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Two-wheelers are a common sight and widely used in Japan. [1] Of these, bicycles and scooters are the most common.
There are over 80 million bicycles in Japan. [2] Some 17 percent of trips from home to work and school are made by bicycle. [2]
In most residential neighbourhoods, historically narrow streets create a natural traffic calming effect that encourages cycling. Motorists on these streets must often drive carefully due to a lack of sidewalks (allowing pedestrians to walk freely in the street), obstructions such as utility poles and blind corners at many intersections. Relatively low speed limits of 20 to 30 km/h (12 to 19 mph) and motorist collision liability are additional factors that encourage more careful driving on residential streets. [3]
Cycling is one of Japan's major modes of transport for trips of up to 3 km (1.9 mi), and makes up a significant proportion of trips within 10 km (6.2 mi). [4] However, due to the high availability of other transport modes, longer distance cycling is less common in Japan than in the United States. Cycling speeds are generally slow and recreational. People generally do not wear gear or helmets as cycling serves primarily as a last mile (transportation) solution. [5] and/or economical or hour independent alternative to extensive railway-feeder bus or municipal bus service.
Bicycles have long been a major staple of Japanese transport (as well as walking), and train stations often accommodate them. A major popularization boom in cycling occurred following the 1970s oil crises and has not abated since. [2] Bicycle sheds dominate bicycle storage mechanisms in Japan, most often found at train stations, however they are giving way to other solutions such as bicycle sharing systems and bicycle trees. In spite of bicycle sheds, there long has existed the problem of insufficient bicycle parking, and bicycles can be found parked haphazardly at the more urban train stations, inviting fines and mishaps, though this trend is also in decline. Unlike in North America, bicycles are not allowed on buses nor do buses have bicycle carriers. Vandalism to locked bicycles for parts is quite uncommon, as there is virtually no black market in bicycle parts due to strong policing and general public disregard for stolen items.
In Japan, cycling infrastructure is generally shared with other infrastructure (94%) and generally not marked. [2] There is almost no extensive system of separate cycling facilities with well-maintained discriminated paths, lanes and special bicycle streets. [3] Exclusive bicycle roadway accounts for only 1,978 km (1,229 mi) or 2% of all roadway. [2]
While Japan's Road Traffic Act of 1960 (道路交通法, Dōro Kōtsūhō) initially required cyclists to ride on the left hand side of the street (along with other motorized traffic), this led to a dramatic rise in cycling accidents. As a result, rules were loosened to allow cycling on designated sidewalks by the Road Structure Ordinance of 1970, which also introduced the provision of bicycle roads in high traffic areas. Since that time, bicycles have become a common sight on many Japanese sidewalks, while segregated cycling infrastructure still remains relatively rare throughout the country.
Sidewalks where cycling is permitted often contain obstacles such as illegally parked bicycles, utility poles, trees, road signs and street furniture in addition to pedestrians. They are often narrow with uneven, poorly maintained pavement. As a result, cyclists and pedestrians often come into conflict with one another. As an example of this ongoing conflict, from the year 2002 to 2012 the number of bicycle-pedestrian accidents in Japan increased by 30%, while the total number of traffic accidents decreased by a similar margin. [3]
Bicycles sheds are a common site at train stations, and can hold hundreds or even thousands of bicycles. Despite this, there are problems with this system: theft or borrowing with the intent to return is common,[ citation needed ] abandoned bicycles clog the system with nobody knowing who they belong to, and after hours retrieval can be frustrating.[ citation needed ]
Bicycle trees are becoming a modern technological solution to a long-standing bicycle storage and security issues. The most fancy capable of storing thousands of bicycles cleanly, securely, and out of sight (underground or above-ground in a building) and fitted with an automated storage and retrieval system at train stations. IC cards are utilized in the system. Some 85 of these systems are installed throughout the country. [6]
Bicycle sharing systems are a more modern concept in Japan, and largest such system is in Edogawa ward of Tokyo. Since ownership of bicycles is still high, bike sharing would have less appeal in Japan than other nations.
