I'm at best an infrequent buyer of The Big Issue (well, in fairness the vendors are usually over there on the footpath while I'm out on the road) but when I saw the cover of this week's Issue—bright yellow cover with a black bike symbol, clearly visible from 20 yards—I knew I'd have to buy it. "Bike Power" proclaims the cover and inside the feature story is by none other than famous Melbourne bike commuter, Hilary Harper:
There's been a quiet, pedal-powered revolution on our streets in recent years. At peak hour on inner-city cycle routes around Australia, bikes bank up in drifts at the lights…the humble bicycle is no longer the preserve of hippies and health freaks—it has built a mainstream fan base.
It's a pretty good story, covering all of the main points of the last few years, including:
- rising commuter numbers,
- bike sales outstripping car sales,
- boom time for bike retailers,
- Ride to Work Day going gangbusters,
- health benefits of exercise, and
- Ride to School initiatives
Mention is made of initiatives in Melbourne where:
the city council is trialling radical ideas like 'pods' with shower, locker and parking facilities, as well as [inevitably] 'Copenhagen-style' bicycle lanes
But Sydney is dealt with less favourably:
the State Government doesn't even bother with lip service, despite (or, perhaps, because of) Sydney's status as one of Australia's least-friendly cycling cities.
A bit harsh, maybe?
Rosemary Seidel of the Cycling Promotion Fund is quoted praising Perth for its
wonderful network of well-signed cycle routes linked to popular destinations
but she gives Canberra ("even the outer suburbs are linked with networks!") the thumbs up for "sheer riding delight".
Incredibly Harper managed to avoid Bicycle Victoria mouthpiece Harry Barber, instead getting quotes from Heidi Marfurt and Jason den Hollander of that organisation, Rosemary Seidel (quoted at length), and Graham Bradshaw of Retail Cycle Traders Australia.
It's great to see a positive story on cycling, especially one that recognises that we're a diverse bunch: from racers to utility cyclists, BMX kids to Critical Massers. And rightfully noting that "commuter cycling is leading the charge" in this surge of cycling popularity. Yay the commuters!
But I would note in passing that the next time I see an article about cycling headed with some variation on the phrase "On Ya Bike", serious violence will be done! Come on people, can't we think of anything more original than that?!? Sheesh! (Nothing particularly against The Big Issue editors, you understand, they're just the latest perpetrators of this threadbare cliché.)
Comments
A bit of proof-reading wouldn't of gone astray prior to publication. For instance, correctly spelling Rosemarie Speidel's surname fer starters.
Actually, not just her surname, but wrong on both counts. I wish I'd noticed that! Good one cfs. But then, I don't think that detracts overly from the general content and flow of the article itself. Still, damn annoying.