Archive for the 'environment' Category

Last year the environmental conference convened in Kyoto. The participating countries sought solutions for basic environmental problems. To what extent did this change anoyone’s thinking? How might the host government–Kyoto city–support movements and initiatives to reduce pollution?
Unarguably, cars and buses are a huge source of air and noise pollution. Bikes are, at the very least, a way to greatly reduce air pollution. Progressive cities in Germany, and indeed throughout Europe, for example, have encouraged bicycling by building special roads, making parking convenient, and even providing bikes in some cases. Bikes are viewed as a solution, not a nuisance. Public transport may be desirable over cars, but from an environmental (and health) standpoint bicycles are desirable to both.
Does Kyoto city support bicyclists as much as they could? Other than the river path, there are few safe paths for bicyclists. Even more signficant for those who cycle downtown, parking is difficult to find.
The city routinely swoops down and confiscates all ‘illegally’ parked bikes. While an illegally parked car poses a threat to public safety, these bikes clearly do not. Moreover, they are hardly an inconvenience parked to the side of a wide sidewalk. Yet, in a display of power, the city cuts locks (in cases where the bike is locked to something), confiscates the bike, then charges a fee for the owner to reclaim his own bike. I understand that the issue is power, and that the government has the power and the laws; this makes them ‘right.’ But to me, as the owner of my bike (my most valued possession), this smacks of governmental extortion! Are all these parking restrictions necessary? Does the punishment–cutting and hence ruining my 4,000 yen lock, hauling my bike away (knocking the front wheel out of alignment along the way) and then charging me more than 2,000 to retrive it–fit the crime? As a guest in Kyoto (who cycled from Nagasaki) I’m left with a negative impression of a cold city bureaucracy.
A major reason I ride my bike is to not contribute to environmental destruction. In a recent article in the Yomiuri newspaper, it was reported that compared to other countries, many Japanese lack an understanding of the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the article concludes that “Japan’s ranking as a world leader may come into question.” Japanese are impressively capable when they put their minds to solving a problem. Can’t the Kyoto government, host of the last environmental conference, do the environment a favor by offering better support for bicyclists?