Raise the Hammer

I think bicycle commuting will always be a fringe activity. There are just to many problems and drawbacks for the vast majority of commuters.

I see more and more people cycling, despite (the often arbitrary and unnecessary) problems and drawbacks. It used to be pretty lonely out on the road. Now I pass, am passed by, and wave hi to, waaay more cyclists than before.

Some changes I have directly observed just in the last couple of years! :

Bike racks at GO stations that were usually empty a few years ago are crowded now. I look out my balcony onto city streets and cyclists are almost always riding by. When the farmer's market on Concession opened people made comments to me because I was the only one cycling there; this year whole families are riding up there on their bikes.

A beautiful and inspiring change is already in progress. Just slow because of potential cycling deliberately being kept latent but that just slows the change, it is happening anyway.

The humbling of our economy and ecosystems will only serve to accelerate this change.

Even the white house, of all places, is starting to notice. Whether lip service or sincere, it at least signals the consciousness shift that is in progress:

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

I mean come on, you can even get CAA now.

We need different solutions to our unique situation.

It would be fascinating to more thoroughly understand the psychology that leads to this self defeating exceptionalism. It might help articulate more clearly why that is just wrong! I mean, even the Mountain is not an obstacle - see above. We seem to go over these arguments over and over again!

Comment edited by mikeonthemountain on 2010-06-21 13:19:15