V Международный конкурс научно-исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся
Старт в науке
Велосипеды- это хобби, или жизненный путь?
Автор работы награжден дипломом победителя II степени
Полная версия работы доступна во вкладке "Файлы работы" в формате PDF
Introduction
Every person wants to diversify his life. In the grey days of our lives, people try to find time to practice their favorite activities. Hobby brings to our life bright colors, gives joy and pleasure. And if you do not have a hobby, life is boring, routine tightens us and depression comes.
The important and probably the leading role among the hobbies is sport.
It is not only interesting and exciting, but at the same time it benefits health. Among the youth, a bicycle is very popular. Someone just takes a great interest in bicycle walks, and someone is engaged seriously, participates in competitions and has many like-minded people. Now there are new styles of riding and everyone can find something interesting for themselves.
In the whole world over one billion people prefer this hobby, so this is the most popular type of transport. The bike does not need fuel, it is compact and weighs little, just pedal and that’s all. In Russia, more and more people choose it as their hobby. For many people, a bicycle becomes not only a fad, but firmly in use. Lovers even ride to work by bicycle. And if a hobby develops into a profession, work brings pleasure doubly.
The aim of project is to find out is biking a hobby or a way of life.
To reach the aim we were to compare the types of bike lane in different countries and in Russia,to study the pros and cons of biking and to remind safety cycling rules.
The author used literature analysis, comparison and generalization.
Using a bicycle
From the beginning and still today, bicycles have been and are employed for many uses. In a utilitarian way, bicycles are used for transportation, bicycle commuting, and utility cycling. It can be used as a 'work horse', used by mail carriers, paramedics, police, messengers, and general delivery services. Military uses of bicycles include communications, reconnaissance, troop movement, supply of provisions, and patrol. The bicycle is also used for recreational purposes, such as bicycle touring, mountain biking, physical fitness, and play. Bicycle competition includes racing, BMX racing, track racing, criterium, roller racing, sportives and time trials. Major multi-stage professional events are the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, the Tour de Pologne, and the Volta a Portugal. Bikes can be used for entertainment and pleasure, such as in organised mass rides, artistic cycling and freestyle BMX. (Supplement 1)
To go for a ride alone or with friends in the evening is a big joy for people. First of all, this is a kind of sport. But in most cases we just don’t have any choice because this is our job. I think that оne of the solutions of the problem is using a bicycle instead of public transport or a car.
There are many types of bicycles, including mountain, highway, urban. Road and mountain bikes are in great demand. (Supplement 2)
History of invention
The bicycle has a very interesting history of invention which started long time ago. They say that Leonardo da Vinchy was the first to invent a bicycle. There are no facts in proof of this claim but taking into account all his developments it is easy to believe that it could have been his invention. But one thing is to suppose, the other thing is to have some facts. People have been using the bicycle for 200 years! A real history started with the invention of German Baron Karl von Drais. He presented his wooden “Draisienne” in about 1818. His vehicle was quite similar to the modern bicycle but there with a slight difference; namely, it didn’t have any pedals. The first bicycle was run with the help of the legs. Only in 20 years later the “Draisienne” vehicle was improved by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, who added this missing element. During the XIX century different people from Europe and America worked at the modification of the bicycle but the most important modification was made in the second half of the XIX century when James K. Star, a Scottish veterinarian, added an irrigation hose to the wheels. Thus, the tire became an integral part of the bicycle. It can be said that after the tires had been installed the period of modern bicycle started. And now about 100 million bicycles are sold worldwide each year. (Supplement 3)
The first person who circled the globe by bicycle in 1935 was Fred A. Birchmore. He crossed Europe, Asia, the United States having covered the distance of 40 000 miles. It is difficult to imagine the number of tires he used! I believe that it was the best year of his life. And what about the most famous bicycle race “Tour de France”? It was the year of 1903 when it started for the first time. From the time the bicycle was invented and up to the present moment it has become not only the vehicle but the style of life.
Bike safety
Road rules
Riding a bike is not only a fun way to get around, it's eco-friendly, convenient and eliminates the need to sit in traffic or on a crowded bus. But simply hopping on your bike and peddling away is just the beginning. Safety has to be taken into consideration before you go anywhere. To get you started, we're sharing some of the most important bike safety tips for riders of all ages and experience levels.
Stay Visible If drivers can see you, they are less likely to hit you. Use lights when biking at night or in low-light conditions.
If cars, pedestrians and other bikes can't see you, your safety (and theirs) is greatly diminished. Make sure you have bike lights (one white front light, one red rear light), reflective elements on your bike and clothing when riding at night, and wear lighter colors to ensure you're always visible. A bell is also important so you can make yourself known to anyone nearby.
Look, Signal & Look Again Use hand signals to let drivers and other bicyclists know where you’re going. Look and make eye contact. Don’t assume drivers will.
When cars don't signal it can wreck havoc among other vehicles and confuse pedestrians. The same goes for a bike. Letting other vehicles know when and where you're turning is another important element of safety when it comes to riding a bike. For a left turn, hold your left arm straight out pointing left. For a right turn, hold your left arm pointed straight up or right arm straight out pointing right. To indicate that you'll be stopping, hold your left arm pointed straight down.
Stay Alert Keep a lookout for obstacles in your path.
Go with the Flow Bike in the direction of traffic.
Act like a Car Drivers are used to the patterns of other drivers. Don’t weave in and out of traffic. The more predictably you ride, the safer you are. Check for traffic. Be aware of traffic around you.
Don’t Get Distracted Don’t listen to music or talk on the phone while riding.
Listening to music or talking on the phone as you ride might seem like a great idea, but any distractions can be a huge safety hazard. In order to stay safe on the road you need to be aware of your surroundings — not flipping through the tunes on your iPhone trying to find the perfect soundtrack for your ride to work. The fact is, you can't count on other people to always do the right thing on the road. You can hope the cars and other bikes around you are going to navigate the road safely, but they might not. The more alert you are, the safer you're going to be and the faster you'll be able to react if something out of the ordinary happens.
Obey all Traffic Laws & Lights
It may only have two wheels, but a bicycle is still a vehicle and if you're going to be on the road you need to ride in a way that adheres to the rules. This means stopping at traffic lights, not weaving in and out of cars, staying to the side when going slower than the pace of traffic and following any other applicable rules as you ride. Rules are in place for a reason — to keep people safe. By ignoring them you're not only putting yourself at risk, but potentially endangering others.
Assure Bicycle Readiness Is your bicycle properly adjusted? Is your saddle in a comfortable position?
Do a Quick Bicycle Test Check your brakes and your wheels. Make sure that “quick release” wheels are properly secured. (Supplement 4)
Equipments
A cyclist belongs to the category of unprotected road users. Unlike drivers and passengers of cars, he is not protected from collisions and their consequences by all kinds of security systems. Therefore, an important role in ensuring the safety of a cyclist is played by his equipment. (Supplement 5)
Cycling clothes
The choice of clothes depends on the style of riding and on the weather conditions for which it is intended.
Cycling clothing is made of quality materials using special technologies. Internal seams are glued together by ultrasound, which makes the surface very smooth. External seams and zippers are hermetic and completely waterproof. Cross-country requires tight clothes, "coming" in MTB from road racing, which quickly brings sweat to the surface and breathes very well. For freeride and extreme disciplines you need free shorts (pants) and jersey, made of a strong elastic fabric with ventilation elements that can be put on top of the protection. You need to treat the choice of cycling according to the season very responsibly. In order not to overcool and not fall ill in autumn and spring, choose light-colored cycling clothing to minimize the temperature drop in the sun and in the shade. It is better if the outer clothing will be with adjustable ventilation. In some models of jackets, for example, there are zippers on the inside of the sleeves, on the sides and back, so that at the right moment you can create a draft. In summer, the main requirement for cycling clothing is good hygroscopicity. To protect against mosquitoes, midges and hornflies, it is better to dress in light bike-clothing from fabrics that can not be bitten by insects. In winter it is best to wear thermal underwear, a well-fitting body.
Cycling helmet
A bicycle helmet reduces the dangerous load on the head when the bicyclist falls. Wear a helmet "at right angles". You should be comfortable in it, be sure to fix the buckles correctly. Also the bicycle helmet should not interfere with the view.
Glasses
While cycling can be used to protect the eyes of ordinary sunshine or any sports glasses, but, nevertheless, certain requirements are imposed on bicycle points. First, the lenses of the bicycle should not be glass, because when they fall they can break and damage the eyes with splinters. Polycarbonate is used for making lenses for bicycle goggles. The tights should provide protection against ultraviolet rays UV400, as pupils behind dark lenses expand, and ultraviolet can spoil the eyesight.
