3 New Developments in Bicycle Tourism

Blackpool, England

With London set to unveil a monumental Paris-esque bike-hire scheme next summer, you’d expect it to be U.K. bicycle tourism’s front-page news.

Not if Blackpool has anything to say about it.

Also inspired by Paris’s groundbreaking Vélib’ program, this seaside resort town of 140,000 is launching an on-street bicycle rental system that will count 500 bikes by next spring.

Tourists are the primary target of the initiative and will be able to rent for a daily fee of £8.

However, it’s hoped Blackpool residents — who apparently suffer from extremely low rates of adult exercise — will take advantage as well. Swipe cards will be made available to commuters, providing a free half hour’s ride and charging £1/hour after that.

Tokyo, Japan

The urban mass of greater Tokyo is tied together by one of the city’s busiest subway routes, the circular Yamanote line.

More than 3.5 million passengers use the line each day, and to complete a journey around the loop takes a little over an hour.

What does this have to do with bicycles?

The New York Times recently featured a story by Harris Salat on a wonderfully novel concept: tracing the path of the Yamanote on two wheels.

Salat rented his ride through Cool Bike and made a three-day tour out of the 21-mile route, stopping frequently to experience the teahouses, gardens, tofu shops, sumo parades, riverside paths — in short, the classic Tokyo juxtaposition of tradition and modernity — he passed along the way.

While not an organized cycle tourism “development,” per se, his account makes for a good read, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it inspired copycat tours.

Hey, I’m game.

Community Connection

Matador loves bikes. You could spend a whole day digging through our bicycle-related content. Here’s a start:

10 Long-Distance Bicycle Routes in the U.S.

6 Reasons to Go By Bike

And They Stoned Me: The Joy Of Cycling Ethiopia

How To Be Good (Better) Drivers and Cyclists

8 Quirky Bike Rides across the U.S.

Bicycling the Pacific Coast and into the Great Beyond