As I thought further about our new converts to cycling, folks who are buying new bikes or resurrecting old ones in these days of high fuel prices, it seemed to me that I was not being fair. Maybe.
Are some of our new riders reacting to this country's debilitating petroleum addiction? Are they filled with self-loathing at their previous polluting, resource-consuming, lazy, car-based lifestyle? Are a few deciding that this is as good a time as any to get skinny, fit and healthy? Are they furious with the oil companies and their reptilian DC cronies? Are they bored with GPS, satellite radio and their twice-daily contribution to gridlock?
If one or all of the above is/are accurate, why now? Why not last year? Maybe it's true that everyone has his-or-her price. And four dollars a gallon is theirs... Oh, well...
Whatever the motivation, their riding is better for everyone than their driving.
If you have the chance, dear reader, if you see one of them in an immediately evident state of bafflement and frustration, give that New Cyclist a hand.
We all started riding for some reason. Doesn't matter why, really. What does matter: Have we kept doing it? Let's encourage our new friends to keep doing it.
2 comments:
It may be price point. A recent N.Y. Times article says that some folks are paying more than 10% of their net income for gasoline. Gas or food?
Maynard,
Long time fan of your writing and observations here - and I'm not sure how our paths have managed NOT to cross before. I have friends that used to ride moto's with you in Berkeley and people from Austin (the Freewheelin' crew who I used to work with) who claim to have spent time with you "back in the day". At any rate, I am very glad I ran across your blog. This is quite a different medium than the back pages of Winning Magazine.
I am currently working as a bicycle/transit planner in Northern Colorado. What we are seeing in parts of the region (and the state for that matter) is that people aren't flocking to these modes of transport yet ... but there is a movement afoot. I believe it is a price point for some of those individuals - much like the above commenter reports. I'd like to add that in some areas of the State (CO) it is closer to 30% of take home pay that lower income households are paying for transportation costs. For some its really a vicious cycle - food must come before gas, but if you don't put gas in your car you can't get to work, so you don't get paid, then you can't buy food .... This is a reality that more households are dealing with than is obvious currently.
Our bike coop up in Fort Collins is giving away bikes just about as fast as they can refurbish/build them. Many of the folks that are tapping into this resource are of lower incomes. Its great that they are looking to the bicycle for basic transport needs. My concern is that they will only stick with the bike as long as they have to ... and that concern goes for the "new cyclists" that you write about in your last 3 posts.
At any rate, glad to have you in CO and again, I'm glad that I ran across your blog. Looking forward to stopping by every now and again ...
~DA
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