Indo Ambassador

Attending the CDU Waterfront campus I happened across this beauty.

An Indonesian Rickshaw, freshly painted and sporting promotional banners from  Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia

Singapore 2017

Back to this much neglected blog...

Well I don't have anything particularly profound or ground breaking to share. The world seems to be moving along quite happily without transitioning to renewable energy or awakening to the virtues of pedal powered transport.... Well as far as Australia is concerned anyway.

However I was recently in Singapore, where, although there appears to be a similar decline in the use of bicycles as a serious transport option, they do at least have some remnant machines worth taking a few photos of. 

So basically here is a collection of photos I took of remnant rickshaws and utility tricycles I happened to see while I was there.

Service trike. There are several around town they collect rubbish

Cargo Trike - Old but still being used by a gleaner collecting recyclable bottles

Rickshaw - On display at the food court near the monorail station to Sentosa Island

Extra long cargo trike - Huge potential as a hearse @ Sentosa Island

Uncles Trishaws in Little India

Cargo Trike - Not sure what it's being used for, possibly a vendor

Uncle's Trishaw - parked

Trishaw parking bay

Utility Trike - fairly new looking in good condition

Tricycle rubbish collector

New Home

(Delayed post from 2 years ago... forgot to hit the publish button, ;))

Damnit! I missed a whole month (more) of blogging.
Too busy, working and moving and working and moving and working.... literally...

A week of logistical management, cooking, cleaning, driving, booking flights and all that... followed by a couple of weeks of trying to shift 17 years worth of life into another house, consoling wife and kids along the way.... followed by another week and a half of 15 hours or more per day of the same kind of logistical stuff I do for a living, followed by, what I thought would be a break but turned out to be a combination of helping a friend move house and sorting out logistical crap unexpectedly for work again... There were some ordinary moments in amongst it which I owed my family since I'd accrued a serious time debt...

And now here I am somewhere down the line in the middle of July and finally get a chance to sit at my computer and I'm so stuffed all I can post is a picture of a blue winged kookaburra on the clothes line of my new place... and the Double barred finch who's eggs he stole!

Catch ya later.  

Cambodia pop rock revival

My interest in rickshaws or cyclo extends beyond a fascination with the machine itself. It's not just about the lifestyle of the rickshaw wallah either. I suppose my deepest interest is in the idea that we can live more simply cooperatively and happily than the modern consumer resource hungry world offers.
I find myself constantly rebelling at the homogenization of our society and love to see other cultures forcing their way into the mainstream. A couple of years ago I met Julien and Channthy of the awesome band Cambodian Space  Project CSP. There is so much I love about this band that I can't type on my phone as I sit here in the blood bank (with daytime TV blaring in the background).

CSP Are the merging of past, present and future, funk, rock pop tradition and culture. 
Please check out some of their stuff online. You will be amazed and entertained!
Their current show in Sydney includes a cosmic funkadelic golden galactic cyclo! Proving that futuristic space travelers know how to travel in style!

http://www.pozible.com/project/194460

Bakpao vendor Bali

While in Bali last week I saw several tricycle vendors.

Here's one of interest. The Bakpao cart.

BAKPAO (INDONESIAN STEAMED DUMPLING SNACK)

Bakpao vendor on Legian beach during Melasti ceremony March 2015

Time for a re-build

The Long bike is due for a major overhaul again, this time I don't know if I can save the frame.

The problem is that the thread in the frame where the bottom bracket screws in must be stripped. The bottom bracket has all but broken free of the frame but I cannot unscrew it.

I've looked around for a second hand replacement frame but haven't been able to find any suitable donor bikes. Mountain bikes these days seem to all come with suspension on the front, I need more rigidity.  If I can't re-tap the thread for the bottom bracket, I am really going to need a suitable steel frame with rigid forks to transfer the Xtracycle onto. I never thought they would have become so hard to find.

I don't intend to start this fix until about April or May when the weather improves but I sure hope I find a solution before then. I doubt I'll be satisfied with another frame so I'm starting to think I aught to ask around at some engineering places to see if it's possible to insert a sleeve and re-tap the thread.

