Commuting Resources

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Bicycle commuting resources

I’ve been waiting more than a generation for bicycles to be taken seriously as transportation in their own right—some might say a hopeless fantasy in car-mad North America. I have also noticed, on visits to my native England, that the once-revered bicycle has been forced to the margins, as the automobile and monolithic motorways have covered the beleaguered countryside.

“The place of cycling in our society is set to grow, and I am committed to doing everything possible to encourage that.” ~UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, June 26th 2008

Of course, cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen are way ahead of the game; a vibrant study in cycle transport infrastructure for all city planners. In 2007, I witnessed the inauguration of the innovative Vélib program, in Paris. Five years later, despite setbacks, it has been deemed a roaring success, attracting 225,000 subscribers.

The BIXI program, headquartered in Montréal, was launched in Ottawa in 2009. The system, with bikes built by Québec’s Cycles Davinci, has now been adopted in Boston, London, Melbourne, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Toronto.

Everywhere, civilized communities are realizing the advantages of embracing the velo. Governments are beginning to fund initiatives, NGOs are working toward sustainable transportation alternatives and, most importantly, cyclists are taking to the streets in ever greater numbers. These are small steps and yet, dare I say that things seem to be looking up for the urban cyclist?

Check out the sites below, and remember:

“… if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” ~Howard Zinn

Resources/Bicycle Advocacy

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