I wonder about this a lot too. I grew up in Europe and moved to the US as an adult. I work in urban planning – basically working to turn the US into Denmark ;-) But I have to face the reality that I’ll most likely work my entire career in the US and the US will still at that point be a less pleasant place to live, walk and bike than Denmark is today. So, why should I put up with it, why not just move? I’d love to live closer to my family and friends. On the other hand – they solved many of the difficult problems already, so my job would be less interesting… Ho hum, retreat or not?

I am a 36 year-old medical specialist and I deal with road trauma in an operating theatre environment occasionally. When I was a child I used to cycle my BMX bicycle to school and to friends’ houses after school. The bicycle racks were full and injuries were extremely rare; in fact, they were largely confined to people doing silly things on their bikes and the injuries were mostly peripheral (broken wrists, grazes, etc. No serious head injuries).

I cycled at university and helmet laws were introduced. Almost immediately there was a drop-off in cyclist numbers, particularly ‘normal’ people and many women and children. I, at the time, was one of the cyclists not killed off by the herbicide as Mike Rubbo quite appropriately put it – I was a lycra-clad fast racing cyclist who cycled quickly to university and would ‘train’ on the roads. The compulsory helmets didn’t bother me personally.

Compulsory helmets really bother me now though. Firstly, I have read many good articles on bicycle helmets and there is just no credible evidence that they really prevent serious head injuries – cuts and bruises, sure, but not serious injury. They are certainly not in the same category as motorcycle helmets but if authorities were serious about head injury reduction, they would be. But then what cyclist would wear a motorcycle helmet!

Secondly, it has killed off an enormous part of the cycling community – women and children – which, with hindsight, is a terrible loss. They still cycle of course, but it is either for ‘fun’ on a weekend, on the bike paths that don’t really go anywere, or for sport – and you’ll be hard pressed seeing this group ever cycle on the roads.

What we need is quality infrastructure which positions cycling as a sensible form of transport. Good bike paths, direct routes, priority at intersections, etc. Only once this is in place, and the ‘normal’ people return to cycling as a utilitarian exercise (to the shops, to school, etc) will it ever be safer to cycle on the roads. Bicycle safety isn’t high visibility vests and helmets, it is safe routes away from motorised vehicles.

We also need proper utility bicycles on sale here. I note that they are appearing (Gazelles for one) and that sales are increasing. These are the type of bike that the world rides (China, Europe, Japan) for utility – Situp Bikes as Mike Rubbo calls them on his wonderful Australian blog – http://www.situp-cycle.com

I have one of the utility bikes now and it is what I choose to ride every day – I love it. I cycle in normal clothes and can do almost anything on it that I would need my car for. I also cycle almost exclusively on bike paths and footpaths in Brisbane as there is little safe room on the road.

I also do not wear a helmet.

I have found a wonderful site which looks at Dutch cycling infrastructure from an ex-pat Englishman’s perspective – highly recommended: http://hembrow.blogspot.com/

A few comments in reply to others:

@Brenda Borron
Where you say: Should I fall, yes, I’m vulnerable, but at least I have my helmet, which has saved my head on more than one occasion!

I can assure you that if you fall onto the road and your head is hit by a car, the little styrofoam lid is going to do little to save your life. When you say it has “saved your head”, may I suggest you have a read of this: http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1019.html

@AdamM
I can really empathise with your position and it is sad that this society of ours lets you down. This is a problem with the way our society has headed for the past 40 years. It is not too late to change it. We have had access to cheap oil and as a result have built poor quality houses in the middle of nowhere, that require residents to travel great distances to their workplace – almost always by car, by necessity. This doesn’t happen in the old world, or where oil is expensive. At least you don’d live in the USA – it is even worse there and they’re heading for a brick wall.

My solution is different to the solution the politicians seem to like. They either want massive highrises or more urban sprawl – one extreme or the other. What we need is a more village-like inner city suburb structure, with local shops (no large centres) and medium density housing. Townhouses are perfect for this and they can be wonderful but many are poorly designed.

We live in a 100m2 townhouse in Brisbane and it is more than enough, but it was designed and built by an architect, not a building company and it was no more expensive in the end than the rubbish out there. It has the benefits of both a house and a unit and has been designed to take advantage of passive cooling and heating – we can count the numbers of times we’ve turned on the heating/cooling on one hand in the past 12 months. The windows, the awnings, the spaces and volumes are all there for a reason, not just to look fancy, but most of the trades just moaned during its construction. I’ve never had such a low power bill. Architects are fading away which is sad and many that are left just give in to clients demands for more, more more (for less money though)! What we need is more quality and less quantity, but only a profession that understands how a building really works can help there…

These areas all need high quality outdoor public spaces (parks, etc) for people to enjoy. The world of cheap oil has meant that we are less sociable on the whole – people don’t go to the movies, they use their ‘home theatres’; they don’t play in the park, they play in their own backyard; they don’t go to the public pool, they swim in their own. This is all made possible because all of this is ‘cheap’ for us by world standards – but we do pay, eventually, as you’re finding out with your long commute.

The other solution is to stop making people feel as though they’ve failed for not owning their own home. There is nothing wrong with renting but we need to improve the relationship between tenants and landlords – long term leases are commonplace in European countries. There needs to be some give and take from both sides and we can all be happier!

James Kunstler gave an excellent talk at TED (I can recommend you read his book ‘The Long Emergency’) about this. Well worth a look: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_suburbia.html

@randomray:
I agree that many cycle paths lead to nowhere or they simply meander through parks. These are of little use to the cyclist that wishes to cycle as a serious alternative to the car. Your concern about people getting in the way on shared paths is misdirected. Pedestrians have every right to be there but perhaps the problem is that the shared path is far too narrow in the first place, thus making it unpleasant and dangerous for all. Again, the infrastructure needs improving.

Kind regards and happy cycling,

Dr Paul Martin
MBBS, FANZCA

Good question about the 5 miles or less… When we started out creating the Loring concept, our core user’s experience was for shorter trips around their home. To that end, we wanted a bike that handled slower speeds, comfort and loads well. In the end, we ended up with a bike that does that well, but also handles longer rides capably.

Scott
Civia GM

Please drop me a note via the “Contact Us” link at the upper right of this page.

Thanks-
Alan

Is there anyway that I can email you directly for feedback on an idea that I have?

Thanks,
Courtney

That was an extreme example to show the possibilities. Most of my photos have far less retouching done to them (you’ll see those same powerlines in many of my photos). I really liked the composition in this photo (particularly the shadow), but the powerlines kind of ruined it, so in this case I went ahead and took some artistic license and removed the powerlines to salvage the image. None of my retouching is intended to deceive in any way.

Alan

“You want the image to reflect the joy and gratitude you feel for the pleasure biking provides.”

So true! Thanks for the kind words…

Alan

That’s very kind, thank you..

Alan

“You give us good advice and info here. Now if only you could give us that “eye” to visualize those beautiful shots! I will have to just go out and take a lot of shots and practice, as you say. So glad we have digital cameras now.”

Like anything, it’s just a matter of putting in the time. Digital cameras have certainly speeded up the learning process by allowing nearly instantaneous feedback!!

Thanks!
Alan

“Thanks very much for that Alan! A great guide. I found that sometimes I get great keepers, but 8/10 of my photos are rubbish.”

8 out of 10 is a great keeper rate (seriously). My rate is more like 50 to 1… LOL. Keep shooting!

Alan