November 1st: Riding, not Driving

I've been writing (perhaps obsessively) about riding instead of driving, especially since Tamar and I moved to Denver. Riding for transportation, especially with the aid of public transit, is a practical option here. Lots of people do it, even people who commute from the suburbs.

My friend Corey, from San Antonio, helps me edit my pieces. Two heads, as they say...or even three, including my buddy David from Seattle. When you see one of my columns online or in a magazine, Corey and David have read it and fed me back. Their thoughtful comments are often reflected in what you read.

In response to my serial emails whining about how difficult it is to inspire cyclists to get out of their cars and ride their bikes back and forth to club rides, Corey writes:

Yeah, it's even worse here in Texas than in places like California (and Colorado?). When they build shopping malls, they assume that you will DRIVE from store to store, not walk. No one goes anywhere unless they are behind the wheel.

They park their SUVs at Home Depot and go inside. leaving the car locked - but running - in the parking lot, so it will be nice and cool when they return. WTF?! Really a weird mindset. Let's not even get into the "what are we doing in Iraq/reliance on foreign oil" part of the equation.

If you told these people that if they turned their cars off when they ran their errands, it might save the life of some serviceman or woman,would they shut 'em down, or just shrug? Lazy and selfish, that's what we've become, with a big sense of entitlement to boot.

There; I'll step off the soapbox now. your friend, Corey

I sincerely don't want to pick on Texas here. I like Texas and my Texan friends. I suspect that the thoughtlessness Corey describes is not particular to any one place in this Great Land. Just as he says, we are, many of us, lazy and selfish and feeling undeservedly entitled. As an antidote, I'd respectfully suggest riding your bike. Just a thought...