“Whatever people in general do not understand, they are always prepared to
dislike; the incomprehensible is always the obnoxious.”
-Letitia E. Landon, author (1802-1838)
Above is another photo from our Twisp trip… I think these folks, like many in the U.S., just don’t understand bicycling. Which is sad, considering it’s the most efficient form of transportation ever created. You can go far on burrito-power! (thanks mrk.) That’s why I’m a volunteer at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, an advocacy organization promoting bicycling and alternative transportation in this state.
“Biking has been shown to be faster than any other mode of in-city transportation,”according to TreeHugger.com. Recently they featured Barcelona’s new bike-share program which is a rave hit for commuting within the city. Paris is implementing a similar program this July which I will definitely take advantage of while I’m there this fall!
I think our country doesn’t understand bikes simply because our infrastructure has been built on the automobile. But that will change. As gas prices rise ever higher, as global warming continues to wreak havoc on predictable weather reports, as we run out of fuel entirely, and–most importantly– as younger generations realize the high environmental costs we pay to drive a car, bikes will become ever more popular as an efficient, healthy mode of transport.
Holland has more bicycles than people, and it’s much safer to ride there than in the U.S., because cars are aware of bicycles. People think bicycling is not safe, but it’s the cars that are not safe. We really don’t have decent driver’s ed in this country. Washington state doesn’t even require driver’s education!
One American took photos of all the many bikes he saw in Amsterdam, and remarked how they must not take safety seriously because none of the riders he saw were wearing helmets. On the contrary, one commenter who grew up in Holland said:
“The Dutch do take bike safety seriously. They’ve just taken a different approach. When growing up in Holland, in first grade, we all went through a full week of safe bicycle riding classes. At the end of the week, police officers put together a course where each child was presented with traffic situations for approximately 30 minutes while police officers observed. Depending on how you did, you received your ’safe bicycle’ certificate. Over the next few years, you received refresher courses. Additionally, when you work on obtaining your drivers license, there is a strong emphasis on driving around bicyclists.”
While my bicycle doesn’t fit me all that well yet, (I need different handle bars), I’ve gone riding twice this week and hope to do more. It’s a great workout, a wonderfully efficient and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation, and fun too! It will be easier once I get a little more in shape too. I’m going to add a new page to this blog to record bicycling and other exercise, as a motivational tool for myself. This post is also a reminder to myself that I really enjoy bicycling, and to get myself to do it more.
One of my favorite things about bicycling is that it is life lived at a slower pace. I’m not meant for the ever-faster, latte-on-the-go, 70-miles-per-hour type of lifestyle. Riding a bike gives you time to stop at beautiful parks like this one, which you wouldn’t even notice in your car:
And you have more time to smell the roses, or take photos of poppies in bloom:
