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Omar Ruiz-Diaz is a globetrotter. He's currently in Central France shooting
and editing his documentary to be release at the Bicycle Film Festival 2009.
Omar began his world travels in 1991 and has passed
through many countries (Paraguay -where he born-, Argentina, Chile,
Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa
Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, The United
States, Canada including Quebec, France, Vatican City, Spain
including the Basque Country, Portugal, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland,
Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom
including Scotland and Wales) with the message of encouraging
attention to environmental issues and, particularly, the use of the
bicycle.
It's a life of adventure and challenge with respect to the environment.
With this in mind and the slogan 'Quality of Life means Quality of Air',
he continues his trip with great deal of appreciation and learn,
developing his Ecoadventures Project.
Among the aims of the project is promotion of the use of alternative
transportation (bus, train, bicycle) in big cities thereby alleviating traffic
jams and creating more bike paths to lessen pollution.
Meeting with political and community leaders to raise consciousness
of the need to share urban space on city streets with cyclists is a
regular part of the project.
Omar invites everyone to participate in Ecoadventures by sharing a
spirit to promote a healthy planet. There are many issues requiring
attention and plenty of opportunity to make a difference.
and editing his documentary to be release at the Bicycle Film Festival 2009.
Omar began his world travels in 1991 and has passed
through many countries (Paraguay -where he born-, Argentina, Chile,
Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa
Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, The United
States, Canada including Quebec, France, Vatican City, Spain
including the Basque Country, Portugal, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland,
Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom
including Scotland and Wales) with the message of encouraging
attention to environmental issues and, particularly, the use of the
bicycle.
It's a life of adventure and challenge with respect to the environment.
With this in mind and the slogan 'Quality of Life means Quality of Air',
he continues his trip with great deal of appreciation and learn,
developing his Ecoadventures Project.
Among the aims of the project is promotion of the use of alternative
transportation (bus, train, bicycle) in big cities thereby alleviating traffic
jams and creating more bike paths to lessen pollution.
Meeting with political and community leaders to raise consciousness
of the need to share urban space on city streets with cyclists is a
regular part of the project.
Omar invites everyone to participate in Ecoadventures by sharing a
spirit to promote a healthy planet. There are many issues requiring
attention and plenty of opportunity to make a difference.
| My latest videos in Youtube HERE |
Why I Ride a Bike - Notes from Cyclists
These reason for riding a bike are not given in order of importance, nor could they be.
1) Cycling is fun.
As a child, my bike was my favorite toy; it was my horse, my Fokker triplane, my motorcycle, and my race car. But it was also fun just as a bike. We kids played chase, performed stunts,
and rode thousands of miles within our neighborhood.
As a young man in college, I thought of my bike as a magic carpet or seven league boots. With little money, I was able to travel all over Alabama and even to Northern Ontario.
After I returned to cycling at forty. I noticed that I was drooling a little while cycling. Part was due to having just quit smoking, but part was due to that little boy inside of me really enjoying
himself.
2) Cycling is an opportunity to know a different world.
Is there anything more pretty than a ride late at night with the stars overhead and, from time to time, a falling star?
Is there anything more enchanting than riding after dark with your headlight lighting up the swirling and falling snow?
Is there anything more deeply satisfying than sitting next to a lake or stream, beside your tent, bicycle, and stove, and eating the food you caught and/or gathered?
Is there anything stranger than exploring a cave you discovered by the side of the road, using your somewhat dim bicycle light?
Is there anything hairier than traveling through a dark tunnel on your bike when you can't see either wall or the ceiling?
Is there anything more exulting than to be cycling in the clouds in the high mountains and to see the patches of green and the toy houses below?
Is there anything more humbling than a flat tire during a heavy rain with no shelter?
Is there anything more nostalgic than to be cycling down a road on a long bike trip and suddenly recognize where you are from childhood memories?
Is there any greater satisfaction than to return to the place where another trip had ended, and go on?
Is there anything more powerful than to realize after building up all summer that you can cycle all day and climb any mountain without getting tired?
Is there anything more wonderful than to turn your daydream into a reality?
3) Cycling is healthy.
In the middle of a hundred-mile ride, I was climbing a mountain when I noticed steps had been cut into a giant boulder to make a lookout. Just as I pulled off the road, a car stopped, and
the occupants painfully pulled themselves out of their seats and looked at those steps. "I'm not climbing up there," the woman flatly declared, "I'm too tired from traveling, and those steps
are too steep." At that moment, I had reached the base of the rock. I leaned my bike against it and ran to the top. It was good to have a chance to catch my breath! I ran back down,
jumped on the bike, and started climbing again.
