Motorcycle Monday: Motorcycles And Smart Cities

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It’s not the preferred two-wheeled method of transportation…

So-called “smart cities” seem to be all the rage these days. While there’s no singular concept of what they entail, the overall vision is that by using the latest in connectivity and transportation technologies, governments can create a utopian municipality where all citizens finally live in lasting harmony. That sure sounds great, but for those who want to ride a motorcycle, the brutal truth is you might not be welcome, at least not without conditions.

Outright bans on motorcycles seem to be increasing all around the globe. Learn more here.

Having read countless studies, white papers, and reports on the topic for years, I have yet to see a single significant “smart city” proposal outside of Europe and the Pacific Rim which really talks up the use of motorcycles. Plenty gush about electric cars and having a public charging network, plus a plethora of options for cycling, walking, and riding light rail. But when it comes to motorcycles these planners just don’t see them at best or show absolute disdain for them at worst.

Many behaviorists love to think of their fellow humans as slates. They believe in the “blank slate” theory that we’re all born without personalities or personal preferences, meaning our environment solely influences how we perceive things and our behavior – in other words all nurture and no nature. Any parent who has spent significant time with their children when they’re infants knows this to not be the case. This line of thought leads behaviorists who work on smart city designs to lean heavily into “behavioral nudges” as if we’re all rats in the maze who just need to subtly be told what to do at every turn.

This is likely why planners think if they put big bike paths and lanes all over the place, everyone will just start riding bikes. After all, we’re a slate ready for the municipal government, marketers, or anyone else to imprint whatever behavior they want. It’s like these people don’t get that while some people are content to be herded like mindless sheep, others will push against those efforts with glee. This is especially true of people who ride motorcycles, a fact which surprisingly escapes these intellectuals, proving yet again that highly educated people can be some of the dumbest individuals.

When I lived in Salt Lake City, the mayor and city council decided to make extra-large bike lanes on certain downtown streets to encourage cycling and discourage driving. The result was a corridor of small local businesses which thrived in the area for decades shriveled up and either moved or died.

Another example of a behavioral nudge comes from the city of Hangzhou in China. Municipal authorities offered the first hour of a bike rental free to get people hooked on the service. Copenhagen has its bicycle footrests at intersections. And there are plenty others. I don’t think adding infrastructure for cyclists is bad, but it seems like nowhere in these North American city plans are behavioral nudges to encourage motorcycle riding, like motorcycle-only parking spots. If you know of any, I would genuinely like to hear about them.