Originally posted today in 2023
This year for my birthday, I’m not asking for donations to a charity. Donating to charity is great, and if you have the means, please do, but this year I’d like you to think about something different. Since my birthday is on Earth Day AND I’d like a habitable world for my kids and grandkids to grow up in AND I’m an insufferable bike advocate, for my birthday I’d like you to think about biking.
Think about replacing ONE car trip this week with a bike trip. If you don’t have a bike, for the purpose of this exercise assume you do. Don’t get bogged down in not having a bike and miss the broader picture. If replacing ONE car trip with a bike trip would be really difficult, please think about why.
Is it money? Even a top of the line electric-assist cargo bike costs less to buy than the average yearly cost of owning a car. And a solid utilitarian bike can cost WAY less than that, probably less that one month’s car payment.
Is it safety? Imagine there was a network of bike lanes completely separated from car traffic and see if that would fix it.
Is it weather? This is a legitimate challenge, but I promise you that someone in your situation in a MUCH worse climate has solved this problem, and you can, too.
Is it logistics? Where do you park? Think about how much we subsidize car parking and think about how little we would need to throw at bike parking to make this problem disappear.
What else is keeping you from using one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation available?