So every once in awhile you get those moments that make you think. This happened to me Monday May 27 at Bike Day. I was involved in a conversation with a Councillor who shall remain nameless. And the similarities in our ways of thinking just hit me. Through my own readings, ponderings and mostly listening to people around me, my thinking around cycling and cycling infrastructure has changed in the 3 years I have been actively trying to ride my bike safely.
Growing older (I refuse to say growing up because it hasn't happened yet) in the late 1970's my bicycle was my best friend. Because of a problem I was born with it made it difficult to be around other kids my age. But my trusty bike was always there and it helped build a few friendships, after having surgery that would change the way I stood and walked I was devastated to learn I would not be able to skate again. Like other kids I dreamed of being the next NHL star. My bike was there. When I had problems running after I took up swimming my bike was there for dry land conditioning. When I was 15 I had a very long dark period that included a couple of Hospitalizations for mental health issues. I found that music and cycling changed my mood and perspective on my life.
I got older in Burlington, before bike lanes and safe cycling infrastructure. So this got me thinking why the push for bike lanes now. Lets see if I can shed some light.
In 1999 there were 8,878,036 registered motor vehicles on the roads in Ontario. In 2017 there were 12,273,788 registered motor vehicles. That is a increase of 38% in less than 20 years. And I believe that though a lot of the laws surrounding motor vehicles haven’t really changed the way we view them and general enforcement has. We have become very motor vehicle centric.
It was just 3 and a half years ago that I stopped driving completely. And decided to walk or mostly right my bike again. Mostly for my health but as I grew as a cyclist or a person who rides a bike I learned of the other benefits. When I was driving I would even drive to the corner store for a bag of milk or a loaf of bread. In my younger days I was even one of those guys that would rev my engine and race on city streets. Interesting fact I had more accidents or crashes driving a car or pick-up than I ever had riding a bike. My wake up call to ride again was for my health. A cancer scare and a diabetes diagnosis will do that to a person. I don’t want to become a person that talks a bunch of cliches or facts. I have memories of friends that lost their lives just because they wanted to ride their bikes to and from school and I have been fortunate that I have not had a major cycling incident.
We need to make our streets safer and friendlier for all.
Sorry for the novel but I blame it on the bike 🚵‍♂️🚵‍♂️🚲
Published on Twitter May 30, 2019