Commuting - Would you really like it if cycling was more popular?

I'm ambivalent.

On the one hand, I want cycling to be more popular, roads designed with cyclists more in mind, traffic calmed and educated, more cyclists on the roads going to work and play, etc.

On the other hand, I like being different.

Whatever shall I do? (Don't call Dr. Phil, please.)

Do trials :D

For the planet, yes.
For me, no! I have enough trouble as it is, not getting run over by or running into those unpredictable sidewalk cyclists that seem to pop up everywhere and dart all over the place.

I'm not really concerned either way. It may or may not improve our treatment on the roads (somehow I doubt that it would. I've been to places where cycling is considerably less popular than here on the Gold Coast, and encountered better treatment from the general population while I was there). It may improve the number of "facilities" we get, but that may or may not be a good thing.

I'm never driven by the popularity of anything I do, and I don't see the need to start now.

I'd like it if cycling (and walking) was more more popular.

It would encourage:


alternative planning strategies for the suburbs and outlying towns to allow access to basic services (bank, post office, corner store/baker/grocer/butcher, bookshop, etc) other than with a dino-burner.
development of a community - normal human interaction; an opportunity for children to play cricket/football in their street; ability to see something other than the tailend of the neibours car going into the garage;
safer driving - through awarness of what it means to be a vulnerable road user
better health awareness - carbs are good, not evil!

While the benefits (as listed above) look nice on paper, I'm skeptical about future implementation going forward in a postive manner - in the cyclists favor. I do hope so, only for the ecological impact, if nothing else.

I remember mountain biking in the early 90's. Sure there were not as many 'official trails' and things were not so ready made for mountain biking, and in a way, I miss that. Many of the places I was able to ride at then, I am not able to now. I expect a paralell with cycling in general as it grows. Again, not a bad thing really, but sometimes I just don't like or agree with the change.

However, like it or not, it is growing in popularity, so we all we can do is live an adapt, right?

I gotta say that when you go someplace where cycling is very popular like Holland where they have their own lanes and drivers KNOW that if they get tangled up with a cyclist they are in for some hurtin' with the law, things are a lot nicer for the cyclists.

On the bright side with gas prices going the way they are we can claim to be the pioneers of bike commuting and regal the newbies with tales of road rage, narrow streets full of death cages and how we used to ride our bikes hundreds of miles in 40 mph head winds uphill both ways.

My company lets me put my bike in a closet. If more than a few of us biked, that would never happen.

Great question.

I keep my bike in my small office. Even though there's a bike rack behind our building. Our building is next door to a community college, football stadium, and major college campus. Lots of thieves roaming around I tell myself. Got a U-lock though so I'm going to start locking up on the rack. Too nice of a gesture by my company to not take advantage.

Ultimately, yeah it would be much better if cycling were more popular. Low/no insurance rates. Improved air quality. Cheap. In a lot of cases, faster. Seriously upgraded fitness.

But most of all, when you separate yourself from the machine, you become a plain dealer. I'm as guilty as anybody when it comes to automotive fascism. But when I'm on my bike, I just feel like a fresher, more open-minded human being. I feel free, and I wouldn't deny anybody else that feeling because I wanted it for myself.

I thought about this a while back when I did the Ride for Heart a few years back. Its when they shut down a major artery in T.O. and allow cyclists to ride on it for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Anyways. It was so quiet and peaceful. All you could hear was the hum of tires on pavement, gears shifting and people talking to one another. I'm all for it.

I am all for increased cycling.

If cycling were more popular, cyclists would be more visible, and less marginalized. We would be harder to ignore, by both drivers and planners. And with more cyclists, there would be fewer drivers. Drivers who constantly complain about "all those damned cyclists" would be more likely to know one and be more sympathetic to us.

With more demand for road space, bike routes, racks, and better planning there would be better conditions for all of us.

Plus, more bikers means more biker chicks.

I like your last line the best leftnotracks :P

I'm ambivalent too. On the one hand, yes it'd be nice to have the greater 'voting power' that comes with greater numbers, but on the other hand I've seen the skill level of some people on bikes, and the idea of even more of them hitting the roads without any kind of training, or even a clue, worries me.

I'm ambivalent too. On the one hand, yes it'd be nice to have the greater 'voting power' that comes with greater numbers, but on the other hand I've seen the skill level of some people on bikes, and the idea of even more of them hitting the roads without any kind of training, or even a clue, worries me.

Pfft, they're already out there - called the majority of motorists. It's incomprehnsible how some people got their licenses. At least with bikes they can't ram a 2 ton vehicle travelling at however many odd kph they are doing and kill you if they so wish.

Every city should have a designated WIDE street turned into a greenway for walking/biking. I think 5th Ave in Manhattan would do nicely. :)

Walking lanes on the sides and biking in the middle:
-----------------------------------------------------
walking walking walking
---- ---- ---- ----- ---- ----- -------- ----- --
BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES
BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES
--- ------ ------ ------ ----- ------- ----------
walking walking walking
----------------------------------------------------

This is my vision of the world.

Every major American city should have a Bike Lane or even better, a Bike path! Cycling is healthy, reduces traffic/polution, and hell it's fun! But then again, that may just make too much sence for America....bummer.

I think it would be great though.

I think it would be great!

It would be better for the environment as it would help cut pollution and better for people's health, both due to the cut in pollution and by increasing their activity levels. This would be particulalry relevant in the UK where there has been a considerable increase in the number of obese people (especially kids) in recent years.

In the long term it would be better for us cyclists, drivers would become more use to seeing us and hopefully the number of facilities would increase.

Every major American city should have a Bike Lane or even better, a Bike path! Cycling is healthy, reduces traffic/polution, and hell it's fun! But then again, that may just make too much sence for America....bummer.

I think it would be great though.

Not trying to start another pointless vehicular-cycling v. bike-lanes debate, but I'd simply be happy with road shoulders wide enough for vehicles to pass safely. Preferably w/o cracked/broken pavement (Why is it when road repairs are done they always seem to stop 3 feet short of the edge?!) and glass shards everywhere.

As for cycling being more popular, hell yeah I'd like it. Especially if there were more basic-transportation riders. Anything to improve the cycling infrastructure (more cyclists means more demands to widen/fix those shoulders) would be seen as a good thing. There's no shortage of recreational/competitive cyclists, there's probably even been an increase in their numbers what with the "Lance effect". But I sure don't see commuter numbers growing, and I rarely, if ever, run into anyone else on a bicycle at the grocery store. Though this might be a side-effect of my location smack-dab in the middle of suburban-sprawl in car-centric SoCal...

I'm rarely ever at a loss for people to ride with if I want to go hit the trails off-road, or put in some road-miles on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but I rarely ever see those same riders just cruising around town, nor do I regularly encounter commuters in the morning. It would be kinda nice to see a few more people on two wheels during my morning commute.

-Trevor

i would prefer there to be many more cyclists. that way i wouldn't have to worry about getting squished. and bike crap woud be cheaper.

Every major American city should have a Bike Lane or even better, a Bike path!

TrevorInSoCal is right, for a whole host of reasons, bike lanes usually make cycling more dangerous. But that's a debate for another thread. But I appreciate Lufty's goals.

yep - i agree. i would love to see more people using bikes as legitimate transportation. we get pretty crowded with recreational riders in the parks and bike paths, but not too many people leave the car behind when it comes to commuting.

I vote more bikes as vehicles.

I vote more bikes as recreation.

and bike crap woud be cheaper.YESSS!!!!!!! cheaper bike stuff! yess! haha that would be the best part!

My guess is that biking is becoming much more unpopular by the day, as India and China get more cars. The pollution is likely to kill us all.

Much of Europe is bike crazy-- it seems to work there.

The USA is too fat and lazy-- more cyclists would sure help turn that around. I fear that America has become rich and spoiled and is losing her greatness. I'm talking about the ost of the gumption, adventure and can-do spirit that build this nation. Bike riders are higher on the old gumption-o-meter than non-riders, that's for sure.

You seem to be all forgetting that a LOT of freaking people ride bicycles in China. Many cannot afford a car.

I'm all for it. More bikes, either for transport or recreation, would likely mean better bike facilities (racks, locks, lanes etc) and a larger market for bike stuff. Economists will remind us that a higher demand usually leads to lower prices... that I'm all for! (though my wife would probably hate the effect that would have on our garage space... :))

also you wouldn't have to deal with all these ugly people taking up too much space on the rail and planes. man.. i saw this woman a few weeks ago that actually walked up the wheelchair ramp that allows the disabled to get on the train. she had a cain as well. (she was VERY large)

ya know... when ya got people that cant walk up 3 steps to get on a train because of their size... it's just about time for something to change.

more cycling would mean i wouldn't have to witness such self inflicted destruction as much.

also you wouldn't have to deal with all these ugly people taking up too much space on the rail and planes. man.. i saw this woman a few weeks ago that actually walked up the wheelchair ramp that allows the disabled to get on the train. she had a cain as well. (she was VERY large)

ya know... when ya got people that cant walk up 3 steps to get on a train because of their size... it's just about time for something to change.

more cycling would mean i wouldn't have to witness such self inflicted destruction as much.

