In this episode of Auto Asphyxiation, we ask whether leading bicycle advocates should ride bicycles. Now in New York, bicycle advocates ride bicycles, but in other parts of the US, an advocate’s most valuable skill is typically appealing to the wealthy and raising money.
Don’t get mad —we’re totally not talking about you; we’re talking about that other guy. This is a very much philosophical question.
All of us who discuss the bicycle are using the bicycle; for me (that's Lark), it's a tool for prosocial communication and democracy; for others, it's a tool to raise property value, ease regulations, and gentrification with a youth-healthy salesperson,
"We're not pushing people out, we're bringing healthy and better-looking people in." Of course you didn't mean it that way, but you have to say it that way to get it past the hurdle.
(I have a question for you, Greek God: do you ever wonder why, when you work in bicycling in areas that were formerly redlined, you find yourself fighting with working-class Black people more than Daddy Warbucks? Does that thought ever cross your mind?)
Now say you’re a weekend cyclist slash Peloton clothes-hanger enthusiast? That’s cool; you can definitely be an advocate if your goals include making roads rideable for cyclists who ride every day.
We don’t think this is controversial.
Imagine a car advocate who only understands the track of the Daytona 5000 and how it brings in a lot of money to a town, but never discusses morning commutes; wouldn’t that be weird? It’s weird, right?
At the very least, advocate for things that could help you, as a mostly car driver, drive without harming people.
See the 4-foot law: if you drive, it’s a bit scary. So why, as a non-cycling bicycle advocate, wouldn’t you think a protected lane was a better idea? Why wouldn’t you fight for that over paint and a law, knowing how badly our roads are designed?
“Roadies don’t like bike lanes on urban streets; it slows them down. What if they got behind a mom with a kid or something….”
See right there? That’s why we need bicycle advocates who are at the very least aware real-life commuting conditions for people just trying to get to work, not play Strava.