Wooden cargo trike

Last week we visited Werribee zoo and saw this really interesting cargo trike.
I have no idea where it was made but it seems quite sturdy.

The frame is sculpted plywood with steel inserts for the dropouts, bottom bracket and various other moving parts.

 The Storage space in front is a plastic drum

Check the interesting location of gear selector.

Looking back - arrival of pedicabs in Darwin

Here's an article from the NT News dated 26th August 2011.

I found this amongst some newspaper cuttings and thought it worth posting for a look back on when pedicabs started operation in Darwin.

Stationary cyclo

I've driven past this becak many times over the past year or so. I'm not too sure how many of these there are lurking around Darwin town but I thought I'd better get a couple of shots, just in case it disappears.

Building Community Confidence

Consumer confidence....?!!! Apparently it's what the world economy is based on.
This post is absolutely nothing to do with 'Consumer Confidence' it's about building Community Confidence.

It's time we started!   

- Cycling without age -

A continuation from Syed Saiful Alam's previous post, originally published as a comment on 8th July 2012.

"Finally, are rickshaws an antiquated vehicle that should be relegated to the past, or instead a glowing emblem of modernity? The most modern, attractive, liveable cities are mostly in western Europe. A significant portion of trips in those cities – say, 30-50% or more – occurs by bicycle. European cities, as well as growing numbers of cities in Australia and North America, promote the bicycle in order to reduce traffic congestion, fumes, noise, and travel expense, and to increase the attractiveness and liveability of cities.

What after all is a rickshaw but a three-wheeled bicycle (imagine trying to cycle through Dhaka...no wonder people prefer rickshaws!). Given the related catastrophes of climate change, peak oil, obesity, and lack of physical activity, governments around the world are trying to get people out of their cars. It is the low-income cities of the world that are heading in the opposite direction, laying out the red carpet for cars while making life difficult and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. Why are policymakers in Dhaka insistent on making things worse for the city rather than better? If we really want to reduce traffic congestion, we must do what city after city around the world has been forced to do: actively work to reduce travel by car and increase travel by other means.

Years ago, an international transport expert referred to Dhaka’s modal share as “enviable”: few cars and many rickshaws. Rather than appreciate what we had and work to make things even better, we are instead working to increase traffic congestion, noise, fumes, and expense, and to make moving about the city more difficult for the non-car-owning majority.

It is also interesting to note that the latest rickshaw bans occurred after government decisions to limit car use through a variety of measures. To the best of our knowledge, none of those measures have been implemented to date, while other measures to encourage car use continue. What was done instead, despite significant media attention over the last few years to the problem of private cars, was to ban rickshaws from various streets. Clearly the decision was based on prejudice, not any technical understanding of the situation. It allows the government to say that it is doing something to improve traffic, while only making matters worse, because politically it is difficult to put into places measures to reduce the vehicle preferred by a tiny portion of the most wealthy and powerful.

But it is wrong to believe that only rickshaw pullers are upset by the bans. Dhaka residents have long suffered for the various bans that have been put into place over the years: witness the long lines of people attempting to go to and from New Market by rickshaw, or the anger of women in focus groups discussing the rickshaw bans on Mirpur Road. Of course people want safe, convenient, comfortable transport. People also vote. It is not wise to anger the masses through such wrong-minded decisions.

It is time to raise our voices in support of smart traffic planning: to ensure that all people, not just those with a car, can move about safely and conveniently; that non-polluting modes are given priority; and that international experience in addressing traffic congestion is put to good use here. It is time to say no to further rickshaw bans, to overturn the recent ones, and to work together to make Dhaka a city in which people can move about safely, comfortably, and conveniently on foot, on 2- and 3-wheeled bicycles (rickshaws), and on public transport. We would all benefit from the improved air quality, safety, and convenience."

