The BBC article is right on target: Boulderites love their cars!
While Boulder's network of bike lanes, paths, and routes is not only more thorough than other cities, it's also much more efficient to ride a bike through town than to drive.
Yet many of my friends, co-workers, and fellow racers drive--everywhere! They drive to work, to the store, to Pearl Street, to Target, and even to local bike races. They don't even consider riding bikes for errands and always choose to drive.
Now why would a bike racer, someone obviously familiar with and capable of cycling choose to drive in a town that's so accommodating to bikes?
I'm not sure why so many "cyclists" mount their bikes on their roof-racks and drive them around town, but I do believe that when these "cyclists" choose driving over biking in a cycle-friendly town like Boulder, they are certainly more addicted to driving than a "simpleton" in a town that's not bike-friendly.
They have a choice.
On a typical day, I'll see several friends waving at me--out the window of their car! (By the way, at the time of this message, it's a beautiful summer day with no clouds or chance of rain.) I often ask these people why they are driving and not biking, and here are some common responses:
--I didn't have enough time to ride
--I had to carry something that's fragile
--it's raining
--it's too hot
--it's too cold
--my bike has a flat tire
--I dunno
--I have to get groceries
--I have to pick up my kid
--I have to pick up my friend
I understand that there are certain times when a vehicle is more practical than a bike. But cars and trucks are overused more often than not.
By the way,
--I've never been too hot to ride in Boulder
--I've carried lots of fragile things on a bike (from lamps to aquariums to eggs)
--rain is rarely a legitimate excuse
--people from Texas sit on chair lifts in sub-zero temperatures while being blasted with mountain wind every winter: it's never too cold to ride a bike
--flat tires are easily fixed
--"I dunno" is not an excuse; it's how you can tell an idiot from a responsible party
--backpacks, trailers, and Xtracycles/cargo-bikes are perfect for groceries
--kids fit on Xtracycles--age 1 to 100
--friends not only fit on Xtracycles, they can usually pedal themselves
So why would a young, fit person in a town that's full of bike-friendly options, and who owns one--if not five or more high-end bikes--still choose to drive? Because they're even more addicted to driving than a town populated by overweight, non-cyclists who don't have any bike paths or lanes.
It really bothers me that a town of capable, earth-conscious people neglect simple solutions to our global energy problems in favor of A/C, Audi's, and laziness.
I really don't want pick a fight over driving, but I would absolutely LOVE to see more of my friends and neighbors out on bikes.
Please spare the criticism and instead ENCOURAGE your loved ones to bike. Help them carry their groceries, show them how to stay warm in the winter, and show them how to live their life on two wheels.
Or is it shedding light on the age-old conundrum of something that's easy to put on paper isn't always as easy to put in action.
Personally, I think it's the latter.
(An aside: I'm currently in London this summer and there's a potentially interesting understory here: the US reaction to the BP oil spill doesn't always sit well here. The domestic press is much more lenient to BP's (in-)action than media outlets in the States, and after reading updates in the London papers, one gets the sense that the Brits think the Yanks are getting their knickers in a twist for no big reason. So, the writer of the BBC article may be looking to knock the US down a peg or two by highlighting the shortcomings of one of the USA's more progressive going-green plans.)
2 Comments
Dear Boulder, Please stop driving!
Submitted by Bama (not verified) on
Unfortunately,
The BBC article is right on target: Boulderites love their cars!
While Boulder's network of bike lanes, paths, and routes is not only more thorough than other cities, it's also much more efficient to ride a bike through town than to drive.
Yet many of my friends, co-workers, and fellow racers drive--everywhere! They drive to work, to the store, to Pearl Street, to Target, and even to local bike races. They don't even consider riding bikes for errands and always choose to drive.
Now why would a bike racer, someone obviously familiar with and capable of cycling choose to drive in a town that's so accommodating to bikes?
I'm not sure why so many "cyclists" mount their bikes on their roof-racks and drive them around town, but I do believe that when these "cyclists" choose driving over biking in a cycle-friendly town like Boulder, they are certainly more addicted to driving than a "simpleton" in a town that's not bike-friendly.
They have a choice.
On a typical day, I'll see several friends waving at me--out the window of their car! (By the way, at the time of this message, it's a beautiful summer day with no clouds or chance of rain.) I often ask these people why they are driving and not biking, and here are some common responses:
--I didn't have enough time to ride
--I had to carry something that's fragile
--it's raining
--it's too hot
--it's too cold
--my bike has a flat tire
--I dunno
--I have to get groceries
--I have to pick up my kid
--I have to pick up my friend
I understand that there are certain times when a vehicle is more practical than a bike. But cars and trucks are overused more often than not.
By the way,
--I've never been too hot to ride in Boulder
--I've carried lots of fragile things on a bike (from lamps to aquariums to eggs)
--rain is rarely a legitimate excuse
--people from Texas sit on chair lifts in sub-zero temperatures while being blasted with mountain wind every winter: it's never too cold to ride a bike
--flat tires are easily fixed
--"I dunno" is not an excuse; it's how you can tell an idiot from a responsible party
--backpacks, trailers, and Xtracycles/cargo-bikes are perfect for groceries
--kids fit on Xtracycles--age 1 to 100
--friends not only fit on Xtracycles, they can usually pedal themselves
So why would a young, fit person in a town that's full of bike-friendly options, and who owns one--if not five or more high-end bikes--still choose to drive? Because they're even more addicted to driving than a town populated by overweight, non-cyclists who don't have any bike paths or lanes.
It really bothers me that a town of capable, earth-conscious people neglect simple solutions to our global energy problems in favor of A/C, Audi's, and laziness.
I really don't want pick a fight over driving, but I would absolutely LOVE to see more of my friends and neighbors out on bikes.
Please spare the criticism and instead ENCOURAGE your loved ones to bike. Help them carry their groceries, show them how to stay warm in the winter, and show them how to live their life on two wheels.
Bama
http://baphometcycles.com
Points: 1
Is the BBC really "slamming" Boulder?
Submitted by Kurt S. (not verified) on
Or is it shedding light on the age-old conundrum of something that's easy to put on paper isn't always as easy to put in action.
Personally, I think it's the latter.
(An aside: I'm currently in London this summer and there's a potentially interesting understory here: the US reaction to the BP oil spill doesn't always sit well here. The domestic press is much more lenient to BP's (in-)action than media outlets in the States, and after reading updates in the London papers, one gets the sense that the Brits think the Yanks are getting their knickers in a twist for no big reason. So, the writer of the BBC article may be looking to knock the US down a peg or two by highlighting the shortcomings of one of the USA's more progressive going-green plans.)
Points: 1