I’ve read a couple of really good cycling books these last couple of weeks. Well, two are cycling specific and one is sport in general. The general one is called Brave Athlete by Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson and is a practical and useful sports psychology book. It talks a lot about how the brain works and how and why that might cause an athlete to freak out in any number of situations. It covers a lot of different topics, some of which didn’t apply to me, but the ones that did were great.
One of the chapters I liked best was on confidence as an athlete. I have never in my life considered myself athletic but suddenly here I am, an athlete and it kind of freaks out my brain and its identity-formation areas, which of course then affect my confidence. The authors provide good advice that has helped! Another chapter I liked was on how to deal with situations that go wrong and not let it ruin your race/workout. And the best chapter, one every athlete looks for tips on, how to keep going when the going gets tough. This has useful tips in it on tricking your brain to get through those final 30 seconds on that VO2 max interval or those final 3 miles of the race. Good stuff!
But you don’t need to be an athlete to ride a bike. Hello Bicycle: An Inspired Guide to the Two-Wheeled Life by Anna Brones is great for newer cyclists with no or little experience. Brones covers what you need to know before you begin riding to basic bike maintenance, bike commuting and even touring. And food, lots about food — carry along snacks to fuel your ride and how to carry bigger things like a picnic or provisions for camping or a frosted layer cake. She even has some recipes one of which Bookman and I tried — buckwheat groats porridge. Did you know you can soak the groats overnight like oatmeal and not have to cook them? It makes a really good, filling and easy breakfast.
Why cycle to begin with? Well, Elly Blue lays it all out in Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the World. Not only is it good for you and will make you healthier and happier, save you money on healthcare and help alleviate symptoms of depression and stress, it is also good for your pocketbook and the economy as a whole. Blue lays it all out in great detail and has the statistics and citations to back it up.
Blue debunks the myth that cyclists use roads they don’t pay for and therefore get a free ride while car drivers have to pay for everything. So not true! Drivers only pay a tiny fraction — only 51% — of road construction and maintenance costs with gas taxes and license fees. Most of the money to pay for roads comes from state and local general funds into which everyone, including cyclists, pays with their income and property taxes. You could even argue that cyclists, who don’t use as much road and cause very little wear and tear on the roads they do use, are the ones who subsidized the car drivers.
In fact, if every driving related subsidy was removed, most people would not be able to have a car. Gas would cost between $7 – $15 per gallon. And parking, it is estimated that 99% of all car trips end up in a “free” parking spot. The “free” parking subsidy amounts to $127 billion dollars annually and that was calculated in 2002 so it is likely much more these days.
Drivers also complain that cyclists and bike infrastructure gets in the way of cars and slows them down, causes traffic jams and all sorts of other mayhem. This is also not true. It’s the drivers themselves who are their own worst enemies. And yes, cyclists can slow traffic down but it turns out when they do, it leads to safer driving, fewer accidents and better overall traffic control.
Cities complain that bike infrastructure is so very expensive yet no one complains about how much car infrastructure costs. The average cost of one mile of urban freeway is about $60 million. For perspective, that is about how much the entire bike infrastructure of the city of Portland, considered to be one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S., was worth as of 2008. So for the cost of one mile of freeway a city could build a top-notch bike infrastructure.
Part of the problem is that cycling in the U.S. in seen as a recreational activity rather than transportation. But time and time again, cities that begin to build even the most basic bike lanes discover, as the saying goes, if you build it they will come. Even businesses who protest that putting in bike lanes and removing street parking will hurt them discover that more often than not, their business increases.
Driving costs so much on so many levels but we have normalized it so we no longer see what those costs are. The federal transportation department estimates the economic impact of a life lost in a road fatality at $7 million. In 2016, more than 40,000 people died in car related accidents. And yet no one bats an eye and we keep building more and bigger roads for more cars. Why are we okay with this? If a child’s toy is involved in a few choking deaths the toy is immediately recalled. But cars are the biggest cause of death in children and our response is stricter laws and regulations on car seats. Even if you don’t die in a car, there is still a huge impact both health and environmental. In 2010 a NASA study pinpointed limiting usage of personal vehicles and freight trucks as the most effective way to combat climate change.
