Okayama University hosted a symposium together with the Okayama Chamber of Commerce and Industry on June 5 in the 50th Anniversary Hall entitled “Okayama: The Advanced Cycling City Symposium.” Approximately 150 participants consisting of students, local government workers, and representatives from the corporate community, came together to discuss ways to create an ideal city effectively using bicycles.
Keynote speeches were made by Shogo Wakabayashi, vice-president of the Okayama Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Prof. Satoshi Mimura of the University of Okayama Academic and General Okayama University Regional Research Association (AGORA). Mr. Wakabayashi stressed the need for the construction of cycle paths and cycle parking facilities, the introduction of shared community bikes, and education on cycling manners. “No systems or facilities will take hold unless people find it convenient,” he said. Prof. Mimura spoke of the success of similar schemes in the UK, France, and Sweden, including initiatives such as underground passageways for bike use and taxis on which bikes can be mounted. “Japan is still stuck in the mindset that cyclists are to be treated the same as pedestrians,” he said. “We have to come up with policies that treat bikes as vehicles that can be combined with other modes of transport.”
The speeches were followed by a panel discussion on “The Potential for Okayama to Become Cycle-Centric.” Facilitated by Mr. Wakabayashi, the forum heard from Prof. Mimura, Okayama Broadcasting Company broadcaster Keiko Takahashi, and Okayama City Urban Development Bureau Director Yuji Tsutsui. The panel discussed the status quo in Okayama and the requirements for setting up a cycling-oriented scheme from the various standpoints of the research community, the citizens of Okayama, and local government

Panelists talk about cycle-centric city in the panel discussion