Dr. Bernhard Ensink is secretary general of the European Cyclist Federation, ECF:
“Can you make a hero brand of Urban Cycling”
Answer to Dr. Bernhard Ensink.
Sure you can think “hero brand” for city biking. And you should.
Let me explain why.
Forget reason
In the morning, when I ride my bike to the office in Antwerp, there is a path that runs along the Ring. A four lanes highway circling around the town, connecting traffic from Amsterdam, Cologne, Paris and Brussels. A truck carrying load from Lisabon to Copenhague will probably pass here. From 7 to 10 it’s stuck. I pass BMW’s and Aston Martins on my Koga Myata, a beautifully crafted colaboration between Holland and Japan. I see the faces behind the wheels, and I wonder, why do they want to be there and not here. In the fresh open air. Once in town, I can go any restaurant I want for lunch, I don’t need parking space. On my way back home, I see the same faces, standing in line again. They are nervous. They need to be back home on time. Because they have an appointment. At the fitness club.
There is no reason for this strange behaviour. Some will say you can’t ride a bike in your office suit. Nonsense. You don’t need lycra to ride. You don’t have to race that bike. I rarely go faster than twenty kilometers an hour. Doesn’t make me sweat. Others will say the weather is allways bad. Not true. There are much more dry days than wet days. Even in Belgium. Maybe their car has cost so much, they don’t have money left for a decent bike. Could be. Truth is, there is no rational reason. And that is why you have to think hero brand.
I’ve seen at your recent conference in Brussels, Dr. Ensink, the efforts your peers make to convince these people to take a bike. Most arguments are rational. Less CO2, more mobility, healthier. Well, those drivers know that. But that doesn’t convince them apparently. Let me tell you what the argument is: status it is.
Think status
Pure status. Show off. Cars are the symbol of how much you have achieved in life. Your promotion goes from a 1 series over 3 and 5 to a 7 series. It is hard to see yourself on a bike after your long and exhausting climb on the social ladder. No matter how much they would like to ride with me through the park, whistling a tune and arrive relaxed, they can’t miss the moment of parking their car in their executive spot under the corporate building.
That’s where your fight is, Dr. Ensink. Nothing to do with saving the planet or shaping your body. It is status. Your industry has to think how they can giev status to bikes in the city. Don’t think it is impossible. I’ll give you an example. The hotel where I stay in New York offer free bikes for guests since last year. They are cool shoppers, shiny red with the logo of The Bowery Hotel. At night, when I’m meeting some friends in the very fashionable venue for fancy advertising people The Odeon, I get more looks than anyone who would arrive in a stretched limousine. There is a large terrace, and you can tell from the ladies’ faces, this guy is cool, he’s healthy, his success is big enough not to depend on car brands. Wow. That is where you want to be, Dr. Ensink. And most of the communication I see from bike brands, city bike organisations and biker’s federations won’t get you there.
On this website, I try not to give free advice, but I’ll give you one little example of what someone of your industry could do and that would make my point.
I wrote in my book about Brompton, and what a shame it is they don’t take their image further than, hey, we fold bikes.
Here’s what they could do:
In collaboration with a suitcase brand like Vuitton or Samsonite they could develop a Brompton branded suitcase to take the bike with you on the plane. You’d be a star at baggage claim and it would add to your status.
Imagine at the arrival in airports, where you now see fancy cars exposed, that tehre would be a stand with a Brompton being folded and unfolded automatically. People would stop and stare.
Sure, Mr. Brompton will say this is very expensive. No it isn’t. The suitcase is a win win with the suitcase brand. The stand in the airport, you get paid by governemental authorities who have budget to promote biking in the city. Easy.
And there are many ideas you can do, Dr. Ensink, to make city bikers feel more like heroes. Bikes will boom in the coming years. Maybe your industry needs a Steven Jobs to break some moulds. In a no time, my cycle path to the office in Antwerp would be crowded and jammed. So I’ve got the Ring for myself in my big fancy car.
Question for the other readers: how bicycle friendly is your town?
Just back from Vienna. City Bikes stations all over. First station: no bikes. Second station: card not accepted. Took a boat trip.
[...] presentation on Velo-city, as you might recall. If you missed out, you can basically just visit his website and read what he had to say. Guillaume wrote it as an answer to a question posed by Dr. Bernhard [...]
Brompton does make a suitcase for their bicycles. The question becomes, “What do you do with the suitcase once you arrive at your destination?”
Trust me I know from experience.
great post, i love the contrast between european and north american cities… great insight