The Unseen Bicyclist
Dave Steele | Wed, Aug 27th, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags: dave steele, bike riding, bike to work week
It’s never been a better time to be bicyclist in many American cities. In recent years a lot of cities have taken strides toward bike-friendliness. High gasoline prices, and a growing sense of the importance of reducing carbon emissions, has put more and more people on two wheels out on city streets to take advantage of new bike lanes, paths and bike racks.
As a warm-weather bike commuter for about the last three years, I’m delighted to see biking catching on with more people. The same people who three years ago would have thought me an eccentric, or a lunatic, for riding around town now think I’m a genius. Riding has become such a pleasure that I’ve decided to “take the plunge,” as it were, and stay on the bike as far into the winter as I can muster. When winter hits, I’ll probably go back from being a genius to a nut in the eyes of my friends and colleagues. I’m already preparing myself mentally for those 10 degree mornings in January.
As a bicyclist in the city, I do everything I can to stay visible. I’d rather look like a dork and be alive than look “cool” and not. This means always wearing a helmet, bright clothes including a bright neon-colored vest, and a couple of flashing lights. I have never once had an incident on the road that was caused by a motorist not seeing me.
And I stay visible in other ways. I’m a member of my local bike advocacy group. I participate in events such as Bike to Work Week, which includes an annual ride to work with the Mayor, under police escort. And if there’s a problem with my usual route, such as a break in the pavement on a bike lane, I know who to call at the City to get the problem solved.
The Author’s pink sleeve can be seen three rows back to the left.
Like with a lot of things, however, putting a number on the increasing numbers of bicyclists is problematic. We can measure the frequency of riding through membership in clubs and participation in events like Bike to Work Week, but does that get anywhere near the actual number of regular bike commuters?
Not likely. Events like Bike to Work Week are designed around bikers like me. We’re the bikers who are counted. We have the time and the resources to seek out and join advocacy groups, to log on and register for events, to get our voices heard in the process of planning and implementing infrastructure. We know, and care, how our city ranks in terms of bike friendliness. Some of us donate to the cause, and some of us (though not me) spend thousands on bikes and gear.
In other words, biking for people like me is a choice, and a passion. I could easily afford driving to work and around town every day, but I’ve chosen not to, and have had a lot of fun and lost almost 20 pounds in the process.
But not everyone rides out of choice. For a lot of people, biking is a necessity. Rather than a source of pride, riding is often a source of shame, a visible symbol of poverty.
I encounter many of these Unseen Bicyclists in my daily travels. Usually riding without a helmet or other safety gear, these cyclists keep their heads down and go about their business, riding to work and other places where the bus routes don’t go. I often see them engaging in dangerous practices, such as riding on the sidewalk or against traffic. Their bikes are often in poor condition, with squeaky wheels and gears. With major cutbacks in transit service in recent years, and a huge increase in bus fares (and the price of gasoline), I’ve been seeing more and more of my fellow citizens biking out of necessity.
The urban poor and working class take work when and where they can get it, which often means third or second shift and far from home, out of reach of public transit. Long bike commutes in the dark, without safety gear, lead to a high rate of injuries and fatalities among low-income bikers in many cities.
With gas prices pinching the middle class commuter, more and more people are taking to the streets on bikes. Great news, to be sure, but we should work to make sure biking is safe and friendly for all bikers, including those with no alternative.
Dave Steele is a planner who lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He works for a Milwaukee foundation that works to develop and support innovative approaches to urban education.
Brian Krier
Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 10:22am
I’ve taken to the streets myself this summer, often forgoing the excrutiating 8-minute subway ride to work in favor of a 30-minute walk up Broad Street, and the same for the return trip, even during our unbearable July heat. I don’t have a bicycle, but it’s obvious here in Philadelphia that more people are walking and biking to work. There’s something quite encouraging (and amusing) about a businessman with his helmet snapped on and dress pant-leg rolled up pedaling down Broad Street during rush hour.
