Re-printed from the Columbus Dispatch

Saturday,  January 2, 2010 2:58 AM

If you build it, they will come — and they want to ride bikes

I reply to Linda S. Corbett’s letter of Dec. 20, "Bicycle-storage plan costly, unnecessary."

Corbett raises a basic question that a number of other people have been raising: Why should we spend money on making Columbus bicycle-friendly when such a small number of people are biking?

The assumption underlying Corbett’s opposition to using federal stimulus funds to create parking for bikes all around Downtown and to put bike lanes on W. Broad Street — and presumably to everything else contained in the Columbus Bicentennial Bikeways Plan — is that there will never be more than a tiny fraction of people who will ever use bicycling for getting around town for work, for school, for church, for shopping, for dining in restaurants and for everything else.

Corbett believes that too few people will ever want to go to the inconvenience of showering and changing for office work after a bike ride; that too few people will ever bike in cold, snowy or rainy weather; and that too few people will ever bike through high-crime areas. The attitude seems to be that the way it is now is the way it’s always going to be and that we can’t change and do better.

People seem to forget that a majority of people biked everywhere for everything before traffic engineers began designing streets for cars only.

Those who get around know that there are cities all across the U.S. — including cold, snowy, rainy, windy, hilly cities like Portland, San Francisco, Boulder, Madison, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York — that have seen a dramatic resurgence of bicycling once planners have begun to make them more bike-friendly with networks of bike lanes, safe and convenient bike parking, end-of-ride facilities, share-the-road campaigns and education on the rules of the road.

In fact, professor John Pucher of Rutgers University, the leading researcher and foremost expert on bicycling policy and practice, published a research paper in 2006 called, "Why Canadians cycle more than Americans." In this paper, available on his Web site, he tells us why the rate of Canadian bicycling is about three times higher than in the U.S. If I’m not mistaken, most of Canada is much colder and snowier than it is here in central Ohio.

Last March, at the League of American Bicyclists’ annual Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., we were treated to a presentation by the bike planner of Copenhagen — a sometimes cold, snowy, rainy and windy city in northern Europe — who told us how Copenhagen planned to increase the mode share of bicycling from its current 35 percent to 50 percent in five years. Bicycling is dramatically higher throughout Europe than it is in this country because they have engineered bicycling back into their roadways.

Back in April 2006, NextGeneration Consulting produced a study for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the city of Columbus and others called "Attracting and Retaining Young Talent to Columbus." The study told us that "the next generation of workers chooses to live first, work second. Young workers can — and often do — pick a place to work and then find a job." The key is providing the "quality of life amenities" that attract young workers. And the study states that young workers in Columbus want to make bicycling part of their everyday routines, and they are specifically asking for a network of bike lanes and bike parking to enable them to do that.

Making Columbus bike-friendly is essential to making all of Columbus — including especially the Hilltop — economically competitive and vibrant. Implementing the bike plan will make Columbus a mecca of bicycling and a great city.

The city of Columbus is absolutely on the right track in creating a network of bike lanes and bike parking throughout the city.

JOHN GIDEON
Vice president Consider Biking Worthington

I was dumbfounded at the illegal behavior of the overwhelming majority of bicyclists riding on High Street. For the last 18 months, I’ve spent an average of one hour per week, defending our bicycling community against the “you’re all lawless scofflaws…running red lights…etc” rant. My defense that 95+% of cyclists are law-abiding drivers of their bicycles, was based on my experience while riding throughout our region, and across our country, for over 20 years. My defense was based on the similar experience and 95+% number referenced by my bicycle advocate peers across the country.
 

Sure, I’ve always conceded that there were a handful of cyclists in our urban core, that demonstrated illegal (and downright stupid) behavior. But, my perspective was based on my vision as a moving cyclist throughout the urban core. When I sat still for 4 hours….I was dumbfounded to discover that 95+% of bicyclists (that day) surfed the parking lane and ran red lights.
 

My level of disgust increased by the hour. It was like a 2×4 to the head. All of the sudden, I actually have empathy for the motorists on High Street. My cycling brethren….you’ve made me a liar. You’ve made me angry.
I’ve been sticking up for all of us…trying to say there were only a few bad apples. Do you know how hard it is to gain the respect of City officials, engineers & planners, the media, and most importantly…the volatile humans piloting those 2,000 lb. moving missiles? You’re not making it any easier with the behavior I witnessed last Friday.
Why are you riding this way? Are you so self-absorbed, that the world revolves around you? Are you just opportunistic since the bicycle gives you the opportunity to cheat traffic? Are you “expressing yourself” with your nonchalant coolness, hipness, whatever? Or, do you just not know any better? Do you just follow the example of the guy/gal in front of you because you’re new to urban bicycling? (I think it’s the latter.)
 

And don’t give me the “loss of momentum” or “it’s safe because there are no cars” or “cars break the law too” arguments. I’d heard them all ad nauseum. We ought to be better than that. Hold ourselves to a higher standard.
My general optimism for humanity suggests that this beahvior stems from a lack of education and, perhaps, the modeling of the wrong leaders on that stretch e road.

Consider Biking has always advocated City leaders to enforce bicycling behavior. After my rude awakening last week, we’ll push harder than ever to educate cyclists, and bring the strong arm of law enforcement down on wreckless cycling behavior.
 

Let’s nip this behavior in the bud, before our community leaders give up on us. We’re biting the hand that feeds us. Perhaps serendipitously, we’ve convened a group of downtown business leaders to develop a broad-based share the road campaign. After last week’s observations, I’m convinced we’ll need to allocate significant efforts to educating “our side of the street” first.

Its not that hard. Drive your bike like a vehicle. Don’t put your bike where an automobile couldn’t fit…and stop at the stop lights. It’ll make it easier to sell the City & the motoring public, that we’re worthy of respect & investment.
 

There were many highlights to the Summit including a bike film festival on Thursday evening, and most notably the worldwide observations of our cycling movement from Jeff Mapes, the author of Pedaling Revolution. Here’s a video statement for Columbus, from Jeff Mapes. 

Lastly, we learned that Dayton has already broken ground on a downtown bike hub/station that will include secure bike parking, showers, and shop needs. Wow….if Dayton can build a downtown bike station…what are we waiting for???

Several key stakeholders form Central Ohio were in attendance (Columbus Transportation, MORPC, Consider Biking members, etc) and we all left with a desire to create a similar regional Summit here in Central Ohio in the near future. Consider Biking will make this happen! If you’re interested in helping, let us know!