“An hour spent gardening is more likely to result in injury than the same time spent cycling. So remember, next time you step outside to clip the hedge, beware of the risks you are running!” –CTC’s policy coordinator Chris Peck
I’ve been pondering the urgent and focused responses of governments and people to the outbreak of “Swine Flu”, and contrasting the handful of tragic deaths from H1N1 virus with the enormous number of equally tragic deaths due to road trauma. Where is the urgent response to this leading preventable cause of death?
“Seventy five percent of all journeys in Britain are under five miles in length; half are under two miles; and thirty two per cent under a mile… Of all journeys undertaken by car, sixty one per cent are under five miles in length; and a similar proportion of all short journeys currently take place in cars.” –Bikes Not Fumes, p. 11, CTC 1991
“When the road builders start riding their bikes to work instead of driving, it’s clear something different is happening.”–The Age
Shared paths sometimes bring walkers and cyclists into conflict. But the answer to the problem is not installation of speed humps.
A pathetically narrow bike lane and a driver with anger management issues. I’ll not let either disturb a quiet Sunday ride.
“We take for granted the dominance of the car in our transport system but the might-is-right attitude is downright undemocratic, and proclaims that as a society we believe someone in a $40,000 car is more important than a person on a $200 bike.” –Debra Mayrhofer, New Matilda
“I noticed that I woke up each day energized and ready to go. I noticed that I was still sharp and productive throughout the day and into the night. I noticed a transition from being tired after riding… to being tired if I didn’t ride! It was at that point that I ‘discovered’ pedalocity.” –Michael Sicurello, Well On Earth
“I really believe that, once people develop some confidence on the bike track, they’ll feel a lot safer riding on sections of road that don’t have bicycle infrastructure yet”–Katie Kingshott, Healthy Transport Hobart
If I’m to complete the Audax Alpine Classic on 25 January, I’d better start climbing some hills!
“Every now and then, someone takes a potshot at bicyclists and bicycling. Sometimes it’s a politician; other times a shock jock. Whoever it is, and whatever their motivation, we don’t like it!” –The League of American Cyclists
We’ve become so used to a lack of rain in these parts that I don’t think I can call yesterday’s downpour unseasonal, just unusual. But even in the wind and rain, crazy mad cyclists were out on the roads…
“I received the best compliment the other day since I became a cyclist…someone came up to me and asked if I rode a bike. I was ecstatic. I have been trying for years to not look like a cyclist.” –mk at momentum