Living Car Free - Bad Sign

There is some kind of bike summit going on here in DC. A delegate saw me with my city bike. She said she was surprised to see a bike on the subway. She asked if it was "old". Gave me the "poor unfortunate thing" look when I said its only a few years old but I ride a lot because I don't own a car. Then she gave me the "deer in headlights" uncomprehending look when I added that dumping the car was one of the best things I ever did. Talking to this bike summit delegate about car free was like talking to a bike shop employee about mudguards. I worry that if there is one bike advocate that doesn't get car-free there are probably hundreds more. Like if you see one cockroach in your restaurant - you got a problem.

i think alot of bike advocate bureaucrats in government are just bags of hot air that have patronage jobs.
they could care less if people rode bikes.

i think alot of bike advocate bureaucrats in government are just bags of hot air that have patronage jobs.
they could care less if people rode bikes.

IMHO that is about 90% of government...

Aaron:)

They care if you pay them.

:twitchy:Bike mud guards?

A bike summit delegate doesn't get the idea of bike commuting?
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2241/facepalm2ic7copyrl2.jpg
Someone got the wrong patronage appointment.

i think alot of bike advocate bureaucrats in government are just bags of hot air that have patronage jobs.
they could care less if people rode bikes.

I can't imagine any bike advocate behaving in this way. First of all, all the bike advocates I've ever met actually ride bikes to work and think bikes are a good idea on a very personal level. They like the idea of being car-free. Second of all, being a bike advocate is not very lucrative; in many cases, you could make more working as a checker at a grocery store. Bike advocates, if they're even paid at all, do it because they care. Don't judge all advocates based on the behavior of one individual who doesn't seem to get it. (i.e., actually consider using bikes if you advocate their use by others...)

I worry that if there is one bike advocate that doesn't get car-free there are probably hundreds more. Like if you see one cockroach in your restaurant - you got a problem.

Don't judge all advocates based on the behavior of one individual who doesn't seem to get it. (i.e., actually consider using bikes if you advocate their use by others...)

Good advice Bragi. I'm sure car free advocates wouldn't want to be stereotyped grouped as a unified block of pompous dunderheads/dingbats based on a single encounter with a (or BF post by ) goofy or spacey individual who may be clueless.

Same advice might apply to those smug posters painting ALL government officials and workers with the same broad brush of incompetence and venality.

Wonder how many rode their bike to the summit ? Wonder how many even own ridable bikes ? Alot of noble ideas are backed by people who never think the problem affects them.

Maybe that bike advocate was more of a lobyist-type. It doesnt seem like lobyist know or even care about what they are lobying for as long as they are gettin paid.

Comparing a cycling advocate who doesn't advocate selling one's car to a cockroach in a restaurant is more than a little offensive.

The delegate the New Orleans Metro Bicycle Coalition sent to the summit is a committed bike commuter. She's passionate about bike advocacy and, aside from the coalition paying for her plane tickets to the summit, isn't getting a dime for all her hard work. Perhaps some of the local DC delegates are uncaring lobbyists but I think most of the delegates who have come in from around the country DO care.

Comparing a cycling advocate who doesn't advocate selling one's car to a cockroach in a restaurant is more than a little offensive.

I think anyone who tries to sell their car to a cockroach is a hipster-fred.

I think anyone who tries to sell their car to a cockroach is a hipster-fred.

Those are pretty much compliments on this forum. ;)

Those are pretty much compliments on this forum. ;)

:wtf:Wow... guess my joke was wasted on you, or it went over your head.....:twitchy:

League of American Bicyclists 2009 National bike Summit. The theme this year is "Go for Green: Building Bicycling into the Transportation Bill." That sounds pretty worthy to me.

LAB is the largest bike advocacy group. They advocate for all kinds of cycling, including road cyclists and organized rides on a local level. Historically they haven't been real gung-ho on utility cyling, but they have done a lot in the "Bike to Work" area.

I imagine that if the OP ran into a representative who doesn't know much about transit cycling, there were many others back at the convention center who did. As always, it's pretty stupid to judge an entire organization on the basis of one member.

:wtf:Wow... guess my joke was wasted on you, or it went over your head.....:twitchy:

No I got it. It just wasn't very funny.

I think anyone who tries to sell their car to a cockroach is a hipster-fred.

I liked it; I laughed so hard, milk came out of my nose (okay, beer).

I went to a BikeHouston meeting a few years back and only four people biked to the meeting. Two were members and my friend and I were the other two. Itwas a good meeting, though, with beer (local St. Arnold's) and mexican food. I expected the suburbanites to drive in, but I thought there would be more local cyclists present. That may have changed now, as we've finally gotten our bike racks on busses, and there's even a decent CM ride every month.

Comparing a cycling advocate who doesn't advocate selling one's car to a cockroach in a restaurant is more than a little offensive.
I'm offended by the people who call themselves cycling advocates and by their behavior at citizen's forums make things worse for transportation cyclists. Around here most of them treat commuting as a form of recreation, advocating for "interesting" routes with blind corners and steep gradients. Then the politicians claim to support transport cycling by saying they got these poorly designed projects built and wring their hands about how people just won't get out of their cars. I run into car dependent people all the time who, when they find out I'm car free at least respond positively. Since the past few years it has become a lot more common for fat car people to approach me and ask how to get started. In the '90s I went to community meetings and tried to get involved in the development process. When I'd go to these bike advocate meetings, most people drove. Often they spent a lot of time complaining about how bad the traffic was to drive the 2 miles from home to the meeting OR complain that the organizers choose a bad venue because they couldn't find free parking. I'm serious, these people wouldn't think of riding a bike or taking public transit to a cycling meeting even when the bike would be more convenient. I'm sure the cycling advocates at the bike summit are discussing how to get earmarks for "cycling" out of transportation spending bills. I'm not so sure they'll advocate for spending that will really help car free people. I don't care if cycling advocates don't advocate selling their cars I care that many of them don't comprehend transportational cycling.