Making fun of people because of their weight is getting a little low isn't it.

Although I'm for more cyclists, it might have several less-than-desirable effects.

1) Governments would start noticing us, and then they'd start taxing us all out of proportion to cars. This situation would likely only persist until cyclists became a critical mass (sorry) of voters. Plus, we'd have to put those ugly stickers on our bikes again, and those of us who own multiple bikes would be really reamed with registration fees.

2) The car lobby would notice, and start lobbying for anti-bike legislation, including limiting road access for bicycles. Good God, we can't have the humble bicycle attacking the sacred profits of the oil and auto companies. Something must be done by our public servants!!!!

3) We'd start seeing offensive ads on TV for piece of crap bicycles. Imagine those stupid infomercials for those self-shifting bikes x500. Of course, we could get rid of the TVs too. That sure would cause problems.

4) Vintage bikes would become more collectable and expensive, instead of cheap as dirt. Okay, this one isn't so bad, but I'd be pissy about it.

But really, I'd very much like to see more folks on bikes. There's too much good on and in them.

1) Governments would start noticing us, and then they'd start taxing us all out of proportion to cars. This situation would likely only persist until cyclists became a critical mass (sorry) of voters. Plus, we'd have to put those ugly stickers on our bikes again, and those of us who own multiple bikes would be really reamed with registration fees.

This could happen if it ever becomes economically viable to start taxing cyclists (the only reason it isn't done now). Although even then, it's questionable how much people would be willing to pay to ride (which would basically put a cap on whatever tax they'd apply -- market forces still apply here).


2) The car lobby would notice, and start lobbying for anti-bike legislation, including limiting road access for bicycles. Good God, we can't have the humble bicycle attacking the sacred profits of the oil and auto companies. Something must be done by our public servants!!!!

This, in fact, already happens. I seem to recall RACQ here in Queensland saying exactly that about cycling on the Pacific Motorway here a couple of years back (well, exactly that if you decode their "safety reasons" spiel").


3) We'd start seeing offensive ads on TV for piece of crap bicycles. Imagine those stupid infomercials for those self-shifting bikes x500. Of course, we could get rid of the TVs too. That sure would cause problems.

Would they be any more offensive than any of the other commercials on TV as it is, or even the programming currently available? I have to say I can't speak from experience because I generally don't watch television.


4) Vintage bikes would become more collectable and expensive, instead of cheap as dirt. Okay, this one isn't so bad, but I'd be p!ssy about it.

On the other hand, those that you now hold would appreciate in value equally.

Making fun of people because of their weight is getting a little low isn't it.
No, it isn't.

1) Governments would start noticing us, and then they'd start taxing us all out of proportion to cars.

In my State, there was as reported presented to the government in the mid-1990s that researched registration fees for bikes. The conclusion was that the cost of collecting the tax would be more than the fee was worth.


2) The car lobby would notice, and start lobbying for anti-bike legislation, including limiting road access for bicycles.
This already happens and there is a very good argument put up that so-called bicycling advocates who pressure governments for to spend money MUPs and other separated cycling facilities are playing directly into/are agents of the car lobby which wants bikes off the road anyway.


But really, I'd very much like to see more folks on bikes. There's too much good on and in them.

Hmmm. This is a vexing question for me. At what cost do we want so many more folk riding bikes? Are we going to train them first to at least behave appropriately? Cycling is not the social panacea for health, the environment, and transport. It is only part of an overall mix of solutions that starts with our own individual lifestyle choices.

The sunshine and higher temperatures here have started to bring out the part-time, fair-weather dolts who don't have a single clue about road, path or any other form of legal riding and etiquette. They have the very real potential to become a bloody dangerous nuisance, especially for transportation cyclists.