No, bikes are not going to save the world. There is no silver bullet for that. But they can go a long way toward making the world a better place for everybody, not just a select few. So if you are sitting at home and wondering what to do to make your neighborhood, your town, the world a better place, get your bike out of the garage, put some air in the tires, and take it for a spin to the library or the grocery store, to the park or a local cafe, to work or a friend’s house. And don’t forget to wear a helmet!
That argument about bicyclists using roads they aren’t paying for was used in Virginia a few years ago against hybrid car owners. Our legislature was seriously considering adding a tax surcharge if you owned a hybrid. The whole idea of we’re paying for services for ourselves through taxes is illogical on so many levels. Our taxes pay for services for everyone–some will use them more than others.
My city has been adding more bike lanes, and as both a driver and pedestrian, I appreciate it. It’s a lot safer for everyone, and I’m happy to share the space.
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Teresa, that is ridiculous! I am glad the legislature came to its senses.
Yes, you are right. Making the streets safer for cyclists also makes them safer for drivers and pedestrians. It’s a win for everyone.
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The argument that bicyclists are using roads that they do not pay for seems silly. Even if there was an economic argument, and as you point out there is not, the social and environmental benefits of not using cars would far outweigh it.
I also never considered myself athletic. I began to run a lot a couple of years ago so I understand the strange way that this makes one feel.
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Brian Joseph, the idea that cyclists don’t pay for roads is plain crazy and even politicians sometimes believe it and try floating legislation to charge extra taxes on bikes. As you suggest, even if it were true, cycling still provides social and environmental benefits that cars do not.
You’re a runner? Very cool! Becoming an athlete later in life requires some identity shifting and, for me at least, work on confidence building!
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I must say that this discussion is so exotic to me. The cost of using cars in the US is so unbelievably cheap compared to here!! I’ve made the calculation as of today (gallons/USD vs liters/EUR) and I can tell you that we do pay 6,4 USD per gallon, and practically no parking is free except in shopping malls. *BUT* local and central governments do offer some relatively reliable public transportation, and roads is part of normal taxes that everyone pay to the local and central government (there are some private highways that you pay if you use them, but no bikes are allowed on them). So that bike is not the only alternative.
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smithereens, I know gas is so much more expensive in Europe and reflects more of its true cost. If prices were like that here I think there would be a rebellion especially since most cities don’t have a very good public transportation system. It is great to hear there are so many transportation choices in your area. We should all be so lucky!
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Do any of your cities operate a bike hire system where you go to a rack and hire it to get you from A to B instead of taking the metro or cab. A lot of British cities have them.
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We do have those in the U.S., but I’m not sure how widespread it is. There are lots in my city, some of them just a few blocks apart.
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Apparently some Chinese company is looking to expand the concept by placing bikes in major cities
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BookerTalk, yes, Minneapolis has a bike share program. There are kiosks all over the city. I see people in downtown riding them all the time. If you have a 24-hour pass (only $6) 30 minutes for free and members get up to 60 minutes. There are so many kiosks around that it is easy enough to get to one within 30 minutes, check in the bike and then check it back out. The program is a great success.
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For the first time in about five years, we have been regularly using our bikes on the weekends, for transport and (less so) for pleasure (there just aren’t enough hours to make separate leisure trips) and it’s so freeing (well mostly, sometimes just hot and tiring – depending on the day). Not having owned a car for several years now (because we live in a city where the public transit makes it redundant) I had forgotten how quickly one can move on wheels (mostly walking as the case has been) and it’s quite wondrous. Though I am a long way from an athlete yet. These sound like worthwhile reads and I enjoyed reading about them!
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buried, so awesome you don’t own a car! We only have one car at my house and last summer when the old car was on its last leg we tried to figure out how to not own a car but we couldn’t quite swing it because public transit, while decent here, is still not up to snuff. Cycling for transportation can also be fun! 🙂 Cycling is freeing, I agree (but then I would!). glad you enjoyed reading about this trio of books.
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I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even know there were “driving related subsidies!” I’d bet most people don’t have a clue about that. You hear about farm subsidies all the time for corn and soybeans, etc. How fascinating.
