By Leah McLean in the Globe and Mail: May 4, 2009
As it stands, there is only one convenient way of getting around the modern urban landscape, and that is the almighty bicycle.
Hopping on a bike is cheaper, faster, healthier, more pleasant and more environmentally sound than any other mode of transportation known to humankind. Old-fashioned as it might seem, cycling is the way of the future.
No need for initiatives or incentives here. People are way ahead of their governments on this one. The recent numbers are astonishing. Last year, the New York City department of transportation reported that, in 2007-08, bicycle commuting went up by 35 per cent. London is reporting a similar increase in the wake of the inner-city traffic congestion charge that was introduced a couple of years ago. Today, an estimated quarter of a million Londoners travel to and from work by bike.
Toronto - a city without the benefit of a year-round bike-friendly climate - is also on the upswing. Statistics Canada reported a 32-per-cent increase in pedal-pushers on the roads from 2001 to 2006 - and that was before the downturn.
As a committed lifelong cyclist, it's heartening to see so many people finally coming around to the same obvious conclusion. If you care about your health, the environment and your bank account and are physically able, biking just makes sense, full stop.
And yet in spite of its increased popularity, there are still a puzzling number of people who are resistant to cycling on the grounds that it's dangerous or impractical. In fact, though, London statistics show that the number of biking accidents actually goes down as the number of cyclists goes up.
In Germany, where bike riding is part of the normal culture, people are 10 times more likely to ride a bike than Americans and three times less likely to get hurt while doing so.
The problem with cycling in North America and Britain (as opposed to, say, the Netherlands or Japan) is that it's treated like a recreational sport rather than a normal way of getting around. Instead of increasing bike lanes, North American governments prefer to pass mandatory helmet laws. The irony is, of course, that cycling accident rates in continental Europe, where helmets are almost unheard of, are generally much lower.
The lesson here is simple: The more stylish cycling becomes, the safer and more practical it will be.
Luckily, cycling culture is in the midst of a much-needed makeover. The days of middle-aged sportos spinning to work in spandex crotch pads and clip-in shoes are all but over, replaced by a new generation of smartly dressed Audrey Hepburns, trundling along with terriers tucked into their baskets.
In New York, meanwhile, the classic Dutch bicycle - a black metal, old-school cruiser - was recently heralded in The New York Times as "the first status symbol of the Great Downturn."
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