A good friend and an advocate went on the 'Gong ride in NSW several years ago. You know, one of those big organised rides that bring together thousands of bicycle riders (very few of them are cyclists). He was appalled at the behaviour and the resulting danger it generated. As his dream was to get everyone out of cars and on to bikes, I asked if he would like to ride in that sort of environment every day. His eyes glazed over and he just said: "No".

The Netherlands is portrayed all the time as bike nirvana. To me, it's not. The bike ghettos are atrocious -- footapths stacked with parked bikes. You don't realise how ugly the bike can be until you see these ghettos. The path network is fraught with poor surfacing. And the volume of bike riders has reduced cycling to the status of slow-moving, wheeled pedestrians.

I like what I've, thank you very much.

You people all complain about the bicyclists being 'pporly trained' and 'not knwoing how to ride.

A) They're not gonna pop into existence all of a sudden. Like someoen else posted, they're already out there in a two ton people squashing machine. I'd RATHER put them on a twenty pound bike.

B) Given a few months of experience, the better 80% of them will learn better and this mass chaos will calm down.

C) I"m gonna be flamed for this one....

Some of you sound a lot like you're afraid you'll loose your eletism. "I'm the guy with the big enough cahones to ride a bike" Bleh. A bunch of you have already looked at me sideways because I ride the forbidden 'crappy/$hitty walmart bike.' Yep. And I"m damn proud of it. I"ve tried Cannondale. I"ve tried Specialized. I"ve tried out seven hundred and seven thousand dollar bikes at the Bike Zoo down in the shopping center.

...and they really, really were not an order of magnitude better than my seventy dollar Roadmaster.

I see someone out in full bike regalia, Giro Altima (or whatever) helmet, thirty dollar jersy, bike with CANNONDALE plastered down the side like grafitti, and I think: Either this guy is a professional cyclist, or he's got more money than sense. And a professional cyclist would have a better place to live than the orange hellhole of the southland, SURELY.

I don't think I"m better than these people by a long shot, I mean they came by the money to buy this stuff somehow, and I'm a broke college student. I just want to know the motivation for people to buy all this expensive gear when they just want to go out and do laps or cruise the neighborhood on weekends.

Dear Dragon "Thinks she knows it all" Mistress

Ahh, one day you will get to the place that does exist in bike land, and you will realise what this is all about. That getting properly trained on how to ride, and what makes a good bike will help you be more comfortable, more confident and more skillful, to avoid trouble, ride places you never thought possible, and stick with bike-riding for the rest of your life (not because you are chained to it through college poverty).

And you would also realise that taking people out of two-tonne people-squashing machines and putting them on bikes so they can display the same behavioural traits and attitudes as they do as drivers may indeed be v-e-r-y scary!

Oh and the people out there whose motivation you are question when it comes to buying the gear? It makes them feel good. I have no doubt one day you will feel the same way, too.

Yours in elitism (there, now I feel better I am out of the inferiority closet).

I see someone out in full bike regalia, Giro Altima (or whatever) helmet, thirty dollar jersy, bike with CANNONDALE plastered down the side like grafitti, and I think . . . .

A thirty-dollar jersey? Where did you see one that cheap? Please let us know. Thanks.

Making fun of people because of their weight is getting a little low isn't it.

It seems socially acceptable to tell someone they should quit smoking when they are smoking around you because it is bad for their health. And obesity is the 2nd largest cause of preventable death in America. So why can't we knock the Mcburger out of their hand and tell them they are killing themselves with food. I think when we get to this point where it is socially acceptable to tell people not to eat unhealthy food we will probably be past the obesity epidemic (if we ever do get past it). Just a thought.

Darnit, Chris L, turn off that red typeface. Makes me feel like my thesis has been torn apart by my third grade teacher. :).

As to the taxation question, governments can make it quite onerous. Nothing government like more than a group without a representative voice they can can tax the @#$% out of.

i'd like to see cycling take over as the dominant form of transportation, w/ the roads having been built for cars, there'd be plenty of room for the people on bikes who "don't get it" -because i think that's a life condition & not a cycling specific idiocy.

mainly i love seeing my friends around town when we're riding bikes 'cuz we can pull up beside each other & chat. I have some bizarre hippy-arsed notion that removing the 4 combined tonnes of steel from between passing commuters might just get strangers talking too & help bring communities together again blah blah blah

as far as "picking" on the overweight: 60% of americans are obese!!, ok, that's more than friggin' half of 'em! (i did real good in 'rithmetic) i mean that's a real problem & it's absolutely sad that we as a culture allow it to happen, not that i'm trying to justify being mean to people, but some "tough love" should very well be in order.

fee's for my bicycle when the every car in the US is subsidized an average or $3000 by the DOT (department of transportation), nuh uh, it's called tax revolt-some civil disobedience is already seriously past due in this country.

besides what could possibly justify bike taxes/fees considering road maintenence & health care cost would be far less for a society of cyclists?

