Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2010-09-04 11:30 AM http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1365842
Kaosiung City is ranked the third most bike-friendly city in Asia along with Kyoto, Japan, Jeju, Korea, Beijing and Singapore by CNN, a worldly-renowned English-language media, according to Liberty Times report today.
The evaluation is based on whether the infrastructure of the city is friendly enough to bikers. The report noted that Kaosiung has an expanding network of bike routes that currently add up to 150 kilometers. And the harbor city also leads the country with its self-serviced bike rental kiosks to the public.
C-bike, as the service is called, expands its operations to a number of 50 rental stations around the city with prices starting at NT$30 for the first half hour. For subsequent half-hours, riders have to pay NT$15. Furthermore, the official website of the C-bike also offers detailed maps of cycling routes and rental services.
The report also recommends a two-to-four day trip from Kaohsiung to Taitung City through the beautiful South Cross-Island Highway.
Kaohsiung City government noted that the city’s good infrastructure carries weight to draw bikers despite scorching temperatures and the great amount of motorcycles. A number of nine bike lanes are established with a route connecting the Love River and Lotus Lake the most famous, the government added.
The city’s bike services also take its credits for rest areas alongside bike lanes. And the first bridge only for bikers in Taiwan is established across the Lotus Lake.
5 best biking cities in Asia
http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/play/asias-most-bike-friendly-cities-982373
http://taiwanincycles.blogspot.com/2010/08/cnn-ranks-kaohsiung-third-best-cycling.html
http://www.topix.net/world/taiwan/2010/09/cnn-ranks-kaohsiung-third-best-cycling-metropole-in-asia
These bike-friendly Asian cities have smooth roads, beautiful views and plenty of services to keep bike culture moving forward
“I'd rather be sitting inside a BMW and crying, than sitting on a bicycle and smiling,” a gold-digger on Chinese reality TV once famously said.
But plenty of people disagree, and they're making these the most bike-friendly cities in Asia.
A solitary rider in Kyoto.1. Kyoto
It’s easy to see why cycling is popular here. Kyoto is mostly flat and traffic is orderly. Plenty of alleyways make for quick shortcuts. The city’s grid pattern makes it’s hard to get lost. Roads slope slightly upward as you head north, but the incline is manageable.
Kyoto Cycling Tour Project offers tour packages and cycling information for tourists.
Cyclists moving in droves in Mainland,P.R.China's capital.2. Peking
Bike lanes cover nearly every inch of the city. What's more, small repair shops can be found on nearly every street, and shops selling cheap, secondhand bikes are legion.
For the timid, safety can be a concern. Helmets are nonexistent and Beijing's breakneck biker veterans often exhibit an alarming disregard for traffic regulations.
Those wanting to ease into the flow might first wheel through Beijing's hutongs to get a feel for the old road.
The labyrinth-like hutongs near Yonghegong are a great place to start. Once inside the maze, you’ll deal with less traffic, giving you plenty of time to see the sites -- locals hanging laundry among bird cages, elderly women peddling vegetables, men playing chess on corners.
Beijing-based travel agency The China Guide offers hutong bike tours.
It's hard to find an excuse not to cycle with Kaohsiung's accessible C-bikes rental system.3. Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung has a growing network of bike lanes that currently adds up to 150 kilometers -- not bad in a nation known for scooters and busy streets. Kaohsiung is also the first city in Taiwan to offer self-serviced bike rental kiosks to the public.
The service, known as C-bike, is available at 50 rental stations around the city. Prices start at NT$30 for the first half hour; riders pay NT$15 more for subsequent half-hours. The C-bike official website has detailed maps of the city’s cycling routes and rental details.
If you’re planning a two-to-four day trip from Kaohsiung, we suggest that you ride out toward Taitung City via the scenic South Cross-Island Highway.
Triathletes race on Jeju's highways.4. Jeju
Flanked by bike lanes on both sides, Highway 12 circumnavigates the island. A round-island trip will take three to five days to complete. Bike rentals can be found near the bus terminal at Jeju City and Yongduam Rock.
Cyclists ride across the bridge heading to a private residential area in Singapore5. Singapore
For the past year, Singapore's government has been actively promoting cycling as a mode of transport, not simply a leisure activity. To back that up, it’s been building a network of bike lanes on the city’s main roads that is expanding weekly.
Dedicated cycling paths will be in place in seven towns in Singapore by 2014. For the time being, we like the ones near parks like East Coast and Bishan Park.
亞洲5大單車城市 高雄第3
高雄：台灣最佳騎車城市
【第325期】民國97年01月03日
http://search.president.gov.tw/search-cgi/getfilelist.exe?no=-6&filelist=../tmp/query246662842507&page=1
http://www.president.gov.tw/1_epaper/periodical/326eqejep/ch000050/main.htm