One day, returning to Alabama by bike, I stopped to wash my clothes in Roanoke, Virginia. Two fellows were also doing laundry. They admired my courage and physical fitness, and one
of them said, "I'd like to do something like that, if I were as young as you are." "How old are you?" I asked. He said, "forty-three." I said, "I'm almost fifty-one."
When I started my first trip to Canada in 1966, I weighed 150 pounds; when I got back, I weighed 165, without a trace of fat. When I started my last trip to Canada in 1995, I weighed 193
pounds; when I got back I weighed a lean 165 pounds. My final weight is about the same on all long trips.
I never lift weights, I never condition my abs, I never stretch, I never diet, I seldom see a doctor, I just walk and ride my bike. My weight increases only when I am riding less than 100 miles
a week. Cycling keeps me lean, fit, healthy, and happy.
4) Cycling is economical.
A bike doesn't have to cost much. Unlike a car, a chrome-moly bike will outlast the owner, and few parts will ever break or fail. Some parts will wear out: the tires, the chain, the cogset,
the sprockets, the brake pads, and the bearings. The wheels will fatigue. Replacing the tires is the greatest maintenance cost. When I had little money, I was able to keep my costs to
about a penny a mile by using tires and chains from discount stores and rear cogs from a flea market. My costs are greater now; I have paid $2,000 over ten years and 50,000 miles (4¢
a mile), but I still have my two bikes and gear in good condition.
On the other hand, the average car cost about $5,700 a year. These costs break down to $2,883 for depreciation, $724 for insurance, $696 financial charges, and 9.3¢ a mile for fuel,
maintenance, and tires, for a total cost of 45¢ per mile. For some reason, these government figures don't include repairs, parking costs, or taxes. Nor do they consider the earnings
necessary to save $5,700. Nor do they include a host of hidden costs, indirect costs, and costs passed on to others. If all costs are included, the total might be as great as $1.25 a mile.
An unmarried cyclist living in the South can live quite comfortably on that $5,700 a year. An apartment costs $200 a month, utilities (gas, electricity, phone, Internet, and water) from $100
to $150, and food from $60 to $100, leaving $300 to $1,400 a year left over for miscellaneous expenses, such as bike tires. Because of being a cyclist, I can save half of my income while
I'm working, or I can afford to take a year off to go back to school or to write.
Some people have said that a cyclist has to buy special clothes or eat more foods. First, no special clothes are necessary, with the exception of a rain suit in place of an umbrella.
Second, if the cyclist does buy special clothing and shoes, those items take the place of other clothing and shoes the cyclist would have to buy anyway. And cycling clothing lasts just as
long as any other. Cycling clothing does not have to be expensive either. As far as eating more, I only eat more when on a long trip; then, I just add more rice or pasta to my diet.
5) Cycling is ecologically sound.
Each person that rides a bike rather than drives a car is helping to save our planet. Our civilization has been burning huge quantities of coal, natural gas, oil, and their byproducts, thus
pumping carbon dioxide into the ecosystem. Living creatures absorb most of this carbon, but the excess accumulates in the atmosphere. The result has been 1) a longer growing
season, 2) more hot days, 3) more rain, and 4) greater drying. Predicted but not proven results are: 1) more frequent violent storms, 2) drought, famine, and the destruction of forests,
and 3) the flooding of coastal cities. Of all of our fossil fuel uses, automobile travel is the least defendable.
The amount of carbon dioxide which motor vehicles produce is enormous. The average car in the US burns about 650 gallons of gas, producing eight tons of CO2 (total production is 20
tons per person). Although fuel economy has increased to 19 mpg, travel has reached 1.6 trillion miles a year, so (adding truck usage) we burn 338 million tons of gasoline and 246
million tons of diesel and other fuels each year. The world consumption of oil has now increased to 3.2 billion tons of oil, thus 10 billion tons of CO2 are produced yearly from oil alone.
But 3/4rds of the automobile trips in the US are for distances of less than ten miles, and over half are for distances of less than five miles. By riding my bike on errands, to work, for
weekend recreation, and on summer vacations, I have greatly reduced auto use, and I have had a better life.
6) Cycling is environmentally sound.
