For this week's post I'd like to explore transport concepts in relation to my year spent abroad in Japan. I was working on an international relations program and was placed in a small city of 90,000, located approximately one hour south west of Osaka. I spent the entire year commuting by bicycle, bus and train.This was a big departure from anything I had experienced before. I grew up in a hilly, dispersed country town in Australia before moving to a city suburb not well serviced by public transport. Prior to Japan, private transport is all I'd ever known.
Japan’s cycling culture is vastly different to Australia and I feel it’s worth sharing some of the conditions (which I've now learnt through this subject's material!) that has led to higher bicycle and train commuter numbers.
1. A real emphasis has been placed on the interaction and planning of transport and the built environment.The most striking aspect about my Japanese city, and indeed many Japanese cities, is that most neighbourhoods are largely self contained. I could reach a convenience store and post office within one minute of my apartment, a large supermarket with two minutes, a shopping centre within four minutes, a train station within 5 minutes, a gym within eight minutes and my workplace within 10 minutes. There were no 'main streets' and schools and supermarkets were placed in each part of town (my town had six of each). Japan doesn't have a great deal of land space and has high population numbers, so perhaps this design was more out of necessity than deliberate. Without the need to travel excessive distances for anything, a bicycle was the easiest and most convenient option.
2. Cycling laws were fairly lax and unenforced which helped in encouraging cyclist participation. My experience riding was fairly free. I could cycle without a helmet wherever and however I liked - roads, the sidewalk, or combination of the two. For the most part, the Japanese are polite, use their bells and slow with respect to pedestrians. In terms of infrastructure, while bicycle lanes are non existent, streets are narrow and slow, so it's often quicker to manoeuvre by bike. There is still a high rate of bicycle accidents - I witnessed a number of low-speed collisions between cyclists and motorists.
3. The train system is fast, efficient and crisscrosses to all major cities. For me, a trip to a neighbouring city took 15 minutes on a train, while a car commute could take anywhere up to an hour due to congested roads.
4. Lastly, owning a car can be inconvenient and expensive. Obtaining a licence is a lengthy process which requires you attend a driving school on a weekly basis and before purchasing a car, a buyer is required to provide proof they have secured an appropriate parking spot. In major cities, renting a parking spot is sometimes more expensive than renting an apartment.
While there is still high car usage in many parts of Japan and cycling on roads can be dangerous, this was just a snap shot of one town. Can this work everywhere? I loved the freedom, fitness and inexpensiveness of cycling but here in Australia I've reverted back to my car to access far away locations, while dissuaded by current policies.
Hi Elizabeth - thanks for your interesting and thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t spent as much time in Japan as you have, but I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks on a holiday there earlier this year and was able to visit a handful of places, from small towns to large cities. One thing that struck me about Japan was that train stations there are cultural centres in themselves. The station precincts are hives of activity and have great shops, restaurants and other activities (and people) everywhere, even in small towns. The contrast between those stations and your typical train station in Australian cities is stark, to say the least!
As you alluded to, I think part of it is out of necessity due to Japan’s extremely high population density, however part of it I believe is simply good planning. Japan is an example of excellent land use and transport integration (you also see good examples of this in parts of Europe) and something for us to strive towards as we try to build more sustainable, inclusive and liveable urban areas.
Not sure if it is my browser but for some reason I am seeing the text as white (i.e. invisible). If you highlight the blank space you will see my comment!
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteLike Renan, you post bought back memories of two visits I have had to Japan. I really want to return but preferably at a different time of year. My two short visits were in July and boy was it HOT. I still have a vivid memory of seeing a business man, in a suit and tie, riding a bike while holding an umbrella to provide some protection from the sun. Certainly not a sight you would see in Australia.
I liked the way you described both the transport and land use components in Japan. I suspect may people who have not visited Japan would appreciate the extent of bike use in Japan. Your post got me reflecting on some of the cultural differences between Japan and Australia and the implications those differences have for how cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers interact and the safety of all those different user groups.
Geoff
Hi Elizabeth - what a nice experience you had in Japan. I've never had the chance to visit Japan myself, however from seeing some of the street layouts in photos/google earth, they're seems to be a lot more narrower, building blocks are closely spaced together and it looks like cycling are done quite freely without too much need of dedicated bicycle lanes. In a car centric city streets of Sydney, there seems to be an emphasis on the need for parking and is often being the issue that is quite difficult to manage with the community when parking spaces need to be removed to make way for bicycle infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteDid you experience this in Japan in their CBD? Thanks for the story
Hi Elizabeth - what a nice experience you had in Japan. I've never had the chance to visit Japan myself, however from seeing some of the street layouts in photos/google earth, they're seems to be a lot more narrower, building blocks are closely spaced together and it looks like cycling are done quite freely without too much need of dedicated bicycle lanes. In a car centric city streets of Sydney, there seems to be an emphasis on the need for parking and is often being the issue that is quite difficult to manage with the community when parking spaces need to be removed to make way for bicycle infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteDid you experience this in Japan in their CBD? Thanks for the story