Making fun of people because of their weight is getting a little low isn't it.

Was he making fun? I didn't read that into it.

You people all complain about the bicyclists being 'pporly trained' and 'not knwoing how to ride...

...and they really, really were not an order of magnitude better than my seventy dollar Roadmaster...

I don't think I"m better than these people by a long shot, I mean they came by the money to buy this stuff somehow, and I'm a broke college student. I just want to know the motivation for people to buy all this expensive gear when they just want to go out and do laps or cruise the neighborhood on weekends.

We all have our image of what our "personal bike utopia" would be. Sadly, (or not) this will probably not
be realized by any of us when things really begin to change. It will be mish mash of new laws and taxes that will regulate us and our use of our beloved machines.

Maybe the question is "can you handle how the man is going implement the growth of the bicycle as a commuting vehicle?" Of course, with advocacy groups, we can help shape that as much as possible. But when city governments get involved in 'legitamizing' a subculture (that's really what it is) - it becomes a bastardized version of the original spririt. The reply regarding the netherlands is good example. Really, I'm content with how it is now. But I expect things will change and I'll roll with it and do what I can to help shape it to what I belive is correct... anyhow, what was my point anyways...? sorry for the ramble.

Oh yea, hey, ride whatever you like, doesn't bother me at all. Sorry you can't sense the magnitude of difference between your Roadmaster and Specialized et al... But really with bikes, you get what you pay for. Sometimes it takes more than a 10mph cruise though the nice parking lot to realize this. The magazine Dirt Rag just did an ariticle on Department store bikes, much like the one you have... you should check it out. Again, sorry, but there is a difference. But I don't sleight your for your choice, if it works for you - more power to ya!

Read the article if you get chance, you may find interesting:
http://www.dirtragmag.com/articles/article.php?ID=657&category=features

What does it really matter what somebody ESLE wears when they ride a bike, or how much money they spend on it - or their rides? So, if one is not a "true professional" they should not buy all the gear that is sold at local shop? I suppose then, we should all punk out and wear tattered shorts, t shirts with silksreened anti establishment logos/images, and cut our hair funny? Or I should commute to work in my chinos and shirt and tie?

I had a personal bias against bike shorts/clothing for the longest time. For whatever reason, I finally caved and bought some. Guess what? Most cycling apparrel is very functional, and more comfortable to ride in that your everyday street/punk rock clothing. Yea, it's little steep in price, but I think it's worth it. Now, if I'm out kicking around street riding or whatever, I'll wear whatever is clean or dirty - don't care. But if I'm out with some friends doing an all day ride - I'll use clothing that will keep me comfortable, will not bag up or soak sweat like sponge - it makes a difference in the ride. Don't even get me started on winter gear :) You call us elite, then pass judgement on somebody that makes enough money to enjoy what they thing the finer things in cycling are. Hey, we're not all poor college students. I'm just plain poor :) - but I save enough to purchase things that matter to my riding.

But I do agree, the "graffiti" on the those cannondales is atrocious. They should have paid a real writer to design that, or got a better writer to design it :D

Cheers!

Would you really like it if cycling was more popular?

Nah, I'd sell my bike and take up Downhill Pie-Eating. A perfect fusion of athletics and aesthetics.

Or perhaps Full Contact Origami.

Ahh, good replies instead of senseless flaming! I sense a good debate, if I can keep my own head on.

True, there may be aspects to the more expensive bikes not readily apparent on short rides. And there is indeed an advantage to wearing particular types of clothing when doing particular activities, especially biking. It doesn't matter to me what the Lance Armstrong Wannabe down the street wears, not in a real sense. But I do wonder about his why and wherefore.

I"m not going to question that the seven hundred dollar bike is better than the seventy...

What I question is if it really is TEN TIMES better, in function and not just aesthetics? I love my Roadmaster. I"m not blind to it's faults, not by a long shot...but I think it's the best value for money that can be had in my area.