Ronald Reagan used to announce for GE, "Progress is our only product." People are often so committed to this ideal of progress that they fail to see that "progress" has been very
destructive. We have sold our birthright and have little to show for it. Our forests have been stripped cleaned, our farms are badly polluted, our children are abandoned and carry guns,
our cities have become slums, our countryside is a maze of freeways, our lives are empty, taxes and meaningless expenses eat up our salaries, the balance of trade and national debt
have reached insane amounts, and our heroes are constantly in trouble over sex and drugs.
Henry Thoreau, speaking 150 years ago, foresaw the problems our civilization was headed towards. He did not attack change ("When one man has reduced a fact of the imagination to
be a fact in his understanding, I foresee that all men will at length establish their lives on that basis."), but he pointed that we were not happy ("The mass of men lead lives of quiet
desperation."), that we had the wrong goals ("Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved
end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at."), and that we expected a free lunch at some point ("Men have an indistinct notion that if they keep up this activity of joint
stocks and spades long enough that all will at last ride somewhere, in next to no time, and for nothing.") .
The solution, both for us as individuals and as a nation, is to quit following the piper and to rearrange our priorities. True improvement is not always outward ("The kingdom of heaven is
within you"). We have to learn to value people over property, Nature over luxury, love and affection over sex and money, and meaningful experiences over financial success. While I
recognize that riding bicycles can't solve all these problems, I think that cycling can help people begin making healthy changes in their own lives. Cycling, by itself, can be a good
alternative to massive traffic jams, a million injuries and 42,000 deaths a year, high insurance costs, double bypass surgeries, high taxes, and mile after mile of sterile, God-forsaken
asphalt.
I know that my own move back to the bike was the best decision I ever made.
(Louis J. Halle, Jr. Spring in Washington)
.....
Under the circumstances, it is proper to wonder why our entrapped multitudes do not seek escape from the hive, once more asserting their individual independence as men. The door
stands open on the outside world. I conclude that we have lost our knowledge of the outside world, and fear of the unknown is greater than any accustomed horror. I have seen a bird
cowering in its cage when the door was open for its escape.
Bike Commuting and Transportation
Those who are trapped into driving a car to work every day -- which, thank God, I am not -- often have to face a particular misery called gridlock. In some places where one can see for
miles, the cars are bumper to bumper the entire distance, a huge waste of gasoline, time, and patience. Often these commuters have chosen to drive 50 miles or more each way to work,
and usually they will defend this choice by saying that there is no other option. So, they sit in heavy, blocked traffic while their wages are turned into greenhouse gases and other
pollutants. Those who don't face gridlock often still find driving a car between work and home to be a daily battle that leaves them harassed and exhausted twice a day. Finally, there are
many who are riding with less discomfort yet still wish they had a less expensive, more environmentally friendly, much healthier, and/or more enjoyable way to get to work.
On the other hand, there are many who have chosen to rethink their lives and the daily grind to the office and are riding their bikes to work instead. These bike commuters sometimes
ride on gridlocked streets, speeding past thousands of immobilized cars while traveling to work, sometimes they are traveling alongside traffic on busy roads, and sometimes they are
traveling on a parallel streets and roads with light traffic. In a few places they are even riding on bikeways, their own private highways into town. Whatever route they use, bicycle
commuters are getting healthy exercise every day on their way to work, exercise that will improve their vigor, outlook, and even sex appeal. They also know that they are not adding to or
sucking down the pollution of the travel lanes. They appreciate the money they save, which can be as much as $7,500 a year (including taxes saved) towards an early retirement. And
finally, they are just finding the trip to work to be more fun.
At least some of the motorists getting to work by car are wishing that they could use bicycle transportation instead, and so I have written the following pages as an encouragement. I hope
that my experience and suggestions, plus the help found on the many sites I have linked to, will be a guide towards living a less car-dependent, possibly even car-free life.
I do not make the claim that I have been able to commute by bicycle due to any cycling superiority on my part. My skill with words is above average, and I believe I have a superior
philosophy of life, but I claim no special cycling abilities except for years of experience. Right now, I seem to be averaging twelve and thirteen miles per hour on my round trips into town,
so I am not a superman. As you can see from my personal account, there were many years when I felt forced to travel by car, even though I didn't want to.
I don't claim that everyone can get to work by bicycle. However, I do believe that most people can, either now or at some time in their futures, if they are willing to readjust their priorities.
In the event that they can't, they can still increase their cycling and reduce their car driving by using their bikes to run errands as much as possible.
I have tried to write articles which address the basic problems that bicycle commuters, errand runners, and other practical cyclists face. I hope that they can be helpful to you in one way
or another. If not, I hope you will visit the great sites listed in the right-hand column, as they have further information.
…..
