"Those who wish to control their own lives and move beyond existence as mere consumers—those people ride a bike." —Wolfgang Sachs
I'm certainly no historian, but I'd suspect we can thank the industrial revolution for our current commuting predicament. As people started to leave their farms and homesteads to look for work in the growing towns; in the factories and down the mines, people were no longer working where they lived.
In this day and age, with huge amounts of information available at your fingertips it has become harder than ever to take anything at face value. So when you talk about the environmental benefits of cycling it's easy to lose people, because people assume you are talking about global warming or climate change. We puny humans are not so great at dealing with the bigger picture. We often don't have the power to make big changes, but if we focus on the small picture we'll make inroads into the huge challenges ahead.
Public Health Wales has published a response to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. Creating healthier places and spaces for our present and future generations talks about the importance of activity-friendly neighbourhoods and the importance of green spaces.
The common wisdom when faced with traffic congestion seems to be that just adding more lanes will sort everything. It won't. Whilst it may initially relieve some pressure, it won't be long before more traffic arrives to fill the space. Just as with the Katy Freeway expansion, adding new roadway capacity also creates new demand... Continue Reading →
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting on a new bike. You go along to your local bike shop, pick out the one you want and get yourself measured up.
But if you already have a bike, do you really need another?
As a society we've become very good at overlooking the costs of many things, whilst quibbling over every last penny of others. One thing we are especially good at brushing under the rug is the cost of motoring, not just to our own wallets but to society as a whole. We're going to need a... Continue Reading →
Bicycles are versatile machines, capable of being used for everything from shopping, to touring, to professional racing. However, whilst a bicycle may unite the different disciplines, the needs of riders are usually very, very different. The right tool... To the untrained eye a bicycle is just a bicycle, but look deeper and there may well... Continue Reading →
The folks at Uneven Earth tracked down and re-published this essay from 1973 by André Gorz, a philosopher and journalist. It's as relevant today as it was back then. People rushed to buy cars until, as the working class began to buy them as well, defrauded motorists realized they had been had. They had been... Continue Reading →
When confronted with the prospect of investing in cycling, one of the common retorts is that not everyone can ride a bike.
It's very easy to say, but much more difficult to back up with facts. The first mistake is assuming that everyone can drive, just because you can.
Whilst not strictly about cycling, as users of sustainable transport we have a role to play in making our world a better place. This rather fascinating piece in the New York Times is required reading. Grab a coffee, perhaps utilise your browser's reader feature (because the white text on black is tough on the eyes)... Continue Reading →
