A Bicycle is Muscle Powered Freedom!
My first bike was a green Schwinn Typhoon with one speed and a coaster brake. With this gift my parents gave me freedom, and I loved it!
I explored neighborhoods miles away, was transported at a pace walking couldn't match, and it cost nothing. Riding gave me independence and freedom to get far from home, and then back just as quickly.
In high school I bought a blue Schwinn Super LeTour 12.2 with ten speeds. On this I explored the Twin CIties, riding countless miles after school and in the summer. The adventures were long as I rode for hours.
Borrowing the car to drive was enjoyable but it came with costs and was less fun. It required a justification for the request, cash for gas, and came with the ever present knowledge that any accident or incident would require an explanation. An accident happened and it cost some coin, privileges and trust.
Sitting in traffic has never been much fun. Parking is never really free and when a car breaks down I need more than muscle to push, pull or carry it home. There is more responsibility with a car which is fine, but there is also less freedom. Bringing a bicycle to ride at the end of the car trip does restore some of the freedom and fun.
Riding just made more sense for most of the trips I needed to make. And it still does. When given a choice to run downtown for a library book, to take my kid to school, buy groceries or visit a friend, a bicycle ride is still my preferred choice - in any weather. Fenders keep the snow and rain off me and quick dry fabrics are fantastic! Every day clothing is usually what I wear.
Today I own several bicycles including a mountain bike, a single speed and a cargo bike. On some days I ride two or three bikes for different trips. Typically I drive one day a week and ride seven, putting thousands of miles on the bicycles while saving plenty of coin.
I drive to places to far to ride or when the load is too big for the cargo bike. I sit in traffic, buy fuel, keep up the insurance and taxes, pay for the repairs and find places to park and walk. Often when the car requires a repair the costs could buy another bike.
Driving is just not as efficient nor as much fun as riding. It is expensive to own a car which sits unused 95 to 99% of the time. I look forward to the day when RelayRides, FlightCar and ZipCar expand locally to provide the freedom I desire instead of the cost-dom of car ownership.
On the bike I get to hear the birds, feel the sun, shade and rain, and share time with my kid. Fitness is never an issue - I haven't been to the gym for years as exercise is built into every day transportation. With a cargo bicycle I pick up groceries, lumber, tools, haul my kid to school while running errands and staying fit. Riding is part of every day and I am grateful for the freedom and adventure!
I explored neighborhoods miles away, was transported at a pace walking couldn't match, and it cost nothing. Riding gave me independence and freedom to get far from home, and then back just as quickly.
In high school I bought a blue Schwinn Super LeTour 12.2 with ten speeds. On this I explored the Twin CIties, riding countless miles after school and in the summer. The adventures were long as I rode for hours.Borrowing the car to drive was enjoyable but it came with costs and was less fun. It required a justification for the request, cash for gas, and came with the ever present knowledge that any accident or incident would require an explanation. An accident happened and it cost some coin, privileges and trust.
Sitting in traffic has never been much fun. Parking is never really free and when a car breaks down I need more than muscle to push, pull or carry it home. There is more responsibility with a car which is fine, but there is also less freedom. Bringing a bicycle to ride at the end of the car trip does restore some of the freedom and fun.
Riding just made more sense for most of the trips I needed to make. And it still does. When given a choice to run downtown for a library book, to take my kid to school, buy groceries or visit a friend, a bicycle ride is still my preferred choice - in any weather. Fenders keep the snow and rain off me and quick dry fabrics are fantastic! Every day clothing is usually what I wear.Today I own several bicycles including a mountain bike, a single speed and a cargo bike. On some days I ride two or three bikes for different trips. Typically I drive one day a week and ride seven, putting thousands of miles on the bicycles while saving plenty of coin.
I drive to places to far to ride or when the load is too big for the cargo bike. I sit in traffic, buy fuel, keep up the insurance and taxes, pay for the repairs and find places to park and walk. Often when the car requires a repair the costs could buy another bike.Driving is just not as efficient nor as much fun as riding. It is expensive to own a car which sits unused 95 to 99% of the time. I look forward to the day when RelayRides, FlightCar and ZipCar expand locally to provide the freedom I desire instead of the cost-dom of car ownership.
On the bike I get to hear the birds, feel the sun, shade and rain, and share time with my kid. Fitness is never an issue - I haven't been to the gym for years as exercise is built into every day transportation. With a cargo bicycle I pick up groceries, lumber, tools, haul my kid to school while running errands and staying fit. Riding is part of every day and I am grateful for the freedom and adventure!
Our Planet
My motivation is much bigger now than just fun and adventure on a bicycle. Human induced global warming is not science fiction to me. There are stories every day about how our petroleum based economy makes us suffer. There's the pollution, the wars for "our national interests", the CO2 emissions which make a mess of our planet, making it less pleasant to live on for many people. Cycling makes a difference and so I ride for the liveability of our home planet. Using less climate catastrophe causing energy stores is the change I believe in. Gas prices will continue to climb and there are plenty of trips I can ride, instead of drive.
Most everyone can enjoy the efficiency and freedom that cycling provides. My dad rode a bicycle often and loved riding over walking with his flat feet. He finally stopped at 85 when his balance was declining. Perhaps my kid will carry on the tradition, and enjoy a more liveable planet as more people trade driving for riding a bicycle.The Sun is our fuel
The sun powers most of transportation. Other than nuclear, our energy sources are sun based. Fossil fuels are energy derived from the sun, which have been stored on the earth, like a back-up battery. Wind and solar energy are driven by the sun and can be harvested to meet much of our needs. The plants which we and animals eat are solar powerhouses which generate fuel from the sun. We, the people of planet Earth, are solar powered.
From my perspective using the solar output of the sun makes more sense than relying on the fuel stores of energy on the planet. Fracking, tar sands, oil extraction and coal are not limitless but the sun's energy is, at least for our life time.
It's fun, easy & it matters
I ride whenever possible because I believe it makes little sense to degrade the environment and use up all the stored energy. The risks are just too high. Alternatives to car culture are available to us. We can choose more sustainable transportation by riding bicycles together.
I choose to use my physical body as often as possible to power my transportation. A bicycle is the most efficient form of travel ever invented. There seems to be a myth that riding will make you sweaty and stinky. I say - "we need some myth busting over here in the bike lane!"
Commuting is one thing, yet cycling like every ride is a race is not required. Cycling jurseys and pants are not required. Every day clothing and a sensible pace allows me to travel without all the sweat. Riding for transportation is free fun fitness which makes the planet more liveable for all people.
Join me in choosing transportation cycling. Together we can make the planet more liveable for all.
Commuting is one thing, yet cycling like every ride is a race is not required. Cycling jurseys and pants are not required. Every day clothing and a sensible pace allows me to travel without all the sweat. Riding for transportation is free fun fitness which makes the planet more liveable for all people.
Join me in choosing transportation cycling. Together we can make the planet more liveable for all.
Related Stories
STREETFACTS #4: Children Have Lost the Freedom to Roam from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.
How Cars Constrain Freedom
What Else Could Cities Do With the Space Devoted to Cars?
Parking Inventory October 2012 - Concord, NH
How Car Sharing Gradually Weans Users Off DrivingDowntown Parking North - presentation by City Planner McPherson - October 30, 2012Parking Facilites & Resources - Concord, NH
Downtown Parking South - presentation by City Planner McPherson - October 30, 2012
Public Parking Garage Space Inventory Spreadsheet - presented October 30, 2012
Parking Space Inventory Spreadsheet - presented October 30, 2012
The Problem with "Same Road, Same Rules"
What Happens When You Divert BIkeways From Commercial Streets?