Why Go Touring By Bicycle?
Long-distance bicycle touring is by nature a Quixotic activity. In these days of light-speed communications, multimedia entertainment, fast, powerful, and prestigious automobiles,
luxurious homes, exotic restaurants, and instant gratification, why would someone choose to pedal at slow speeds up high hills carrying a heavy load to boil rice in a small pot in the dark,
insect-filled woods alone at night? Are bicycle tourers and bikepackers driven by a masochistic self-hatred that causes them to perform painful and anachronistic pilgrimages?
Actually, long-distance, loaded, bicycle camping is one of the most pleasurable activities I have ever experienced. I generally sleep poorly at night; but in the woods on a tour, I sleep like
a baby, lulled to sleep by the music of insects. In the morning, I am awakened by the cheeping of birds. I eat a snack before getting up, and then I quickly pack my sleeping bag, air
mattress, tent, and other gear and get on the road. I'm slower in the morning, having less speed but also a greater desire to stop at pleasant spots, dawdle, and enjoy. Traveling by bike
allows me to stop anywhere, such as meadows, lakes (especially places to swim), woods, and scenic spots, not just at the tourist traps and overlooks. My large panniers may look very
heavy to the passing motorist, but I barely notice their weight; actually, the bike feels better loaded than empty; it's a lot more stable. Somewhere near lunch, I find a small grocery and
buy some bread, sandwich materials, and fruit. I find a town park or other shady spot to wait out the high mid-day sun and maybe nap. In the afternoon, my speeds are higher, and I
spend less time at stops (but I still usually stop fairly often, sometimes a quick dash into a grocery for bananas, sometimes a stop to pick wild berries). My body, tanned, lean from cycling,
hardened by climbing, feels fantastic. I relish the climbs. In the late afternoon, I start riding slower, and I start having thoughts about stopping. I finally find a place in the early evening,
cook a simple meal, and rest and cool off. As it starts to get dark, I pitch my tent, crawl in, and fall asleep.
There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places and accomplishing goals are always exciting to me. I meet and talk with interesting people along the
way, sometimes other traveling cyclists. Beautiful views, strong tail winds from nearby storms, encountering wild animals (usually at my camping site), and traveling up and down hills also
stir me up. On the other hand, I may run into a rainy or hot spell, have to repair my bike or tire, encounter a hostile motorist, or just find myself in a bad mood. The problems are
infrequent and are easily dealt with; the pleasures remain in my mind for years.
….
Cycling Health and Fitness
People follow three paths to good health: doctor, diet, and exercise. Our path to the doctor involves the greatest expense, $1,035 billion in 1996, or almost 1/7th of the Gross National
Product. Over 60% of these visits involved medication, and there were over 70 million surgeries (source CDC). However, there would be less expense, trauma, and tragedy if we
prevented many of these medical problems. According to the American Medical Association, 60% of Americans are physically inactive. According to U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher,
the number of people at risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke is increasing, and 50% of Americans are overweight. He said that improved nutrition along with 30 minutes of
exercise five times a week could reduce cardiovascular illnesses and deaths by 50% and colorectal cancer by 40% (source CNN, June 11, 1999).
Unfortunately, those who decide to respond to health alerts tend to go overboard on nutrition and to adopt the wrong exercises. Rather than exotic nutrients, we need a diet consisting
mainly of grains, fruits, and vegetables, with reduced amounts of meat and cheese. Rather than weightlifting, TV "aerobics," and ab crunching, we need true aerobic exercises that help
strengthen the heart, such as fast walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, rollerblading, skating, and crosscountry skiing. The best exercise to change our sedentary habits is the one we
can and will do nearly every day.
Bicycling has several advantages over other exercises:
1. Cycling exercises the heart better than walking without the pounding of jogging.
2. One can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and at low cost.
3. Little or no time has to be lost, as bike travel can be used to get to work, perform errands, or enjoy the outdoors.
4. Commuting by bike reduces pollution that causes asthma and bronchitis. A commuting cyclist is also less exposed to air pollution than a commuting motorist.
On the down side, cycling does involve some risk of injury which has been greatly exaggerated by fearmongers. Cycling actually has similar risks to traveling by automobile. The British
Medical Association has estimated that the health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks by twenty to one.
