genec

So how, for the health of the nation, both at the human level, and by the reduction of pollutants and the need for imported oil, can we increase the uptake of bicycle commuting... so cycling isn't just .68 percent of all commuters?

rekmeyata

I don't have the answer to that, this nation is different from other nations, it was built to be a travel by car nation not a travel by bike nation, which is why the last listing of the 10 best cities to ride a bike in the world not one single US city was mentioned, in fact they were all European countries. We're not close to having a cycling infrastructure like Europe has. And even if that infrastructure was to vastly improve by say 100% it would only result in about maybe a gain of 1, maybe 2 percent in commuter bike traffic. And for that small of a change with such a huge fiscal outlay to improve the infrastructure is simply not worth the money...money us taxpayers would have to pay.

I knew a guy who worked at a large office complex once that had about 1,200 employees, they put in bike lockers and showers etc, etc, and paid bike commuters a certain dollar figure (I forgot the number given) per mile ridden to work which would be added onto their pay; and outside of the guy I knew there were never any more then about 12 bikes at any given time in the lockers! They did the same with van pooling too and offered incentives, and only had enough riders to call for the leasing of 2 12 passenger vans. So even incentives didn't work.

Maybe instead of paying rebates of $7,500 in federal taxpayers money and another $2,500 in (some) states taxpayers money for wealthy to buy Tesla and Leaf cars, they should pay us rebates to buy bikes to commute on! But then somehow a system would have to be in place to prove your riding the bike to work.

We're in a catch 22, whenever gas prices rose above $4 a gallon retail, restaurants sales, and tourism declined, and purchase of gasoline actually declined in gallons used as people didn't take vacations. The economy slowed during those $4 plus gallon days we had. Thus raising the price of gas to $10 to $11 a gallon Europe pays thinking we could force cycling commuting would instead backfire and collapse the economy on the retail side which would result in major layoffs which would have a major effect on the economy as a whole.

Really there is no answer to your question. The only thing I can think of is to start a massive program of educating, or more accurately brainwashing, kids to think that driving cars is evil and they should ride bikes and take buses instead, as those kids grow up they may be more inclined to take bikes and buses. And get businesses to stop being so stuffy about their dress code expectations like their European counterparts. But I still think doing all of that would maybe increase bike commuting to maybe 3 to 4%? I don't ever see cycling to be a major cultural thing here in America like it is in Europe.

genec

Interesting reply... so brainwashing kids to think that gas is cheap is OK. Sending kids to die on foreign soil to maintain supply lines of lower cost oil is OK.

Right. Just checking.

BTW I like your bike rebate idea. Too bad we have so few American bike manufactures.

buzzman

On one hand I'd like to dismiss the gender thing but it is the elephant in the room otherwise. It really is not a balanced ratio and asking, "why" is useful to both male and female riders.

For one thing having safe places to ride and by that I don't just mean but wider lanes, slower traffic, bike lanes, bike paths etc and other factors that make it safer to ride but well lit, populated infrastructures that may occasionally be patrolled by police. I know that my wife hates dark, secluded sections of the bike path at night that I might not think twice about when riding home. And while I'm loathe to admit it her concerns are legitimate- she's right, unfortunately, women can be subjected to harassment or assault that men would not.

Women can get hassled while walking, on public transit or riding a bike more easily than if they drive and I think that can, for some women, be a factor in making a choice about bike commuting- especially if they'll be doing at least half their commute in the dark.

That said, I saw two women riding solo over the Manhattan Bridge going the opposite direction to me last night at 11 pm as I crossed over and I'm sure there were many more before and after- but the bridge is well monitored and lit and frequented by cyclists and that makes it better for everybody no matter their gender.

agent pombero

I'm excited to see gas prices hit and stay at $5/gallon.

rekmeyata

I never said it was OK to send troops to foreign soil to keep oil flowing, but since you mentioned it that isn't happening anyways. Do you know how much oil we get from Afghanistan? 0%. Do you know how much comes out of Iraq to the US? 2.8 percent. I have a feeling that's not the reason we're in those places.

Nor did I say anything about brainwashing kids to think gas was cheap, what I said was to "brainwash them into thinking cars are evil" thus they would be more inclined to use alternative transportation, reread my statement.

How did you do in college?

As far as bike manufactures go, there are quite a few manufactures in the USA, more then people realize, but the rebates wouldn't have to be just for American cars, the rebate for the Leaf is a Japanese car, so bikes wouldn't have to be limited to just American made bikes.

ralph12

Well, I can agree with that. It's not vain or frivolous to want to look good...it's actually really important.

Bekologist

Meh.

Cities in america that plan for bike traffic can see and even exceed 10 percent ridership, similar to cities in europe. Boulder Colorado stands out; so does Davis. Minneapolis and Portland are large american cities that plan for bike traffic, and get people out on bikes. Portland's division of the sexes on bicycles is more equitable than the rest of the country; again, because they plan for bike traffic.

the cost argument is specious. bike infrastructure costs a pittance.