Syed Saiful Alam
Environmental Activist

A reflection on shortsighted policy

 A Guest Post from environmentalist and rickshaw advocate Sayed Saiful Alam from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Sayed challenges claims that traveling by rickshaw is 'inhumane' to the riders. He critiques Government initiatives to 'Modernize' Dhaka by removing rickshaws from the streets and the subsequent traffic congestion caused by an increase in motor vehicles in his city.

Sayed also points out the micro economic benefits of the rickshaw industry, which has traditionally supported thousands of families and provided a flexible employment option for people who would otherwise be forced to work in much worse conditions. 

 

Author:  Syed Saiful Alam

How inhuman is the business of pedaling a rickshaw? It might not be a profession most of you reading this article would like to have, but neither is it likely you would wish to spend hours a day standing in water, bent at the waist, transplanting rice. The measure of whether a profession is inhuman is not whether or not we are willing to engage in it, but rather what those working in it feel about it and what their alternatives are. Rickshaw pulling is a huge source of needed jobs; the pullers themselves clearly prefer it to begging or starving. Further, unlike many other professions, it is fairly well-paid, involves a good deal of independence, and gives the pullers a chance to choose their hours and to rest when they wish. It is thus far less inhuman than many other professions. What is inhuman is denying people the right to earn a living.

How well can we manage without the rickshaw in Dhaka? It is important to remember that many trips taken are short. Does it make sense to wait 10-20 minutes for a bus in order to travel 3 kilometres? What if you have many destinations: say a woman taking her child to school, going to a shop, visiting a relative, going home, then going back to pick up her child? If she had to buy separate bus tickets for each trip segment, the expense would be exorbitant. No wonder 41% of trips to take children to school occur by rickshaw; it is a safe, convenient, and affordable form of door-to-door transport.

As for walking as an alternative, we are all for it: but first there needs to be a better environment for walking. The problems faced by those on foot in Dhaka are numerous: footpaths in bad condition, often occupied by parked cars, and used at times by motorbikes; lack of safe street crossings; bad smells due to the lack of public toilets; lack of safety at night; and the exposure to continual fumes and noise from the traffic on the streets. Rickshaws provide a fairly pleasant alternative to the dismal business of walking in Dhaka; it is unfair to the middle class to take away that option in the assumption that they should either buy a car or suffer on buses, which themselves involve a number of obstacles to comfortable travel and of course only operate on certain routes, causing problems for those traveling with children, carrying heavy items, and so on.

Speaking of the popularity of rickshaws, it is helpful to compare the percentage of trips that occur by rickshaw versus car. No measures have been taken to ban cars from narrow lanes, despite the obvious fact that cars create congestion in the lanes, blocking the easy movement of hundreds of people traveling by rickshaw. Far from it: the building code is insisting on the provision of ever more car parking, providing incentive for ever more cars, even on narrow streets. But how popular is the car versus the rickshaw?

According to the latest government figures, for overall trips in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area and Dhaka City Corporation, 4-5% are made by car versus 29-39% by rickshaw. While men make 32% of their trips by car, that figure is 47.4% for women. As mentioned, 41% of trips to school occur by rickshaw; only 4% are taken by car (yet cars already create hideous congestion around schools and during the times when children go to and from school). While car use is far higher among the wealthy (here defined as those earning over 50,000 taka per month), at 18% of trips, that figure is still dwarfed by rickshaw trips: 35% of trips taken by the wealthy are by rickshaw. That is, rickshaws account for twice the number of trips as cars even among the wealthier, and up to ten times as many trips overall. If it is so important to ban vehicles due to the congestion they create, why on earth is it the rickshaw that is being banned?

Finally, are rickshaws an antiquated vehicle that should be relegated to the past, or instead a glowing emblem of modernity? The most modern, attractive, liveable cities are mostly in western Europe. A significant portion of trips in those cities – say, 30-50% or more – occurs by bicycle. European cities, as well as growing numbers of cities in Australia and North America, promote the bicycle in order to reduce traffic congestion, fumes, noise, and travel expense, and to increase the attractiveness and liveability of cities.