Another prerequisite is the good fit of the bicycle sunglasses to the face and the lengthened shape of the lenses. When this condition is met, the sun's rays do not get into the eyes, and protection from dust, sand, and insects is provided. The frame at the lenses of the bicycle should only be on top. This maximizes the scope of the survey, which is especially important when driving on a busy highway. That when riding a bicycle in cloudy weather or in the evening the quality of the review did not deteriorate, the lenses of the bicycle sunglasses should be only slightly darkened, and not completely dark.
Gloves
Big loads when riding are on the hands, which control the bicycle, gear shifting, braking. Due to unevenness of the road, vibrations and shocks are transmitted to the hands, constant contact with the handle of the steering wheel on the palms rubs the calluses, and in case of improper grip of the steering wheel, numbness of the fingers or brushes may occur. Fingers can be injured by tree branches and shrubs. When falling, you can also cause serious injuries to your hands. For these reasons, the bicyclist's hands must be protected by cycling.
Bicycle shoes
To be comfortable to press on the pedal when riding a bicycle, shoes should be comfortable. If pedals are installed conventional, you can do with simple sneakers or sneakers. If the pedals are contact, then you need special bike straps that will be compatible with such pedals. There are a lot of types of bicycle shoes and it can be chosen for any style of riding and for any weather.
Knee and elbow pads
Knee pads are used to protect the knees and lower leg. The elbow pads differ from knee pads only in the form of a plastic cup - it has the shape of the letter "G".
Benefits of using bikes
Advantages
Not everyone knows how useful for our body is to ride a bicycle. Riding a bicycle has a number of benefits. First of all, it’s the time spent in the fresh air. It’s especially good when cycling is outside the city, for example, cross-country cycling or mountain biking. Secondly, when we cycle we make our legs stronger, improve the overall endurance and respiratory system. Thirdly, riding a bike one can save lots of money, which would be spent on city transportation of car fuel. Besides, bicycles keep our environment in good ecological shape. Many cities are now being supplied by special cycling lanes. As it’s been already mentioned, riding a bike has many health benefits, such as preventing vascular dystonia, increasing immunity, enriching blood with oxygen, reducing the risk of myopia, relieving stress, etc. One of the obvious things is the improved mood. Many people note that after regular cycling they feel much better not only physically, but also morally. It is especially great if there is a friend who supports and enjoys riding as much as you. Bicycle is highly recommended to those who want to lose weight. It is important to remember that cycling takes up lots of energy, so the balance can be restored by drinking plenty of water. In my opinion, the only danger connected with bicycles is the risk of frequent falls. To avoid them it’s good to check regularly the status of the brakes and tires.
Disadvantages
1. Injuries. One of the most "fat" cons is injuries. Anyone, regardless of the level of training and experience, can very badly fall off a bicycle, damaging the limbs. Also, while moving around the city there is a risk of a ride on a motor cycle bicyclist, but this only threatens those who move primarily along motor roads, moving only along the sidewalk and walking and bicycle paths, crossing the road only under signs of a pedestrian crossing, walking without crossing the " zebras” riding a bicycle give way to cars leaving yards. Then the risks associated with the danger of getting under the wheels will be minimal.
2. Theft. A bicycle, like any other property can steal. But if you take the necessary security measures - this can be avoided.
3. Cyclists - a disaster for the economy. They do not pay for parking, gasoline, taxes on roads, not repaired in services. They rarely use the services of pharmacies and clinics, as they have good health.
Bikeways in different countries
Bicycling is widely spread in the developed European countries. It is difficult to say, for example, whether the number of cyclists exceeds that of car drivers in the Netherlands or vice versa. When you look at the empty roads of Rotterdam you have a feeling that the cyclists definitely have some advantage. Bicycling means not only a healthy way of life but also the improvement of the city ecology and saving of your own money.
A bikeway is a lane, route, way or path which in some manner is specifically designed and /or designated for bicycle travel. Bike lanes demarcated by a painted marking are quite common in many cities. Cycle tracks demarcated by barriers, bollards or boulevards are quite common in some European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. They are also increasingly common in other major cities such as New York, Ottawa, Vancouver and San Fransisco. Montreal and Davis, California, which have had segregated cycling facilities with barriers for several decades, are among the earliest examples in North American cities. (Supplement 6)
Cycling infrastructure refers to all infrastructures which may be used by cyclists. This includes the same network of roadsand streets used by motorists, except those roads from which cyclists have been banned (e.g., many freeways/motorways), plus additional bikeways that are not available to motor vehicles, such as bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks and, where permitted, sidewalks, plus amenities like bike racks for parking and specialized traffic signs and signals.
