。公共交通的年消費浮動較大，總體而言接近1000美元。各共享單車系統的使用價格也不盡相同，但Citi Bike的年費僅為169美元。如果失業率居高不下，上述成本的差異將成為影響出行方式的重要因素。
即便是共享單車發展較為緩慢的城市，也在采取行動，為可能到來的變化做準備。“人們對推出新系統突然有了強烈的興趣，”Lime的首席政策官戴維?斯皮爾福格說。這家自行車和踏板車共享公司最近剛剛收購了競爭對手Jump。
不過，增加自行車的供應量只是一個方面，研究表明，大眾騎車出行的意愿與安全感密切相關。人們普遍認為，將自行車道與機動車道分離是確保騎行安全的最佳方式。
為了響應騎車出行的新需求，紐約將部分街道設為機動車禁行路段，并新增了近15公里的自行車道。這其中不少可從市郊通往曼哈頓，為通勤提供了便利。雖然目前是臨時性的，但Citi Bike的福克斯認為，該項舉措有可能長期保持下去。倫敦也劃出了若干個無車區，旨在方便人們騎車、步行，同時還在主要街道辟出了臨時自行車道。
變化最大的或許要數巴黎，一舉新增了數百英里的自行車道。巴黎市長還進而宣布，將永久禁止小汽車進入市中心。該項變革原計劃于2024年開始實施，目前已在醞釀之中。米蘭和馬德里也在加緊為騎行者提供更多便利。
然而，眼下還有一項挑戰。有證據表明，使用共享單車的人，更多來自較富裕階層。例如，Citi Bike的服務在紐約東部和布朗克斯等貧困人群居多的地區明顯不足。費城“更佳共享單車合作”的項目經理瓦夫耶?默里指出，這與當前的需求正好相反。
默里表示，“疫情期間，人們對共享單車的需求量增大，尤其是那些無法居家工作的人。”一些共享單車平臺為醫務工作者提供了免費或延伸服務，此外，其他從事必要工作的勞動者也提高了騎車通勤的比例。
Citi Bike已加大了對紐約市單車服務不足地區的投入。Lime公司也在積極宣傳自家的“無樁”自行車，這種車無需固定的停放地點，更適合在預算緊張的城市推廣。
“［城市］不可能把數百萬美元花在停車樁等基礎設施上，相比之下，不如在街道上用油漆標記出無樁自行車的推薦停放區域，”Lime的斯皮爾福格說。
盡管這些舉措和基礎設施調整才剛剛啟動，但或有望對城市的未來產生深遠影響。因新冠疫情封城期間，車流量減少，很多城市居民時隔數年首次見到了藍天，這讓人們認識到增加騎車出行比例可能帶來的長期環境利益。此外，騎自行車也可促進心血管健康。
“我們已經共同挺過了這場危機。從可持續性與城市發展的角度考慮，我們建議投放更多自行車，”Citi Bike的福克斯說。
“我覺得，提倡新型交通方式，眼下正當時。”（財富中文網）
譯者：胡萌琦
2020年4月12日，新冠病毒大流行期間蘇豪區的騎車人。圖：Noam Galai-Getty
就在6月8日紐約市解封之前幾天，美國疾控中心給出的一項新指南令重啟過程再添變數。該指南建議人們開車上下班，不要搭乘公共交通工具，以減少病毒的傳播。
紐約市的官員們迅速作出回應，稱疾控中心的建議并不適合本市，且有可能導致交通惡化。不過，倒是有一種替代方案：騎自行車。這樣不僅可以減少汽車擁堵，也可以避開容易感染病毒的密閉空間。
與之相應，人們似乎也在調整通勤方式。數據顯示，自行車和共享單車短期租賃服務的使用量在一定程度上有所增加。
需求的增長（以及因疫情造成的生產中斷）已導致紐約和北達科他等地區的自行車供應出現短缺。根據調研公司ITDP的數據，自城市解禁以來，北京的共享單車使用量增長了150%。與此同時，總部位于歐洲的共享單車運營商Nextbike表示，今年4月和5月的用戶數量同比增長了35%。倫敦交通部門估計，騎自行車的人數增加了10倍。費城的共享單車服務商Indego也稱自行車的使用量有所上升，但沒有透露具體數字。
紐約市的情況相對復雜，但同樣顯露出了未來可能增長的跡象。3月初，當人們意識到新冠病毒已迅速傳播，但尚未封城時，該市的Citi Bike共享單車系統使用量增長了67%。Citi Bike的總經理勞拉?福克斯稱，受居家令影響，4月的單車使用量同比下降60%。到了5月，雖然仍未解封，但使用量同比僅下降20%。福克斯認為，隨著城市重啟，共享單車的使用量將顯著上升。
參考2005年紐約市交通工人大罷工和2012年颶風桑迪之后的情況，她還預計，人們通勤習慣的改變將是長久的。上述兩起事件均嚴重影響了地鐵系統，并使該市的自行車使用量增長了20%。（當然，這兩次持續性增長是從總體而言，與2013年成立的Citi Bike自身并無關系。）
美國自行車聯盟的政策主管肯?麥克勞德表示，新冠疫情造成的經濟下滑有可能進一步推動自行車市場的繁榮。根據美國汽車協會的數據，在美國擁有汽車的成本平均接近9300美元。公共交通的年消費浮動較大，總體而言接近1000美元。各共享單車系統的使用價格也不盡相同，但Citi Bike的年費僅為169美元。如果失業率居高不下，上述成本的差異將成為影響出行方式的重要因素。