What after all is a rickshaw but a three-wheeled bicycle (imagine trying to cycle through Dhaka...no wonder people prefer rickshaws!). Given the related catastrophes of climate change, peak oil, obesity, and lack of physical activity, governments around the world are trying to get people out of their cars. It is the low-income cities of the world that are heading in the opposite direction, laying out the red carpet for cars while making life difficult and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. Why are policymakers in Dhaka insistent on making things worse for the city rather than better? If we really want to reduce traffic congestion, we must do what city after city around the world has been forced to do: actively work to reduce travel by car and increase travel by other means.

Years ago, an international transport expert referred to Dhaka’s modal share as “enviable”: few cars and many rickshaws. Rather than appreciate what we had and work to make things even better, we are instead working to increase traffic congestion, noise, fumes, and expense, and to make moving about the city more difficult for the non-car-owning majority.

It is also interesting to note that the latest rickshaw bans occurred after government decisions to limit car use through a variety of measures. To the best of our knowledge, none of those measures have been implemented to date, while other measures to encourage car use continue. What was done instead, despite significant media attention over the last few years to the problem of private cars, was to ban rickshaws from various streets. Clearly the decision was based on prejudice, not any technical understanding of the situation. It allows the government to say that it is doing something to improve traffic, while only making matters worse, because politically it is difficult to put into places measures to reduce the vehicle preferred by a tiny portion of the most wealthy and powerful.

But it is wrong to believe that only rickshaw pullers are upset by the bans. Dhaka residents have long suffered for the various bans that have been put into place over the years: witness the long lines of people attempting to go to and from New Market by rickshaw, or the anger of women in focus groups discussing the rickshaw bans on Mirpur Road. Of course people want safe, convenient, comfortable transport. People also vote. It is not wise to anger the masses through such wrong-minded decisions.

It is time to raise our voices in support of smart traffic planning: to ensure that all people, not just those with a car, can move about safely and conveniently; that non-polluting modes are given priority; and that international experience in addressing traffic congestion is put to good use here. It is time to say no to further rickshaw bans, to overturn the recent ones, and to work together to make Dhaka a city in which people can move about safely, comfortably, and conveniently on foot, on 2- and 3-wheeled bicycles (rickshaws), and on public transport. We would all benefit from the improved air quality, safety, and convenience.

Syed Saiful Alam
Environmental Activist

Cargo fleet

Oh I have neglected this site terribly! I am so sorry guys but I have ignored the criteria for my own blog. I've focused on Rickshaws and pedicabs and forgotten completely to talk about cargo bikes.

Well I don't actually have the time or feel inspired to do that right now but I thought I'd at least post a couple of photos of my two amazing cargo bikes, which I have come to depend upon for carting all kinds of stuff, while usually transporting my kids at the same time!

Firstly I'd like to introduce you to the Xtracycle.
This has been my primary mode of transport since 2008... I think...






She can carry a load!


THE CARGOBIKE (In Ice-cream bike mode)


Cargobike as she was when I purchased her


Cargobike in family transport mode

Ice cream Bike

OK it's not a bike it's a Trike. Cargo Bike.
Not sure what the quality of the machine is like yet and I may be in for some disappointment but I've decided to take a plunge and put myself in debt for the sake of following a dream... of sorts... Well actually this wasn't really 'The Dream' but a bit of a patchwork of various dreams, or frankly, schemes I'd had in the distant past. Chance threw something my way, I'm not sure it was a great deal but I couldn't bear the thought if balking at yet another opportunity so I decided to jump in! (Like the frogs on the rock who decided to jump into the pond, I haven't actually jumped yet)

Introducing ICE CREAM BIKE!



Project in process... Stay tuned for more.

The biassed opinions of a few

Here in Darwin at this time of year we have a wonderful Festival of Arts that runs for about 3 weeks. It ended this weekend and once again has provided Darwin with some wonderful displays of visual and performance art and some great music. 

There were some wonderful outdoor experiences this year including a Mini, Short Film festival on wheels by way of  Projector Bike. From Melbourne. Tons of bicycles on the street and to top it all off people this year had the opportunity to be ridden from show to show in Pedicabs!

