Our local bike club began publicly recognizing a"Friend of Cycling" on an annual basis. The award for this year is being given to the streets department of Portage, Michigan. The street department had solicited complaints from the club so they could be proactive in their attempts to repair dangerous conditions. Considering the adversarial relationship I hear about between cyclists and city officials elsewhere, this is truly a breath of fresh air. Part of my reason for moving to this town was the simple fact that it is more cycle friendly than the surrounding cities. Other cities "accomodate" cyclists by soliciting federal money to separate cyclists on MUP's better suited for walking dogs while strolling babies, listening to I Pods and texting girlfriends. Very few cities actively try to make road conditions better and safer cyclists to share, even fewer are shown any appreciation if they do.
Sometimes it can make you feel good just to see people play nice together.
Good on the bike club for recognizing the bike friendly efforts of local govt. It boggles my mind that more people don't ride bikes for transportation.
ReplyDeleteFWIW... I found your blog a few months back via google search for "Hunqapillar"... I enjoyed reading so marked it and return periodically.
It's really unusual to live in a city where advocates exist both in the private and public sectors. Perhaps the culture can develop from the existing one where recreational cycling dominates to one where practical transportation can be socially acceptable. Perhaps a geared up commuter bike parked outside the grocery will someday be as presitigious as a Trek Madone on top of a BMW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading.
Marc