In Singapore, cycling serves only two percent of daily commuter trips. Whenever cycling is discussed in relation to tropical settings, weather and climate are cited as major barriers to success. Commentators based in temperate climate zones assume that stifling heat, humidity, monsoon rains, and severe thunderstorms preclude the adoption of cycling in the tropics. Drawing on in-depth interviews with transport policy experts based in Singapore, we demonstrate that weather and climate are less important here than previously assumed. To people acclimatized to the tropics, the local climate and the weather variations therein pose less of a barrier than factors such as safety and convenience, which are nearly universal. It appears that, to make cycling irresistible in tropical climates, similar setups and approaches proposed or implemented in temperate climates are needed.
- Title: Making cycling irresistible in tropical climates? Views from Singapore
- Journal: Policy Design and Practice
- Authors: Qian Yun Lee and Dorina Pojani
- Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25741292.2019.1665857