Young urban planners love bikes. They will shut down vehicle lanes, reroute busy streets, generally commit any abuse to car traffic that promotes the flow of bicycles–regardless of the size of the current cycling population. In other words, they are planning for a time when cities might be even denser but also more liveable, thanks to your trusty boneshaker.
If you think some of this thinking is a little utopian, you are correct. And you are not alone. Drivers–which means virtually all Americans–love the convenience and speed of their vehicles and they can be very vocal about any changes that slow their commute. And there are at least three seemingly excellent arguments against a wholesale shift that appears to be envisioned by planners. First, America is much more spread out than most European cities. You might easily live in the southern suburb of your city and commute a half-hour to the other side of town. Two: the cheap big box store where I buy a lot of stuff is in an asphalt wasteland; you can’t get there by bike. And three: unlike your tattooed, fedora-wearing (insert your other hipster stereotypes here) young urbanist, old people are often reluctant to bike any distance in excellent weather. Add in a little rain, or cold, or snow, and their bikes, if they have them, remain leaning up against the garage.
Those are the preconceptions. In actuality, a five-mile commute through heavy car traffic followed by parking isn’t much longer on a bike that can be locked up in a rack or bike garage. (It’s also considerably cheaper.) In some places, when city investments are made in infrastructure, you can bike to Ikea (though you’ll probably want your bookshelf delivered. And, finally, old people might enjoy biking if the roads weren’t dominated by muscle cars and the paths weren’t dominated by Spandex-wearing weekend warriors. The benefits are obvious, of course: better fitness, less noise, less pollution and less density because bikes take up so much less space than cars (in motion and while parked).
Looking for a place that viciously undercuts the notion that a bikeable city is a radical utopian concept? Check out Utrecht, the fourth-largest city the in the Netherlands. Appalled by the number of children who died in traffic accidents, the city decided several decades ago to focus on a world-class biking infrastructure. The results are staggering. See for yourself in this video. Yes, it’s 13 minutes long. Get a cup of coffee and sit back. You’re going to enjoy it.
Two things to note: virtually no one is wearing a helmet. This is shocking to any American; most of us would be just as likely to bike without pants. One can only surmise that the ease of biking and the lack of cars make helmets less necessary. Also, look at the ages of the people. Young and old.
Photo: Lennart Sikkema, via Wikimedia Commons
