The Other Side of Advocacy
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- What ever became of the "we belong on the road" crowd?
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I think that, in part, the popularity of gravel bikes and all-arounder bikes is because people want to avoid roads - sort of an unconscious vote for the separate bike infrastructure. I have a road bike that just sits in my garage because I prefer to ride the neighborhoods, bike paths, and gravel roads. I should be safer to ride on the roads, but I’m not sure that it is possible considering all of the distractions drivers face (or indulge) behind the wheel. Thanks for the thought provoking content.
I know this post is more about where we are from (hopefully) than where we are headed, but it is an old anecdote. In the mid 1970s I knew a girl from Florida. A good friend of hers down there was badly injured when a car struck his bicycle. He got to court with it and it went like this. The driver was on the stand. "When you were to proceed into the intersection, what did you see?" "All I saw was a bicycle, so I went." "Case dismissed."
Infuriating
Well said my friend. Enjoy your day. 🧡
some really fine points. Here in Florida I feel we're so far behind where I think we should be. And to be honest, at the current state, is probably where the majority of residents like it. This is something I would like to chip away at more in my local area.
I think it will be interesting to see where things go from here. With car ownership becoming less sensible due to cost and ride share availability for those specific trips that really require a car perhaps we will see more of an investment in bicycle friendly planning become increasingly widespread on the local level.
We can hope.
I had been wanting to ride coast to coast in the USA for a decade, but was too scared of getting hit. My idea finally was put to bed when I was struck by a truck on my bike commute home from work. Thankfully I had no broken bones. When I learned of the GDMBR, which is over 90% off road IIRC, I immediately committed to riding it, and completed it, at a very slow pace, a couple years ago. The sound of gravel and dirt was a soothing sound and when on tarmac I could feel my heart race when cars would roar up behind me. For longer tours I only ride gravel/dirt.
When I think of "we belong on the road" advocacy - John Forester comes to mind. I get why he was polarizing. There's a CyclingSavvy instructor in my town who offered the class (Forester-based) to me for my opinion. At a gut level based on my own savvy decades of experiance things felt wrong with some of what is taught. Drivers under the influence of screens have become pretty bad. Oversized vehicles are part of the problem. So it adds up to wishing for trails and paths. The US could have put itself in the right direction decades ago. Advocates have it tough. Even educated street/city designers/planners must know they are continuing at times to make mistakes that compromise car safety much less cycling-pedestrian concerns. Wow, I sound like downer - sorry.
You’re not wrong. I remember the “zeal” of the we belong movement. That’s why I said “more space at the table”. I don’t think it was viable as a whole.
I keep looking for that utopian landscape. In the meantime, I do enjoy a designated 20 mile bike route into my nearby town. It's a mostly doubletrack and gravel loop with less than one mile of pavement riding required. And I have a trail from my back door to the main trail. Maybe I have already found that utopian landscape?
I am a member of the Philadelphia Bike coalition. It seems like it's very well run and I see it's messaging outside of our bubble. Just like anything else a collective voice is louder
One avoidable situation that advocacy groups created is an either/or mentality. Dedicated separate bike facilities are wonderful but difficult to overlay on existing transit systems. We're always going to have to get on the road at some point in our commute so we need cooperation from drivers. A few "share the road" signs don't cut it.
Because Americans grow up in cars, we don't recognize cyclists. Educating car drivers is an uphill push. Agree that hitting cyclists or pedestrian with a car needs to be a more serious offense.
Something good happened, a 45 kilometre ride, and about 60% of that is dedicated cyclist/pedestrian pathways, and there was no rain. On advocacy; the great metro area I live in has devoted time and money at the civic governance level, to carve out bicycle lanes in dense downtown areas, focus some effort on developing 'bike routes' on existing streets, and to a lesser degree, dedicated pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure.
Is it good enough, is it problem free, could more be done? It's not 'good enough,' when you look at the number of passenger vehicles with one person going somewhere you think 'we could do better.' Problem free is always going to be a 'moving goalpost' sort of notion; it rains, it snows, people need to get to work warm, dry, and without needing expensive (and in my opinion not very durable) cycling gear. Could more be done? You bet, but time, money, focus, continuity across political jurisdictions and electoral changes is difficult to manage.
And I know someone is going to disagree but I think cyclists (and that means me as well) need to check our righteousness at the door once in a while. Just because I have had the privilege of needing a vehicle to commute to work for about 6 or 7 jobs over a 45 year span doesn't mean other people have the same opportunity. That's one consideration. Another consideration, especially if you're a 'we belong on the road' fan, is that cyclists must bear some responsibility for their behaviour on the road. In my larger (provincial) political jurisdiction bicycles are considered 'vehicles' under the Motor Vehicle Act, and requirement for lighting (scant and obsolete), reflectors, helmets are laid out within. Most cyclists in my experience have no idea we're in the Act. Though most car drivers don't know the Act covers cyclists and car drivers.
All of this, ultimately, is a long-term development. I contribute to a fairly well-organized, well-funded local advocacy group, and hope all your viewers do what they can, as they can.
Thanks for an interesting video. YVR
The “smug” has always been an issue. I’ve never thought that everyone should ride. I just want the choice. I think safety on the road (and the responsibility that accompanies it) shouldn’t be something we have to fight for.