即便是共享單車發展較為緩慢的城市，也在采取行動，為可能到來的變化做準備。“人們對推出新系統突然有了強烈的興趣，”Lime的首席政策官戴維?斯皮爾福格說。這家自行車和踏板車共享公司最近剛剛收購了競爭對手Jump。
不過，增加自行車的供應量只是一個方面，研究表明，大眾騎車出行的意愿與安全感密切相關。人們普遍認為，將自行車道與機動車道分離是確保騎行安全的最佳方式。
為了響應騎車出行的新需求，紐約將部分街道設為機動車禁行路段，并新增了近15公里的自行車道。這其中不少可從市郊通往曼哈頓，為通勤提供了便利。雖然目前是臨時性的，但Citi Bike的福克斯認為，該項舉措有可能長期保持下去。倫敦也劃出了若干個無車區，旨在方便人們騎車、步行，同時還在主要街道辟出了臨時自行車道。
變化最大的或許要數巴黎，一舉新增了數百英里的自行車道。巴黎市長還進而宣布，將永久禁止小汽車進入市中心。該項變革原計劃于2024年開始實施，目前已在醞釀之中。米蘭和馬德里也在加緊為騎行者提供更多便利。
然而，眼下還有一項挑戰。有證據表明，使用共享單車的人，更多來自較富裕階層。例如，Citi Bike的服務在紐約東部和布朗克斯等貧困人群居多的地區明顯不足。費城“更佳共享單車合作”的項目經理瓦夫耶?默里指出，這與當前的需求正好相反。
默里表示，“疫情期間，人們對共享單車的需求量增大，尤其是那些無法居家工作的人。”一些共享單車平臺為醫務工作者提供了免費或延伸服務，此外，其他從事必要工作的勞動者也提高了騎車通勤的比例。
Citi Bike已加大了對紐約市單車服務不足地區的投入。Lime公司也在積極宣傳自家的“無樁”自行車，這種車無需固定的停放地點，更適合在預算緊張的城市推廣。
“［城市］不可能把數百萬美元花在停車樁等基礎設施上，相比之下，不如在街道上用油漆標記出無樁自行車的推薦停放區域，”Lime的斯皮爾福格說。
盡管這些舉措和基礎設施調整才剛剛啟動，但或有望對城市的未來產生深遠影響。因新冠疫情封城期間，車流量減少，很多城市居民時隔數年首次見到了藍天，這讓人們認識到增加騎車出行比例可能帶來的長期環境利益。此外，騎自行車也可促進心血管健康。
“我們已經共同挺過了這場危機。從可持續性與城市發展的角度考慮，我們建議投放更多自行車，”Citi Bike的福克斯說。
“我覺得，提倡新型交通方式，眼下正當時。”（財富中文網）
譯者：胡萌琦
Cyclists in SoHo during the coronavirus pandemic on April 12, 2020.Noam Galai—Getty Images
Just days before New York City began lifting coronavirus-related restrictions on June 8, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control threw a wrench in the proceedings. In new guidelines, it recommended that workers commute by car rather than public transit to reduce transmission of the coronavirus.
New York officials quickly pointed out that the recommendation was unfeasible for the city and worried that the CDC guidelines might lead to more car traffic. But there is an alternative to “carmageddon”: bicycles, which let people avoid enclosed spaces, where the risk of catching the coronavirus is greater.
Workers, it appears, are adjusting their commutes accordingly. Although limited, data points to an increase in cycling and the use of bike-share services, whereby people rent bikes for short periods.