THE Projector Bike

Funnin round on bikes and cabs

I had a great experience during the Darwin Festival riding in the back of a pedicab. The city seemed happier, friendlier and moving at a pace similar to how I found the city when I arrived here 15 years ago. Ahhh the soft night air, the open sky and the smiles of people, who, like me enjoyed the fact that a slower, more relaxed way had returned to Darwin town. The riders were ultra friendly and were also enjoying the atmosphere of the Darwin Festival as seen from the perspective of a self propelled dream machine... (my personal opinion)

Unfortunately and absolutely predictably there has already been public backlash against the Pedicabs of Darwin. Based on the portion of a morning Talk-back radio show I managed to catch on the way to work, I'd say Pedicabs are already receiving more than their fair share of flack from opinionated members of the public, irritable and impatient drivers and of course disgruntled taxi and bus drivers. Unfortunately I didn't manage to hear the whole story but it seemed that the owner of the company and riders were not interviewed and the segment appeared to be angled toward giving air to complaints against pedicabs rather than discussing the potential benefits to having them cruising our city streets.

ABC TV News also ran an short story on Pedicabs based on their perceived nuisance impact on Darwin city streets.

Of course this is not uncommon. Cities from Mumbai to New York have reported conflict between taxi drivers and Pedicab/Rickshaw/Becak riders. More often than not it appears to me that the motor vehicle driver's sense of dominion over the road and their perceived sense of entitlement to use it at the expense of vehicles of any other type or mode is the true cause of most of the aggravation. If you consider the size of Darwin and it's population, the amount of space on our roads, the number of streets that pedicabs actually operate on and the fact that we are a tourist oriented city it is very hard to understand why there would be any need for conflict over road space.

I am sure the sudden appearance of up to 10 Pedicabs on our roads will likely have caught many drivers by surprise and, as with cyclists, motorcyclists, horses or any other road users, Darwin drivers appear, as usual, at a loss as to how to behave when confronted with anything other than another car on the road. But surely with a little bit of education about sharing the road, and some friendly encouragement to acknowledge that, just like bicycles, motorcycles even ambulances, Pedicabs are simply another legitimate way of transporting human beings in a manner that is most appropriate to their needs. The right of people to travel according to their need should not really have to be held to account by the demands of the most dominant road users.

Having said all this in the defense of Pedicabs (and their riders) it would be fair also to expect riders to show an equal amount of respect for other road users.

One of the major problems I see concerning this and many other issues on our roads is the attitude in our society which tends toward legislation and legalism, Rights and Wrongs, relying on enforcement by officers of the Law. This way of living seems to create a sense of entitlement rather than fostering attitudes of courtesy and mutual respect and certainly does not create an environment that leads to good 'roadmanship'.

Basically people are more concerned with being Right than being happy. The space that Pedicab culture (if such a thing ever existed) seeks to inhabit is urban but open, slightly less organized by 'laws' but governed instead by the rhythm and movement of people on the street. In a tourist town such as Darwin which seeks to encourage pedestrian use of its central streets and malls (Only a few blocks really) Pedicabs should rise to become the contemporary vehicle of choice. If seen in this context they have some very obvious virtues. Pedicabs are quiet (OK currently they use loud music which may contradict the theories of good 'Roadmanship'), non polluting, fun, fast (compared to walking), slow enough for shoppers or tourists to stop when something catches their eye, healthy and cheep. They are less hazardous to pedestrians and possibly even have the potential to reduce congestion...  

One thing I am sure of is that tensions between Pedicab riders and cabbies definitely seem to be rising. Before leaving the festival on Saturday night I happened to observe a friendly exchange between a Pedicab rider and his passengers. I thought to myself how pleasant Darwin is during the Festival. Then as the pedicab pulled away from the curb at the bottom end of Smith Street just opposite Browns Mart a taxi came charging up the street from considerable distance away (plenty of room to go pass slowly) and tailgated the pedicab beeping his horn! There was a brief exchange of verbal abuse and the taxi sped off, recklessly in my opinion! 