After years of service cutbacks and fare hikes, our regional transit system recently announced a series of service hikes across the board from which everyone stands to benefit. In this respect, it looks like things are headed in the right direction here in Philadelphia.
shishi in NYC
Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 11:46am
Great post. Winter is not that bad, you just have to make sure you dress with warm breathable clothes. I have been commuting all year around for years and winter is one of the best times cause the streets are clear of other cyclists and peds.
Miriam Axel-Lute in Albany, NY
Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 1:59pm
A very good point. I’ve noticed this divide between cyclists of choice and of necessity quite a bit myself here in Albany. It would be an incredible thing to be able to bring them together somehow.
I would also add a subcategory for young people who don’t have licenses yet, especially those whose parents aren’t around to drive them places. Cycling isn’t exactly shameful for them in the same way, as it represents a kind of freedom, but many of the other challenges apply, with the addition of a racially-tinged fear of them ("teenagers on bikes” seems to equal a crime problem to many neighborhood leaders, which always baffles me).
I also note a small but real problem—most of these kids have bikes that are way too small for them and are going to destroy their knees in a few years.
aullman
Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 12:39am
Bike commuting is dependant on having a safe drivable route to work. Workers who live too far from work might want to see about working remotely as an alternative.
Remote Office Centers lease individual offices, internet and phone systems to workers from different companies in shared centers located around the city and suburbs.
Remote Office Centers are fairly new, but can be found in most large cities by doing a web search on “Remote Office Centers” in quotes.
Bike commuting will only be adopted when commuters have access to short safe routes to work. Working remotely is the best way to make it possible for more people to commute by bike.
Dave Steele
Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 9:43am
Thanks for the encouragement and the advice Shi-Shi. I’m afraid our winters here in Milwaukee may be a bit more harsh than winter in NYC, but I’m getting ready for it. I’ve consulted with people who bike year round and have been told that the main thing you need is the willingness to do it.
Dave Steele
Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 10:05am
Thanks for the comment, Miriam. I did a little web research and all I was able to find on the topic of low-income bikers were a few programs that distribute helmets and other safety gear, and bike safety classes for kids. All good things, to be sure, yet the problem persists.
Trek Bicycles, the high-end bike maker based in Wisconsin, recently launched a program that has central city kids refurbish and sell used bicycles in a retail store in their neighborhood. The first such store opened a few months ago in Madison, Wisconsin, and two more are opening soon in Milwaukee. Perhaps this experience can give the kids and their community a sense of empowerment through riding.
Tanya in Philadelphia
Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 10:07am
Great article. Since moving downtown almost three years ago I depend on my bike for almost every trip I make. I’ve had really good success mixing with cars by showing them that I know they’re there: looking back when I hear them approaching. I’m really trying to show them that I am not oblivious to them, to prevent them from honking and/or running me down.
But I still want to wear a sign that say “Don’t honk” because honking makes me jump. I’d also like a sign that says “This is not a race” because cars seem to think they need to beat me to the (red) light to show that they’re superior—usually cutting me off. Also dangerous are those who ride on the wrong side of the street—and who won’t take a suggestion to switch sides. We need some more education on this to protect all of us.
Julie in Urbana, IL
Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 1:37pm
Great post (I came here via Rooflines). I’ve noticed the same thing in my Midwestern college town and have tried to figure out how to articulate this gap in planning between getting the well-to-do who have a choice onto bicycles and making things safer for the people who don’t have a choice about biking around town. The Unseen Bicyclists definitely are lacking in advocates.
Barb Chamberlain in Spokane, WA
Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 9:13pm
Great post. I shared it at the best blog in Spokane for urban issues: http://metrospokane.typepad.com/index/2008/09/bike-equity.html (I write some of the bike pieces for the blog--it was the best urban-issues blog before I started doing that).
In Spokane, we have Pedals2People, http://www.pedals2people.org, to help people build up their own bikes out of used parts. The independence gained from understanding how the bike really goes together is probably incredibly empowering--I’m one of the privileged who just bought a bike at a local bike shop & only know how to patch a tube (very slowly).
--barb
Chair, Bike to Work Spokane
Personal blog: http://www.biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com
Bike to Work Spokane: http://www.biketoworkspokane.org