I've heard it said that the entire mass of Portland's bike infrastructure cost less than 1 mile of freeway interstate.

methinks cyclists with beliefs like rekmeyata don't really want to see US cities invest in bike traffic, hmm? Despite the proven, affordable efficacy of doing so.


And, in a discussion of transportation costs, promoting private car ownership is a loser to the liberatarians. There are burdensome externalities associated with american levels of car use. These costs are hidden, and borne by the taxpayer.

the sound fiscal position is to promote bicycling. Lots of it, in order to reduce the hidden and rarely covered costs of the american transportation model.

it simply costs more, LOTS more, to accomodate car traffic. i would say with confidence that municipalities in america, across the board, subsidize automobile transportation and yet are faced with an ever increasing amount of underfunded maintenance backlogs.

every city in america, bar none, subsidizes motor vehicle owners while they engage in decimating the roads. pothole problems, anyone?

spare_wheel

a usanian city did not make the list because mikael colville andersen is a retro-grouch who does not like "sporty" cycling. i am not making this up...this was his tweeted explanation. if we stop buying road bikes, stop wearing spandex, stop wearing helmets, and encourage our womyn-folk to ride around in skirts and heels we too can make the list.

Bekologist

the more obvious reason is american cities simply throw the cyclists under the bus. literally. totally a disqualifier for being on a list of 'top ten' cities for cycling.

Forcing omas to 'take the lane' in front of a metro tram is a sure way to NOT get cities on the list.

Way to go, USA, for develop a transportation model that is decidedly repressive to women riding bikes.

Another dismal showing on yet another global ranking of quality of life. go, team.

alhedges

It's not a real list. An American city wouldn't even come close on a real list, which would have something like 15 cities from Holland alone in the lead.

kookaburra1701

I'm 5'3", 180 lbs. My fat ass is quite comfortable on a bicycle, tyvm.

I do have to wonder where they get the stats for female ridership in Oregon, especially Eugene. On my commutes, women cyclists outnumber the men ~3:1, but they seem to be mostly students at the University. I'd guess the survey takers don't talk to renters/people in dorms.

I used to not ride in to work Friday and Saturday nights because I have to go through the heart of Frat-house territory, and they try to pull me off my bike. Also having to dodge thrown bottles isn't that fun, but now I've just started killing my lights when I hit 15th and Oak street, and only turn them on when I'm at Hilyard. Run silent, run deep.

kookaburra1701

What's really funny is that all of the people I know at my work who commute by bike are women. The male cyclists are all roadies who fuss about "junk miles" and their kit and shiny bikes when I ask them why they don't ride. (Wait, I tell a lie - one guy rides a unicycle to work.)

Oh, and for all the dudes saying that it's only women who pressure other women to style their hair and wear makeup - I have NEVER had another woman sneer or comment about the fact that I don't shave my legs, wear make up or "feminine" clothing. I can't count the number of men who thought that the way I choose to dress/look was their business and have come up to me to tell me their opinion. My favorite is when they start expounding on the fact that "you can wear makeup that looks natural!" So I'm supposed to put goop on my face to look like I don't put goop on my face?! Waaaaaaaaat.

It's also the men who tell me I shouldn't ride at night (I work graveyards) because I might be *****. Never had a woman bring it up. Of course they get all butthurt when I point out that, statistically, I'm much more likely to be assaulted by one of them (ie, a man that I know) than by a crazy guy in the bushes.

LyzurJane

This is definitely a concern of mine. I had a scary experience recently of getting harassed by some men in a car when I was biking home around 1am. There happened to be a police car nearby, so I slowed near it until the dudes passed me and turned off my route. It was definitely far more intimidating than your average catcall while walking down the street in broad daylight.

I also wish the bike paths were lit at night. Around here they run through parks that close at night, so I avoid them for the most part after dark.

LyzurJane

I'd be pretty pissed if someone told me I shouldn't ride at night. As though they're in a better position to know what's best for me than I do.

I'd second your experience of having men confront me about my appearance. It's generally out of some misplaced sense of concern that I'm dressed or made up a certain way because I just don't understand what appeals to them, personally. They want to be helpful by letting me know what they find attractive so that I can start doing that. It never occurred to them that I really don't care what some random guy finds attractive in a woman. I find it rude and off-putting and it kind of makes me want to do the opposite.

The makeup study that I linked to, though, I think showed that women have the same perceptions linking competence in the workplace to a "natural" but made up look. So even if they're not rude enough to say something, many of your women coworkers may have absorbed the same standards for what constitutes a "professional appearance." I mean the general "you," of course, since I have no idea what your specific workplace situation is like.

Also, sorry your weekend commute is such a nightmare. I actually feel pretty safe in the college bar areas around here, cause cops are everywhere and it's incredibly well lit. Also, I'm an old, so the college kids look straight through me like I'm invisible. No harassment there. It's the drunk drivers that I worry about on weekend nights.

kookaburra1701

Heck, I've even had it happen here on BF, in the Commuting Forum, IIRC. It was on a thread where the guys were all kvetching about how people tell them riding a bicycle is too dangerous and how much they hate it when people do that. Self-awareness was pretty lacking in that one.