One very interesting question is how much aerobic exercise should one get every day? Some medical authorities recommend as little as 20 minutes a day, three times a week, while
others recommend 2,000 kCal, which would be at least four times that amount. Why the great difference? Well, most authorities recognize the more exercise the better up to some
undetermined point, but many are afraid that if they expect too much, people won't exercise at all. Another reason for lowering the recommendation was due to the damage caused by
jogging, a problem cycling does not share. I am afraid that those setting very low requirements are giving people the mistaken impression that they don't need any more exercise than
their usual, basically sedentary activity.
How much exercise do I recommend? I find that 45 minutes of cycling six days a week (about 2,000 kCal) keeps me feeling good, but not great, two hours per day keeps me very strong
and controls my weight, and six hours a day on my bicycle trips makes me feel like superman after several weeks. We might say that lower amounts of exercise improve one's health and
higher amounts improve one's fitness. I would recommend a minumum of 45 minutes a day and as much addition cycling as time permits. The time spent cycling will not be wasted; in
addition to having a good ride, the cyclist will be more productive during the remaining time and will live longer as well.
….
Bicycling Advocacy
Bicycle advocacy can have a number of meanings, from encouraging bicycle sales to wanting bicycle memoribilia everywhere. This entire site is actually an advocacy site, advocating the
cyclistÂ’s lifestyle in one section, cycling for health in another, and so on.
This section is mainly concerned with two advocacies: advocating bicyclistsÂ’ rights and advocating bicycling as beneficial to society. The two are separate: cyclists have their rights by
law, not according to some recent decision based on the value of cycling. However, cyclists can win sympathy and support by demonstrating that they play a role and perform a service to
others. In addition, recognition of the value of cycling can create new cyclists who need to learn about their rights.
Cyclists' Rights
Although itÂ’s not rare to encounter motorists, bicycle riders, or sometimes policemen who believe that bicycles belong on the sidewalk and have no right to the roadway, the truth is that
cyclists were granted the right to use the roadways before the automobile was invented and are recognized as having those rights in every country of the world and every state of the
United States.
However, wherever there are cyclists and motorists, some motorists want us off of the road. In some cases, they might act. Motorists who take it upon themselves to run cyclists off of the
road are engaged in criminal assault. In Texas, a motorist who thus assaulted Lance Armstrong received ten years in jail, but not all cyclists are that fortunate. There's a strong tendency
to turn a blind eye toward the harassment of cyclists or even to blame the victims. Cyclists sometimes mistakenly assume that most motorists are hostile because of the actions of a few,
yet most people are sympathetic, and many wish they could bicycle too.
It seems that some of our friends can be more of a problem than our enemies. There are many cyclists who either feel they have the rights without the responsibilities or who don't
recognize that they have either rights or responsibilities. As a result, they ignore traffic laws. When city planners and government agencies finally recognized the value of cycling, they
started hatching out plans to build bike paths and bike ways as ways of separating cyclists who don't obey the traffic laws (that is, the ones with accidents) from the rest of the traffic.
Thus, it's possible that we could end up with a bikeway system like the one in Holland, where cycling is both encouraged and restricted at the same time. There are five problems to such
a scheme: 1) the enormous cost, 2) the restriction in ability to get from A to B, 3) the tendency of bikeways to fill up with other, incompatable traffic, 4) the problem of crossing other
roadways, and 5) the higher accident rate created by incompatable traffic and frequently roadway crossings.
A more effective method of encouraging cycling, which would also encourage walking, increase safety for children, improve the general quality of life, and provide a place to operate low-
speed electric vehicles, would be to ensure low-speed roads in residential and commuter areas. Reducing traffic speed on arterials can actually increase traffic flow; higher maximum
traffic speeds between stop lights usually just increase the wait time at the lights. Of course, some motorists perceive any effort to reduce automobile speeds, to reduce congestion and
noise, to reduce or compensate for pollution, to encourage carpooling, to provide transportation alternatives, or to adjust taxes to reflect actual roadway costs as being anti-car. In
addition, they would like to see cyclists pay heavy license or user fees in order to be on the roadway. But the more dependent on automobiles we become, the greater our traffic and
environmental problems become, so we have to seek additional solutions.
In addition, over the years, many authorities and motorists have mistakenly come to see driving a motor vehicle as an unrevocable right, and thus even drivers who have caused
numerous collisions due to speeding, reckless behavior, drinking, or other disorders are allowed unrestricted driving and are often not punished in any way, even after killing someone
due to their clearly faulty behavior. Fortunately, we are beginning to see an end to the concept of the highway as being a wild frontier and the last lawless area. I think we should take
traffic infractions seriously. The purpose of streets and highways should be to efficiently and safely transport people and goods from one area to another. They should not be places for
people to work out their aggressions.
