2001 Streak 96/365: Cycling as transport

2011 Streak 96/365: Cycle - 11.8 miles, Time - 47 min, Weather - sunny and warm

Today felt almost like summer it was so warm and sunny. The first bike ride of the year in short sleeves with the the delight of seeing everybody out in the open, looking just that little bit more relaxed and happy. I cycled passed fields with animals grazing and thought how nice it all looked. So today's picture is a sheep. 

My ride today was cycling as transport. None of this wafting around looking at the countryside and persuading myself I am doing good by getting exercise. This time I had purpose and not only did this give me a warm glow of inner satisfaction, it was easier than using the car.

Berkhamsted is about 6 miles away and for that distance I think the bike is quicker, once you have factored in the car overhead of finding somewhere to park. 

The interesting thing about transport choices is that we like our convenience front loaded. A number of surveys have shown (those are weasel words for me having been told this and not having any references to back it up) that when we go on journeys the car is seen as much more convenient because we can get in it straight away and be off, without any need to consult a timetable. However on arrival it is often difficult, sometimes fraught,and  mostly costly to park but because it is a deferred pain it is discounted. So many car journeys happen just because it is easy to open the door and get in.

I don't know what we can do about this. It is a deep seated instinct to take the initially easy option and once done frequently enough it becomes a reflex. Encouraging more people to walk or cycle is very difficult because it means breaking ingrained habits. (Diets face exactly the same problem as well all tend to fall back into established patterns).

When you have a population with increasing health problems because of weight and inactivity and when you have problems with oil and the need to limit consumption because of climate change. Increasing walking or cycling is an obvious policy. But just how do you do it?

I fully understand why people who have not been on a bike since childhood are reluctant to start riding again. It is both scary and difficult. Somehow we have to make it as easy and painless as possible, which involves investing in infrastructure, and this is where it becomes interesting. In political terms because it is very easy to make statements about the desirability of everybody doing more exercise and cutting down on car use right up until the point when you need to spend money. Then good intentions are usually seen to be just that - good intentions.

Irrespective of infrastructure another component is to try to create a climate where walking and cycling are both seen as being natural and common - not freakish. This is a matter of momentum, where if more people do it others are encouraged to try, and talking so that it becomes a topic on peoples' mind

We might not be like Holland or Denmark but we can take inspiration from them. I recommend The Copenhagenize blog. 

P.S I like the cycling version of the Hitler bunker scene I found on Copenhagenize. Because it is about Vancouver, a city I have been to a few times, and know the streets they are mentioning and could picture what they were talking about. It was a nice reminder.