Gasoline powered scooters were once quite popular for college students, working age people of both sexes and seniors. Use declined dramatically from June 1, 2006 [7] when new road safety law put parking enforcement into the hands of private traffic wardens, with the intent of freeing up police to pursue violations greater than parking. Prior to introduction of the new law, automobile tires were chalked by police, who could issue a violation after the vehicle had been illegally parked for 15 minutes or greater. Female officers traveling in specially designed vehicles would rotate through congested areas, reaching out of their window with chalk on long sticks to mark tires. The logistics involved meant scooters were all but ignored and could park freely on sidewalks and roadways. However, under the new guidelines, tickets could be issued immediately by a new privatized patrol force. As a consequence of near zero enforcement prior to June 1, 2006, paid hourly parking for scooters was nearly non-existent.
The parking fine for a scooter is 9,000 yen per instance. The registered owner of the scooter is responsible for payment and a request for payment will be sent to the registered address if prior payment with the issued ticket is not made. If payment is made with the ticket, which would require the person making payment to sign the ticket admitting they had parked illegally, a two-point reduction is made on their license. If, within one year, 6 points are lost, a driver's license is suspended for 30 days. If 15 points are deducted a driver's license is revoked for 1 year, after which an individual may apply for a new license from scratch; time-consuming and not always obtainable.
A special moped license category exists, primarily for those who are 16 but not yet 21. At 18, an automobile license can be obtained, which also allows the holder to operate a scooter. However, points even when received for scooter parking violations are applied against whichever license the driver holds. So effectively, for 3 parking scooter violations in a one-year period, the license will be suspended. This would preclude not only driving the scooter, but the suspension would apply to all driving, automobile or otherwise. It is also widely recognized the police target small engine scooters for traffic violations. Up to 50cc's, scooters are not allowed to turn right, unless under very specific situations (e.g. traveling on a one-way) or exceed 30 km/h (19 mph).
Since 2006, efforts have been made to increase available hourly parking for scooters. While a major shortfall of hourly parking continues, an incentive program to land owners of 200,000 yen for each bike (motor or scooter) space [8] saw the rise of many new parking spots for motorized bikes within major cities. This, coupled with a non-statutory relaxation of private traffic warden enforcement, forcing them to focus on automobiles and to not issue tickets to scooters in all but the most severely congested and designated areas have made the ability to find a place to stop once reaching a destination by scooter once again feasible.
Scooters continue to fill a key niche as commercial vehicles for delivery services, often of food or other smaller items. Scooters, especially during rush hours, are generally speedier than automobiles for household delivery (often roads can be narrow and steep grades are not uncommon in mountainous Japan). Unlike China, electric scooters are not so common.
Japan has a cult of larger engine motorcycle enthusiasts, but as far as transportation is concerned, its more of a recreational vehicle than a utilitarian vehicle.
A sidewalk, pavement, footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick, stone, or asphalt, it is designed for pedestrians. A sidewalk is normally higher than the roadway, and separated from it by a kerb. There may also be a planted strip between the sidewalk and the roadway and between the roadway and the adjacent land.
Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. It has become a tool to combat speeding and other unsafe behaviours of drivers in the neighbourhoods. It aims to encourage safer, more responsible driving and potentially reduce traffic flow. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming, including narrowed roads and speed humps. Such measures are common in Australia and Europe, but less so in North America. Traffic calming is a calque of the German word Verkehrsberuhigung – the term's first published use in English was in 1985 by Carmen Hass-Klau.
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable surface such as tarmac, concrete, cobblestone or brick. Portions may also be smoothed with asphalt, embedded with rails, or otherwise prepared to accommodate non-pedestrian traffic.
A curb extension is a traffic calming measure which widens the sidewalk for a short distance. This reduces the crossing distance and allows pedestrians and drivers to see each other when parked vehicles would otherwise block visibility.
Jaywalking is the act of pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway that has traffic, other than at a designated crossing point, or otherwise, in disregard of traffic rules. The term originated in the United States as a derivation of the phrase jay-drivers, people who drove horse-drawn carriages and automobiles on the wrong side of the road, before taking its current meaning. Jaywalking was coined as the automobile arrived in the street in the context of the conflict between pedestrian and automobiles, more specifically the nascent automobile industry.
Bicycle law in California is the parts of the California Vehicle Code that set out the law for persons cycling in California, and a subset of bicycle law in the United States. In general, pretty much all the same rights and responsibilities that apply to car drivers apply to bicycle riders as well.
Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles or advisory. In the United States, a designated bicycle lane or class II bikeway (Caltrans) is always marked by a solid white stripe on the pavement and is for 'preferential use' by bicyclists. There is also a class III bicycle route, which has roadside signs suggesting a route for cyclists, and urging sharing the road. A class IV separated bike way (Caltrans) is a bike lane that is physically separate from motor traffic and restricted to bicyclists only.
Bicycle transportation planning and engineering are the disciplines related to transportation engineering and transportation planning concerning bicycles as a mode of transport and the concomitant study, design and implementation of cycling infrastructure. It includes the study and design of dedicated transport facilities for cyclists as well as mixed-mode environments and how both of these examples can be made to work safely. In jurisdictions such as the United States it is often practiced in conjunction with planning for pedestrians as a part of active transportation planning.
Bicycle safety is the use of road traffic safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling. Risk can be defined as the number of incidents occurring for a given amount of cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example, which types of cycling environment or cycling infrastructure is safest for cyclists. The merits of obeying the traffic laws and using bicycle lighting at night are less controversial. Wearing a bicycle helmet may reduce the chance of head injury in the event of a crash.
Cycling is a common mode of transport in the Netherlands, with 36% of Dutch people listing the bicycle as their most frequent way of getting around on a typical day, as opposed to the car (45%) and public transport (11%). Cycling has a modal share of 27% of all trips nationwide. In cities this is even higher, such as Amsterdam which has 38%, and Zwolle 46%. This high frequency of bicycle travel is enabled by excellent cycling infrastructure such as cycle paths, cycle tracks, protected intersections, ample bicycle parking and by making cycling routes shorter and more direct than car routes.
A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the roadway, but is made distinct from both the sidewalk and general purpose roadway by vertical barriers or elevation differences.
A motorized scooter is a stand-up scooter powered by either a small utility internal combustion engine or a small electric hub motor in its front and/or rear wheel. Classified as a form of micro-mobility, they are generally designed with a large center deck on which the rider stands. The first motorized scooter was manufactured by Autoped in 1915.
Complete streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Complete Streets allow for safe travel by those walking, cycling, driving automobiles, riding public transportation, or delivering goods.
Established alternatives to car use include cycling, walking, kick scooters, rollerblading, skateboarding, twikes and motorcycles. Other alternatives are public transport vehicles.
Bicycle law in the United States is the law of the United States that regulates the use of bicycles. Although bicycle law is a relatively new specialty within the law, first appearing in the late 1980s, its roots date back to the 1880s and 1890s, when cyclists were using the courts to assert a legal right to use the roads. In 1895, George B. Clementson, an American attorney, wrote The Road Rights and Liabilities of Wheelmen, the first book on bicycle law, in which he discussed the seminal cases of the 1880s and 1890s, which were financed by Albert Pope of Columbia Bicycles, and through which cyclists gained the right to the road.
Toronto, Ontario, like many North American cities, has slowly been improving its cycling infrastructure. The number of cyclists in Toronto has been increasing progressively, particularly in the city's downtown core. As cycling conditions improve, a cycling culture has grown and alternatives such as automobiles are seen as less attractive. The politics of providing resources for cyclists, particularly dedicated bike lanes, has been contentious, particularly since the 2010s.
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except where cyclists are barred such as many freeways/motorways. It includes amenities such as bike racks for parking, shelters, service centers and specialized traffic signs and signals. The more cycling infrastructure, the more people get about by bicycle.
Terminology related to road transport—the transport of passengers or goods on paved routes between places—is diverse, with variation between dialects of English. There may also be regional differences within a single country, and some terms differ based on the side of the road traffic drives on. This glossary is an alphabetical listing of road transport terms.
A scooter-sharing system is a shared transport service in which electric motorized scooters are made available to use for short-term rentals. E-scooters are typically "dockless", meaning that they do not have a fixed home location and are dropped off and picked up from certain locations in the service area.
Cycling is a popular mode of transport and recreational sport in the Philippines.