The makeup study that I linked to, though, I think showed that women have the same perceptions linking competence in the workplace to a "natural" but made up look. So even if they're not rude enough to say something, many of your women coworkers may have absorbed the same standards for what constitutes a "professional appearance." I mean the general "you," of course, since I have no idea what your specific workplace situation is like.[/QUOTE]

I'm a paramedic, so we're all dressed in pajamas(scrubs), anyways. Some of my female co-workers manage to wear makeup and look fantastic. I'm a sweaty mess by the end of the shift, and I'd look like an even bigger trainwreck if I added smudgy/streaky eyeliner to the mix. Thinking about it, I think only about 50% of the women who work at the hospital wear make up. Most of the female MD's do not.

The main drag is well-lit, with frequent police patrols, but the area the bike path empties into is residential - only stop signs, no lane markings on the roads, and tons of student rentals/frats/apartments. I go through there because it's the same distance but not having to deal with the traffic lights means I get through the last 1/2 mile of my commute in 3 minutes instead of 10. Besides, the people who are drunk enough to think that attempting to stop someone on a 56# bicycle going 15 mph are usually drunk enough to push over with a feather, so it's annoying but I've never felt REALLY in danger. Also the Airzound gives them a good scare.

agent pombero

Nice!

agent pombero

GARRARD, J., ROSE, G., & LO, S. (January 01, 2008). Promoting transportation cycling for women: The role of bicycle infrastructure. Preventive Medicine, 46, 1, 55-59.

Abstract

Objective. Females are substantially less likely than males to cycle for transport in countries with low bicycle transport mode share. We investigated whether female commuter cyclists were more likely to use bicycle routes that provide separation from motor vehicle traffic.
Methods. Census of cyclists observed at 15 locations (including off-road bicycle paths, on-road lanes and roads with no bicycle facilities) within a 7.4 km radius of the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Australia, during peak commuting times in February 2004.
Results. 6589 cyclists were observed, comprising 5229 males (79.4%) and 1360 females (20.6%). After adjustment for distance of the bicycle facility from the CBD, females showed a preference for using off-road paths rather than roads with no bicycle facilities (odds ratio [OR]=1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12, 1.83), or roads with on-road bicycle lanes (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.75).
Conclusions. Consistent with gender differences in risk aversion, female commuter cyclists preferred to use routes with maximum separation from motorized traffic. Improved cycling infrastructure in the form of bicycle paths and lanes that provide a high degree of separation from motor traffic is likely to be important for increasing transportation cycling amongst under-represented population groups such as women.
© 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

enigmaT120

Sounds like you don't do living in fear very well. That's cool.

I-Like-To-Bike

Sounds like a plan to me!

Chicago Al 

An interesting cultural note from Australia, why indeed are 'cleanliness, appearance and [for goodness' sake] comfort so important' to those darned females?

Sadly, in typical American working environments women and men alike have to adhere to rather different standards than you are probably used to down in Oz. Even some of us MEN have a thing about comfort and even...yech...cleanliness. What a bunch of weaklings!

We envy you the special Australian 'business casual' look that you can get away with. Some fellas have all the luck!

buzzman

FWIW, tonight I left work and rode the first mile or two through Brooklyn at 10 pm with a co-worker- female. Then thought I'd count the cyclists on the Manhattan Bridge as I crossed back into Manhattan. In my roughly 6 minute ride over the bridge I saw 31 cyclists-12 were female- all riding solo over the bridge at night. I think there is a safety in numbers component as well as well lit infrastructure.

009jim

Are you saying that anyone who does not have a nice clean office job is therefore a slob?

LyzurJane

I agree, but in a lot of places, and probably even most places, you're not going to be able to get the volume of women bikers riding at night to arrive at whatever critical mass creates the positive feedback loop of getting even more women on bikes. I encountered the sketchy catcall pickup truck guys I describe in an earlier post on an empty street. It was just me, them, and the lone cop car. I doubt I encountered anyone else on a bike on most of that trip, let alone many women.

Although it is probably a concern that many women have, I think the lighting is probably fairly low on the list for most women. I mean, most women walk around at night, right? Sometimes you have places to go, and it's also night time. That's not to say that you feel totally comfortable on all streets at all times, but it's already a level of discomfort that most women come to terms with. Especially if the choice is 1)walk/bike at night, 2) stand outside waiting at a bus stop at night, or 3) don't leave the house after 4pm in the winter.

buzzman

One more cyclist count tonight on my crossing of the Manhattan Bridge at 10:30 at night. 29 cyclists headed to Brooklyn. The number of females?..................






Drum roll, please....................









........12!


Not bad, huh?

That's two nights in a row with roughly 40% female riders.