And...for personal reasons...I"m stuck with biking for the rest of my life. I doubt I'll ever find myself behind the wheel of a car except in the most dire of emergencies. I'm also interested in the aesthetics of it.

But it seems to me most of the 'culture' of biking is so flabbergastingly overpriced that some part of me screams in horror at the thought of immersing myself and my cash farther in it than I already am.


Bleh, I'm half tempted to go on about bike repair, as I"m a confirmed do-it-yourselfer who breaks down and rebuilds her bikes and wheels without specialized tools, and inquire whether the 'need' for such things is a valid one or only percived...but A. it's unrelated to the subject and B. I"ve got a cold and major case of medicine head, so I"m probably riding the fine edge of coherency right now.

Oh, and I"ve not read the article that was posted yet. I'll come back to it when my brain's functioning better.

why and wherefore.

Isn't that redundant?

I couldn't resist.

*reads the article over anyway*

It's got some good points, certainly. I've seen horrors in the department store, too. When I buy a bike, I run it through the same process they did...minus the fancy dohickies, naturally. But I break it down compeltely, and reassemble it. I check the strength of the components in the store. The manager can scream 'you break it you bought it' all he wants, I'll still reply that any steel I can bend with my bare hands...and I"m not a weightlifter...isn't safe to sell and if he wants we can take it up in the court system.

And granted, to people that don't know any better, both the above cautions are useless and unknown.

...I still seem to have salvaged four decent department store bikes in a row from a certain megacorporation that sells everything from bikes to bookbinding supplies and takes equal disinterest in either. Three Roadmasters, two of which got stolen and one of which has been in perfect function for two eyars now, and a Huffy Powerline I pulled out of a dumpster. ((It was in there because someone did a number on hte rear wheel, it was quite spectacular really, bent at least 45 degrees out of round...I've never figuredout what did it but I"M sure it was sometihng else again to see))

Granted, the Powerline requires pretty detailed upkeep, I've replaced the entire rear wheel and shifting system while I repair the ones that came with it...but for free, I've got a pretty decent full suspension beater.

Nah, I'd sell my bike and take up Downhill Pie-Eating. A perfect fusion of athletics and aesthetics.

Or perhaps Full Contact Origami.

...then again I could always get into Cross-Country Drinking (followed by Cross-Country Puking), maybe Steroid-Enhanced Chess or Xtreme Napkin-Folding.

ahhh, there's lotsa room on the road. I'll stick with cycling no matter who joins in.

But it seems to me most of the 'culture' of biking is so flabbergastingly overpriced that some part of me screams in horror at the thought of immersing myself and my cash farther in it than I already am.


I agree with you that a lot of cycling stuff (and outdoors stuff in general) is way overpriced, but do what I do (I'm also a student), wait for the half price sales and buy your winter stuff in the summer and summer stuff in the winter, you'll save a fortune and get good quality, practical stuff! I've saved a fortune doing it that way!

i would prefer there to be many more cyclists. that way i wouldn't have to worry about getting squished. and bike crap woud be cheaper.
I also would prefer there to be many more cyclists. Being squished might indeed be less probable. :)

Merton has touched on something in me with his comment about "bike crap being cheaper." Would it?

I like beating the car-centric system that bleeds me dry of every penny possible, and invests those pennies to make sure I have to stay addicted to that system.

If cycling becomes more popular:

1) Would we be forced to pay for insurance? Licensing?
2) Would prices actually go up bikes and bike-related products?
3) Would the money-powers find a way to make us cyclists pay through the nose?

[QUOTE Or I should commute to work in my chinos and shirt and tie?
Cheers![/QUOTE]

What's wrong with that? I do it every day?

:)

Paul

About these parts, there are times when the bike paths are pretty full..Could there be a time when they are too full..I understand on the bike paths of places like Netherlands, the bike paths can be overloaded and traffic management is needed?:
I want more to ride bikes to help end the petroleum stranglehold on the planet, make people healthier, both mentally and physically.
A big concern we feel in the US, is some wacko motorist going to harass or even kill us. IF there were far more of us, they would have to come to grips with our co-ownership of the road. that would be a needed adjustment.

The bike paths around here get pretty full on the weekends. The bike LANES however, are pretty much mine. And maybe 5 others on occasion. Although I've only been commuting about a month, I haven't seen anyone else on my route. I would like to see many more commuters. I agree that too many would spoil things, but I believe that there's a sweet spot that would improve our recognition with motorists, but not enough to incur excessive regulation.