Rising demand for bicycles (and disruptions in manufacturing caused by the coronavirus) have led to bicycle shortages from New York to North Dakota. In Beijing, there has been a 150% increase in bike-share use since lockdowns there began easing, according to research firm ITDP. Meanwhile, Europe-centered bike-share operator Nextbike reported a 35% year-over-year spike in ridership in April and May. In London, the transit authority has projected a 10-fold increase in cycling. Philadelphia’s Indego bike-share service says it has seen a rise in ridership as well, although it didn’t share specific numbers.
New York City data is more complex, but it shows hints of future growth. In early March, before lockdowns went into effect, but as awareness of the coronavirus was rising rapidly, the city’s Citi Bike bike-share system saw ride volume grow 67%. In April, according to Citi Bike general manager Laura Fox, lockdowns reduced the number of rides by 60% compared with the same month in 2019. But by May, with lockdowns still in place, use was only off 20% from 2019. Fox believes that points to significant growth as the city reopens.
She also suspects that changes in commuting habits will be permanent, pointing to what happened after a 2005 New York City transit-worker strike and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Both events severely disrupted the subway system, and increased bicycle ridership in the city by about 20%. Those increases were sustained (though those gains were for bicycling in general, not for use of Citi Bike, which was founded in 2013).
A cycling boom could be further fueled by the economic fallout from the coronavirus, according to Ken McLeod, policy director of the League of American Bicyclists. The average cost of car ownership in the U.S. is nearly $9,300, according to the AAA. Annual public transit costs range widely but are generally closer to $1,000. Pricing for bike-share systems also varies, but an annual pass for Citi Bike is just $169. If unemployment remains high, those cost differences could be widely appealing.
Even cities that have been slow to adopt bike-share services are moving to accommodate the anticipated shifts. “There’s suddenly a strong openness to figuring out how to launch a new system,” says David Spielfogel, chief policy officer for Lime, a bike and scooter-sharing company that recently acquired rival operation Jump.
Adding more bikes is only part of the battle, though, because studies have shown that people’s willingness to bike is closely linked to how safe they feel. Bike lanes, especially when physically separated from auto traffic, are widely considered the best way to keep cyclists safe.
New York has responded to its new bike-centric reality by closing some streets to car traffic and adding nine miles of new bike lanes, many leading from outlying boroughs into Manhattan to serve commuters. They are temporary, but Citi Bike’s Fox says they could become permanent. London has created several car-free zones meant to be friendlier for biking and walking and is also creating temporary cycling lanes along major corridors.
Paris may be making the most dramatic changes, with hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. That city’s mayor has further declared that cars will be permanently discouraged from entering the city center, a change already in the works but previously with a 2024 target date. Milan and Madrid are also accelerating efforts to be friendlier to bikes.
There is an additional challenge, however: Evidence has shown bike-share programs are more widely used by more well-off people. Citi Bike services, for instance, are scant in some poorer parts of the city, such as East New York and the Bronx. That’s the opposite of what the moment demands, according to Waffiyyah Murray, program manager of the Philadelphia-based Better Bike Share Partnership.
“During the pandemic, there has been a greater need for bike-share,” says Murray, “Especially [from] those who don’t have the option to work from home.” Several bike-share systems have provided free or expanded service for health care workers, for example, and Better Bike Share has found that other essential workers are increasing their bicycle commuting as well.
Citi Bike is already expanding in underserved areas of New York City. Lime, meanwhile, touts its “dockless” bicycles, which can be parked anywhere, as a more affordable way to expand access as cities face budget crunches.
“[Cities] can’t be investing millions into docked infrastructure,” says Lime’s Spielfogel. “It’s much easier to put some paint on a street and call it a preferred parking spot for dockless bikes.”
Though nascent, this raft of behavioral and infrastructure changes could have major implications for the future of cities. The decline of car traffic during coronavirus lockdowns has already given many city residents their first glimpse of clear skies in years, a preview of the possible long-term environmental benefits of increased cycling. And of course, cycling is beneficial to cardiovascular health.
“We’ve gone through this crisis together,” says Fox of Citi Bike. “More cycling is something in this moment that could be a bright spot, in terms of how we think about sustainability and our cities going forward.
“It just feels like now is a time when alternative modes of transportation have a moment.”
財富中文網所刊載內容之知識產權為財富媒體知識產權有限公司及/或相關權利人專屬所有或持有。未經許可，禁止進行轉載、摘編、復制及建立鏡像等任何使用。