The history of cycling infrastructure starts from shortly after the bike boom of the 1880s when the first short stretches of dedicated bicycle infrastructure were built, through to the rise of the automobile from the mid-20th century onwards and the concomitant decline of cycling as a means of transport, to cycling's comeback from the 1970s onwards.
Top 10 Countries with Most Bicycles(Supplement 7,8)
1. There are more than a billion bicycles in the world, twice as many as automobiles. In recent years bike production had climbed to over 100 million per year (compared to 50 million cars). For example in the USA, people use bikes for slimming and better feeling because cycling burns 600 calories an hour, but in China or other countries people use bikes mostly for transportation needs. For these reasons in some countries bikes are especially popular. There are top 10 countries with most bicycles per capita (in 2011):
Country of cyclists – Netherlands People: 16,652,800 Bicycles: 16,500,000 Cyclists: ~99.1%
2. Denmark People: 5,560,628 Bicycles: 4,500,000 Cyclists: ~80.1%
3. Germany People: 81,802,000 Bicycles: 62,000,000 Cyclists: ~75.8%
4. Sweden People: 9,418,732 Bicycles: 6,000,000 Cyclists: ~63.7%
5. Norway People: 4,943,000 Bicycles: 3,000,000 Cyclists: ~60.7%
6. Finland People: 5,380,200 Bicycles: 3,250,000 Cyclists: ~60.4%
7. Japan People: 127,370,000 Bicycles: 72,540,000 Cyclists: ~56.9%
8. Switzerland People: 7,782,900 Bycicles: 3,800,000 Cyclists: ~48.8
9. Belgium People: 10,827,519 Bicycles: 5,200,000 Cyclists: ~48%
10. China People: 1,342,700,000 Bicycles: >500,000,000 Cyclists: >37.2%
Bikeways in Russia
The inception of the cycling trend has by and large been evident across the vast majority of Russian cities. In Moscow the first bike lane having been constructed in 2011 and a ‘Lets Bike It’ parade, which celebrates cycling, having attracted 23,000 riders in 2015, nearly three times more since its inception in 2012. Fast forward to late 2015 and Moscow boasts a bike sharing platform (Velobike) that contains 2,750 bicycles, 150 bike parking stations and 4,000 docking stations, approximately 190km of dedicated bicycle lanes and more bike friendly legislation such as ensuring motorised vehicles give way to cyclists when turning. The bicycle movement in Russia is of course not limited to Moscow, as other cities are following suit. For example, by the end of 2015, St Petersburg had 150km of
bicycle lanes and in 2016, a further US$1.2 million (80 million roubles) will be allocated by the government to cycling infrastructure in the city.
RUSSIA’S MAJOR CITIES WITH LARGEST SHARE OF HOUSEHOLDS OWNING A BICYCLE: 2015 (blog.euromonitor.com/)
A survey by the Department of Transport last year found the most common problems putting people off cycling are the lack of bike lanes and the perceived danger of riding in the road. Next on the list was not enough bicycle parking. As for our town Gorno-Altaisk we can see the same problems but our local authority have a tend to fix bike parking places near schools and shops.
Conclusion
Biking through the city in warm season is very popular. It would seem that the increase in supporters of a healthy lifestyle and ecological transport should please. Mutual disrespect and breaking of the rules lead to tragic consequences - the creation of emergency situations and the death of road users. However, the behavior of drivers of two-wheeled vehicles on roads and sidewalks causes a lot of problems mainly because of breaking of the elementary rules of road safety.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein
Literature
tooday.ru/?l=eng&r=8&t=riding_a_bicycle
http://active-travel.club/articles/activ/item/174-plyusy-i-minusy-velosipeda
https://www.cityofmadison.com/BikeMadison
top10hell.com/top-10-countries-with-most-bicycles-per-capita
https://blog.euromonitor.com/.../cycling-culture-emerging-in
http://cyclingincities.spph.ubc.ca/
Supplements
Supplement 1
Supplement 2
Supplement 3
Supplement 4 Supplement 5
Supplement 6 Supplement 7
Supplement 8