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Laila, I suspect you are right that most people have no idea about driving related subsidies. But no one talks about them and government behaves as though that is just the way things are as though there is no choice or policy involved. Lots of money and powerful people want to keep it that way.
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Around where I live, it is so dangerous for cyclists. I’d love to use my bike for transportation, but it’s essentially a death wish around here. 😦
These books are great suggestions, I’ll definitely have to take a look at them!
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Bree, that’s really sad to hear! Studies find that the more cyclists there are the safer it gets to be a cyclist but I wouldn’t want to be the trailblazer!
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Same! I think there is just a general lack of knowledge when it comes to the laws. People around here think cyclists belong on sidewalks and not on the road in the… you know… bike lanes (on the few roads that have bike lanes anyway).
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How frustrating! I hope you do get some brave folks who are able to start bringing changes and make the safer for everyone.
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I *wish* my city would build parking garages for cars at the edges of our downtown and then allow only bikes and public buses (for people who can’t ride or walk) in the area. I say this as a person who doesn’t ride a bike. I just hate cars, and our walkable/rideable city would be so much nicer without the car traffic.We have one car, but we only use it when absolutely necessary.
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AMB, oh wouldn’t that be great for all cities? It would make being in downtown so much nicer for everyone and think of what could be done with the space taken up with the garages in the core of the city – parks and other public spaces to enjoy! I hate cars too and I hate that my household has to have one because the public transport options to some places (my husband’s workplace for one) are so limited.
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Biking has come a long way in my city so I’m happy about that. For example, where my husband works they have showers as they know a lot of employees bike to work. They also have space in the parking garage so the bikes can be secure. Now if only we could educate more car drivers about the importance of sharing the road.
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Iliana, that is so nice to hear! Your husband has an excellent workplace! Mine has a locker room and showers too but they don’t have good bike parking which forces us all to hide our bikes in our offices. Many drivers are good at sharing the road but it’s the bad ones that stick out.
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It’s been a long while since I took my Calvin out for a spin. Now I am adequately motivated. Thank you for this post, Stefanie. 🙂
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You and Calvin need some quality time together 🙂
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I love these books! Thanks for sharing.
I think you know we are a bike family. We don’t own a car, we use public transport and cycle everywhere. A lot of people say it is ‘too dangerous’, ‘too scary’, but they are usually people who haven’t been on a bike. And let’s remember that it’s not the bike that’s dangerous. Ahem.
The other thing to say is that there is sometimes real inconvenience attached to this choice, but I make it anyway.
I love the road pricing/costing that you share. Here in the UK there is no road tax as such. That was abolished. What there is, is Vehicle Excise Duty which is based on engine size and fuel type and is currently pegged to how much CO2 your vehicle produces. And, in London, there’s a congestion charge which means every motorised vehicle entering the city centre has to pay an extra charge, to discourage traffic. The new Mayor is talking about introducing much higher new charges on cars. He’s got a bee in his bonnet about air quality.
Cycling trivia fact: in Copenhagen, motorised vehicles are forbidden to move faster than a bike can. There are now more bikes in Copenhagen than cars. Perfect.
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Maggie, you bet! I think it is so awesome that you are a bike family! You are right, there is a certain inconvenience attached to the choice. I think part of that comes from the fact that cities are built for cars and not cyclists and pedestrians. We are very often an afterthought and routes that are created for us are not always the most direct way of getting somewhere. I would love if my city would make a bike-only street that ran through downtown W-E and N-S as well some other bike only roads in other parts of the city.
The US doesn’t have a road tax as such either. There are car tax and license fees and annual car registration fees and a gas tax but these are a such a small portion of what it actually costs to build and maintain roads that we all end up paying even more through income and property taxes. I like the sound of your Vehicle Excise Duty and I also think it is awesome to make people driving in the London city center pay extra. And good on the Mayor for being concerned about air quality!
Awesome cycling trivia! I think Copenhagen is cycling nirvana!
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Biking is still seen in most places as a recreational/healthy living activity. It is both but somehow for it to become a main stream transport means…I think that is some way to go! I know it is better in many aspects but in this world of “instant” everything, the need for speed seems to be on everyone’s mind!
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