Is Cycling Political? WBEZ

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Permalink Reply by jennifer james on March 5, 2011 at 9:59pm

Interesting article in the NYT yesterday about their head of the DOT-a  woman who has tirelessly defended bike lanes and curbing auto traffic. The article is somewhat interesting for the way it buries the stats on traffic deaths and how drastically they have fallen in her tenure. Check out the comments section for a lively discussion of the new lanes in New York. Cycling as politics for sure there! Read for the quote from mayor hopefull Weiner.J.

www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/nyregion/06sadik-khan.html?sort=oldest&a..." target="_blank">http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/nyregion/06sadik-khan.html?sort=oldest&a...

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Permalink Reply by Shawn C. on March 6, 2011 at 2:07pm

I attended the CHF bicycle forum and I believe that cycling is political. But, I believe the political portion is a by-product of people who like to bike. If this holds, would increased cycling increase politcal advocacy?! 

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Permalink Reply by Davo on March 6, 2011 at 3:48pm

Well hopefully its only a matter of time before we get old and more politicaly savy.

 

Because cycling is overwhelmingly (at least in this country) done by the younger more fit crowd this means that older, well-heeled citizens who do not cycle and who are likely to be more politically savvy have to be educated about the need for cycling safety (assuming that includes lanes) and that is often a hard sell.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 8, 2011 at 12:17pm

Dottie's blog, Let's Go Ride A Bike, has some interesting comments as well.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 8, 2011 at 12:20pm

And to be fair, I haven't even checked the audio link of the panel discussion. I was there so I know what I said. 

 

Have the rest of you been able to hear what we talked about? When I have some time I'll jot down my thoughts (or someone can summarize what I said as well).

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Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on March 9, 2011 at 12:07am

To me, yes, absolutely it is. We're literally voting with our feet. But it's part of a larger context in which not only cycling is political, but so is taking public transit, and walking. And, not coincidentally, so is driving. How can it not be? To some extent, every choice we make which affects other people is political, and our choice in how we use the public way, and how our externalities impact the rest of the world, is one of the most important ones we make every day.

Eric Vann said:

There are
More non-cyclists than cyclists. The numbers are against us. 

Yes, and that is precisely the problem that needs solving. On the other hand, there are more pedestrians than drivers.

 

 

P.S. I'm hoping to get back in the saddle and start making a political statement again soon!

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Permalink Reply by Joe TV on March 9, 2011 at 12:23am

I wonder if you sell bike lanes as a traffic dissipating measure.  More people on bikes vs cars makes less congestion for the people remaining behind the wheel, which is an appealing situation for a driver.  

Stefanie Seskin said:

Eric Vann said:

The article cited on the NYDOT head is interesting because in most big cities putting in things like bicycle lanes is going to become an issue very soon. The costs are fairly steep despite the obvious safety factors involved. But if we are to be honest most folks cannot see the value of something that they themselves don't use.

 

Whoa now, the costs for bicycling infrastructure are not fairly steep. Just comparing it to overall transportation spending, it's obviously a drop in the bucket, and when you add in things like saved health expenses and fuel costs, it's almost like making money.

 

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