[*BCM*] Parades vs. travelling on a bike

[Anne Wolfe]

I think as soon as we start engaging in the conversation using phrases like "superior
forms of transportation" we lose any interest on the other side, because at that point it
isn't a conversation - it is just preaching to people who think you don't understand the
issues.  Bikes generally don't support more than one person, and if you've got two kids
and groceries and it is 30 degrees out, the kids have to get to school which is a half
hour drive away (much more by bike), the groceries for the week for the four of you have
to get home and there's ice on the road to boot, someone telling you bikes are "superior"
to your car is going to be the funniest thing you've heard all week.  And this sort of
thing is a huge issue, as the school run and the grocery run are some of the biggest
consumers out there for cars, petrol and the environment.

Bikes are better for the environment, better for your health, better for noise pollution,
and better for a lot of things, but they're not always superior.  Mass-transport is
better than flat out cars, but if you start advocating for mass transport and bikes, then
"four wheels bad, two wheels good" still doesn't work and still doesn't make you look
like you understand the issue.  If you actually want to engage in dialogue and effect
change, then bike zealotry isn't any better than car zealotry.

  
--- Lee Peters <lfpeters at gis.net> wrote:
> ....and so goes the endless debate between non-CM and CM.  You non-CM 
> er's can be so obvious, esp. when you scold.  I wonder why you guys 
> monitor our list.  Is it because we, that participate in the ride, are 
> vital and rich in our passion?  Is it interesting for you to hear about 
> our authentic adventure each month?  Come on out and scold us live and 
> in person & enjoy a genuine confrontation.  The fun and the moment will 
> take over, and no one will listen.
> 
> Let's try to consider the un-organized gathering that produces 
> congestion and delays on the streets EVERY DAY, TWICE A DAY.  It is 
> called rush hour traffic.  No penalties for this individual, but 
> congruent behavior when the citizen is in their car.  The laws don't 
> include the biker in a way that advocates for this superior form of 
> transport.  The design of the streets are often anti-bike too.  There is 
> no representation, in the mean streets, except once a month.
> 
> I would be curious to know what was the activism or were conditions that 
> created the bicycle paradises of Amsterdam or Berlin.  Was it an annual 
> "fun ride" through Somerville with a bunch of hippies?  Was it the 
> un-subsidized gasoline?  Was it a critical number of bike-auto 
> accidents?  Was there a protest or demonstration, or a monthly parade? 
> Was it a reality of a dense urban environment?
> 
> Peace to all, because you bike.
> 
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> 



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