Monday, January 19, 2009

A Highlight of Bike Infrastructure Improvements

The good guys at Treehugger have an article highlighting a variety of bicycle infrastructure improvements. Their point is that there is a ton of press and coverage regarding new cars and new roadway facilities but very little regarding cycling infrastructure. They mean to address that lapse and cover five examples of recent infrastructure improvements in the US and abroad..

I am a huge fan of improving cycling infrastructure. The changes in Portland, OR and NYC have like a siren call to me. I keep finding my thoughts tending to wonder what it would take to move back to Portland or NY. My wife and I were car-free for 8 years and we are now car-light with one vehicle. I have used a bike to commute to work or school since 1984 with some periods where I used mass-transit instead or coupled with a bike. Any improvement in cycling infrastructure makes me quite happy. Cycling is easy to do, very efficient in terms of energy usage, and remarkably fast way to get places. Bikes take up very little space and are simple to park. The health benefits of riding are numerous and in my experience I feel more connected with my local community when I ride, vs when I drive through it.

I hope that more cities follow the examples of Portland, NYC, and the Netherlands.

No comments: