The more of this kind of small vehicle traffic we get the better supported it is. Safer traffic patterns, dedicated lanes, repair stores and vendors, etc.
I think you’re also seeing some political organizing to that front, too. Cambridge MA has a biking advocacy group putting pressure on government to put in more biking infrastructure.
Big car might have a stranglehold on big government but people paying attention to small local elections can make a big difference
Constituency building is absolutely crucial to all of this and often underlooked. It’s a virtuous cycle. If you build useful and good infrastructure, people will use it, and the more people who use it the more people who will vote for it and demand it. It’s a big part of how car-centric urban design grew so fast and became so sticky in North America, and that same constituency-building is the best way to take streets back for people.
Seeing people on bikes makes people think about biking. Even without the bike paths, being out and about your city on a bike is doing your part to build just a little more constituency for it. On top of it being good for your wallet, the climate, and likely your health.
Now if only I could get the average local bike shop worker to stop being such a colossal gatekeeping prick about ebikes…
Yeah, Cambridge, MA has done a lot. The last job I had there was on a newly renovated building and per city regs it had to have a full bike room and showers. I thought it was oversized but obviously welcome, but by summer it was over-full. Though the space could be much better used.
That summer at one intersection I was stuck in congestion - bike congestion. There were 30 commuters ahead of me at the light on the way home - a light that 6 or 7 cars got through per cycle.
It’s far from perfect, but just cross the river to Boston and it’s a different world, even though Boston has probably improved more than most US cities too.
The more of this kind of small vehicle traffic we get the better supported it is. Safer traffic patterns, dedicated lanes, repair stores and vendors, etc.
I think you’re also seeing some political organizing to that front, too. Cambridge MA has a biking advocacy group putting pressure on government to put in more biking infrastructure.
Big car might have a stranglehold on big government but people paying attention to small local elections can make a big difference
Constituency building is absolutely crucial to all of this and often underlooked. It’s a virtuous cycle. If you build useful and good infrastructure, people will use it, and the more people who use it the more people who will vote for it and demand it. It’s a big part of how car-centric urban design grew so fast and became so sticky in North America, and that same constituency-building is the best way to take streets back for people.
Seeing people on bikes makes people think about biking. Even without the bike paths, being out and about your city on a bike is doing your part to build just a little more constituency for it. On top of it being good for your wallet, the climate, and likely your health.
Now if only I could get the average local bike shop worker to stop being such a colossal gatekeeping prick about ebikes…
Yeah, Cambridge, MA has done a lot. The last job I had there was on a newly renovated building and per city regs it had to have a full bike room and showers. I thought it was oversized but obviously welcome, but by summer it was over-full. Though the space could be much better used.
That summer at one intersection I was stuck in congestion - bike congestion. There were 30 commuters ahead of me at the light on the way home - a light that 6 or 7 cars got through per cycle.
It’s far from perfect, but just cross the river to Boston and it’s a different world, even though Boston has probably improved more than most US cities too.