BICYCLE TRAFFIC AND ITS CIRCULAR PATTERN IN THE KUJÛKURI PLAJN OF CHIBA PREFECTURE

Abstract

The bicycle plays as important a role as a means of communication in Japan as the motor-car does in the United States. The author investigated bicycle traffic in the Kujukuri Plain of Chiba Prefecture in 1952 and arrived at the following conclusions: (1) The ratio of bicycles to the population of a town or village is propo-rtionate to the community's distance from the nearest railway station. (Fig. 1) (2) The sphere of influence of railway stations from which people com-mute to their offices by bicycles are shown in Fig. 2; their radii are found to be about 10 kilometers. (3) A map of distribution of residences of the students of Chosei High School in Mobara City is shown, in Fig. 3. From this map the limit of attendance by bicycle can be determined; the largest radius is 12 kilometers. (4) Market areas of fresh fish pedlers utilizing bicycles and starting from fishing villages along the Kujukuri beach are shown in Fig. 4. The maximum radius is 30 kilometers; the average radius is 20 kilometers. (5) In Fig. 6 the four (C, D, E1 and E2) bicycle traffic circles are, centered on AIobara City. The 6 circles obtained by adding two other circles (see Tab. 1) to the above four may be termed the circular structure of bicycle traffic of Mobara City.