Friday, March 30, 2012

An Alternative View of Bike to Work Day

Just to show that I am not necessarily the most cynical person in the world. Have to say, though, that there are a lot of BTW Days where I find myself in agreement with Mr. Cooper.  A snippet below from The Desegregated Cyclist:

"On one day this May, thousands of motorists in cities throughout the US will dust off their badly neglected bikes, oil the rusty chain, pump up the tires, climb on and join together in the biggest one-day circle jerk in the cycling world. On their way to work, many of them (in some cities) will stop off at various vendor stations to pick up pre-purchased T-shirts that will proclaim their onanistic 'achievement' for everyone to see...."

2 comments:

Steve A said...

If I ever think Khal is the most cynical person in the world, I can read that post and realize he isn't even "world class" when it comes to cynicism. I would, however, like to interview soomeone that reacted to Bike to Work Day with increased fear or any of the other resultant behaviors.

Little Jimmy said...

I really like "Bike to Work Day." I totally see the guy's point though. It would be nice if that warm, fuzzy BTWD attitude would last the whole year long, but I know it won't. A couple of years ago at the last one here, there were neighborhood ride leaders. She was like a robot. Some of the inexperienced cyclists were alarmed at our leader's automaton-like behavior. Everyone sure loved the free breakfast burritos though. I bet you could get a significant portion of people to bike to work if you gave out free breakfast every morning to everyone who rode a bike to work. Yeah, like that will happen....