It's Important to Promote `Green Way of Life'
It is never too late for South Korea to wage a campaign to encourage the use of bicycles. Especially amid a worldwide economic crisis, commuters are thinking about riding bicycles to work as being good for their health, saving money and contributing to the fight against air pollution. No wonder it can kill three birds with one stone.
That's why President Lee Myung-bak is adamant about turning the nation into a ``bicycle heaven.'' In his biweekly radio address, he said, ``(The) green way of life is the call of our times. Bringing back pollution-free bicycles as a key means of transportation is a path we must take.'' Bicycle promotion is part of his drive for green growth.
The nation should have started the bicycle riding campaign much earlier. But, now it is good to see the country riding on the bicycle boom. In fact, riders are on the steady rise for leisure, sports and transportation. We expect that the use of bicycles will rise considerably, boosted by a series of promotion packages.
Such measures include paving 3,100 kilometers of bike paths across the country over the next 10 years. The government also plans to launch an annual international race, ``Tour de Korea,'' from 2012. It also seeks to introduce an insurance policy for cyclists, build bike-only lanes on major roads and create a cyclist-only subway car.
What's most important is to allow people to ride bicycles safely and comfortably. In fact, most parents are uneasy about their children's bike riding because they think it is dangerous in our living environment. Provincial governments and local authorities are building more bike roads. But they are still not enough to make people feel like pedaling.
We cannot help but point out that many bike paths recently carved out on sidewalks are such that no one can make sure of the safety of either bikers or pedestrians. Particularly, roads in major cities are mostly exclusively for automobiles. This shows that the nation has neglected to create a bicycle-friendly infrastructure. In this situation, bicycle riders are usually concerned about the risk of accidents.
According to the Seoul metropolitan government, 266 riders sustained injuries from bicycle-related traffic accidents in 2006. The number jumped to 807 last year. But the real number was considered much higher than the reported cases. A man fell into a coma after being hit by a car in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, while pedaling from his home to work.
Another problem is that the government might push the bicycle promotion as part of ``showroom'' policies that only show people it is doing something about a problem. Critics say that a plan to build 1,400 kilometers of bike paths around four major rivers is designed to promote President Lee's pet project for river refurbishment. Policymakers should not shout empty slogans for political purposes. Rather, they must take substantial and realistic measures to make bicycles an integral part of our daily lives.
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