What a sad way to end the night. They can protest all they like. A slow Pedicab, bicycle, or pedestrian in the middle of the street may be a slight annoyance to an impatient driver, but reckless behavior behind the wheel of a heavy motor vehicle is in my opinion far greater menace to public safety.

 Kid's eye view of the beautiful world from a Rainbow Cab

Have a nice Day.

Darwin Pedicabs

Surprise Surprise...!

Finally I have something to post on this blog. About a week ago a mate of mine told me he'd seen Pedicabs in Darwin. Yesterday during my lunch break I drove through town and saw them for myself.

I think I counted four or five Pedicabs.The riders all seem to be backpackers, they charge from $5 per ride and I think they are confined to the City Center gravitating from the Mitchel Street, 'tourist precinct'.

Fantastic!



Pedicab cruising Mitchel Street


Resting the rider

Last night after visiting a performance of Sita & Rama's Mystical Journey in the Botanic Gardens, I took the family for a drive through town and saw more pedicabs.


Wayang Kulit - Sita & Rama's Mystical Journey

Tigers Rickshaw

This old indonesian Rickshaw was imported from Sumatra by the guy at Bali Gallery Coconut Grove, (Darwin NT). It's been repainted with the Tigers football logo and looks nice and neat.

Street scene Malaysia

p20081202_012532.jpg, originally uploaded by augatti.

Another of Tom's photos from 1970's Malaysia. This cycle has a longer frame than most I've seen. Front end seating can be a fun ride.

Food Cart Malaysia 1975

p20081126_233319.jpg, originally uploaded by augatti.

This photo was taken in Alor Setar, Malaysia in 1975 by the husband of one of my flickr friends. I am told he used a Canon F1 35mm SLR with a Canon 105mm lens and Kodak Tri-X film. Tom used to do his own processing back then and I think he has excelled with this picture.

According to my flickr friend Augati
"The rickshaw here was a three-wheeled self-propelled hawker stall. It was mid-morning and the rickshaw was parked outside a coffee shop from which it most likely operated."

Mobile hawker stalls, also known by various other names like 'Kaki-lima' (five feet) are still common in many parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. I think they're great. Some people think that the USA invented fast food but these guys take the cake... to you... literally!
The best food I've eaten in Indonesia came from the back of one of these food carts.

The Langcha of Kampong Nyak Puteh - A friend's story

Last year when I started this blog I did have the intention of collecting people's personal stories about rickshaws and how they have used them in their lives. I have had some very interesting conversations with people over the past few years about their rickshaw experiences but it is very difficult for me to take other people's stories and publish them online and I know I have balked at the opportunity to do this. So I've decided to have a go at it anyway and hope that something of interest comes out of it.

At my previous job I had a colleague, Faridah, who grew up in a small village called Kampong Nyak Puteh on Penang Island on the West coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang is a vibrant multicultural place that has a long history of immigration from many corners of the globe. It is now a popular tourist destination and has also become quite industrialized which has lead to massive changes in the lifestyle of the local people.

"The Rickshaw is called bacha in bahasa but in Penang we called it Langcha I think its Chinese origin"



Little girl in Langcha Kampong Nyak Puteh 1980.


Langcha by the sea Penang 1980's


Yasmin and friend ride the Langcha in Penang 1990's

Nyak Puteh is no longer there it was re-claimed by the Government at the end of a 99yrs lease. All the land previously occupied by Faridah's Family was lost.The village which was once a simple and pleasant place to live, is now gone.
There was a stream that flowed with clean water; people were accustomed to sharing the fruit from several neighborhood fruit trees and Rickshaws were a common and much valued form of public transport. Unfortunately the village was replaced by blocks of flats designed for high density living. Faridah tells me:
"Now there is no more fruit trees or beautiful river eveyone has a small courtyard for themselves and that is all"

Faridah says that the Langcha riders were once well respected in her village but with industrialization and modernization they do not have such a significant role in the daily lives of those who live there now.