Perhaps the most effective and cost-efficient way to encourage cycling and reduce accidents at the same time would be to teach Effective Cycling in the schools. Besides reducing
cycling injuries and benefiting cycling, these instructions would help create safer motorists as well. Teaching cycling skills would not be a waste of school time, as cycling is a more
beneficial and long-term exercise than most school sports. Texas has received a grant to instruct all grade-school physical education teachers in cycling safety. We can hope that the
program is well-designed and that other states will follow this lead.
The Benefits of Cycling
Beyond the heath benefits and enjoyment of cycling, which are discussed elsewhere, bicycling also provides economic, ecological, and environmental benefits over other forms of
transportation.
Cycling has a lower cost per mile than any other form of transportation except walking, both for society and for the user. When the cost of travel is calculated into the speed equation, a
bicycle ends up being faster than an automobile under most conditions.
The impact of cycling on other living creatures and on the ecological balance is small. A bicycle uses only a tiny amount of oil. The amount of steel and other materials in its construction
is less than two percent of that found in a small car. A bicycle's tires and tubes are the greatest waste, as bike tires last only a few thousand miles at most; however, automobile tires,
while lasting longer, are much heavier. A bicycle burns no fossil fuels: a bike that replaces an automobile for all travel is equal to the planting of 170 trees.
Finally, bicycles do little to degrade the environment people live in. They create no noise, no stink, no pollution, and no congestion. They do not require massive highways or extensive
parking areas. In a collision, they are unlikely to kill, and a cyclist can more easily avoid a collision.
In short, the bicycle is an friendly transportation solution, and bicycling needs to be encouraged.
…..
Bicycle Traffic Safety
Bicycle traffic accidents, also called cycling accidents, pedalcycle accidents, bicycle crashes, pedalcycle crashes, and bike-car collisions, can be avoided through understanding why they
occur.
There are many people who think that bicycling is especially dangerous, not recognizing that cyclists travel more miles per fatality than pedestrians and more hours per fatality than
passenger vehicle users.
However, saying that cycling is fairly safe on the average does not mean that individuals shouldn't make efforts to make their own cycling more safe. We see a vast difference in the
safety of selected groups of cyclists; for instance, children have 720 accidents per million hours while a group of British cyclists averaged just 66 accidents in the same amount of cycling
time. We also see strong differences between individuals. Some have frequent, serious falls and/or collisions, and others have few accidents or none. In my 100,000 miles of cycling, I
have fallen off of my bike six times, resulting in skin abrasion twice and no visits to the doctor. All of my own accidents, by the way, were due to my own stupidity and could have been
easily avoided. [NOTE: In February 2002, I had my seventh fall, again my own fault, and this time I went to the hospital with a broken hip.]
One choice a bicyclist can make is to be fatalistic about the matter and to decide that some cyclists are lucky and others are not, and another choice is to work to prevent future falls and
collisions. However, the decision to try to be careful in itself is not safe enough. Many fatalities and injuries occur among those who were trying to be careful, but who weren't following the
correct procedures. For example, cyclists who ride on the sidewalk, on wrong side of the road, and at the extreme edge of the pavement are all fearfully trying to prevent injuries, but the
methods they employ greatly increase their chances of getting struck by cars.
Analysis of bicycling accidents and of cyclist fatalities demonstrate that cyclists are most safe when they operate their bicycles as vehicles. Motorists scan the highway in front of them
and on either side watching for other vehicles. They do not watch as carefully for pedestrians, and they do not anticipate fast-moving bicycles traveling on sidewalks, crosswalks, and
shoulders, especially when traveling in the opposite direction from the rest of the traffic.
For this reason, bicycle traffic laws are almost the same as those for motor vehicles. All state laws either define bicycles as vehicles or give cyclists the rights and responsibilities of
vehicle operators. Unfortunately, police do not enforce these laws, probably on the principle that only the cyclist is likely to be injured. In fact, in some areas, cyclists are encouraged to
ride on sidewalks where they are less safe or to use bikelanes which violate the rules of normal traffic behavior.
The advice I provide in my articles is based on my own experience in traveling by bicycle and on accident analyses that I have read. For those needing more basic advice, John Allen and
Wayne Pein both have safety handbooks online (see the right-hand column).
…..
Basic Skills for Cyclists
There are many little problems involved in using a bicycle that can defeat the enthusiasm of a new cyclist. For this reason, I will be using this directory to explain how to cope with some of
these difficulties. I am not a bicycle repairman, someone with vast technical skills, or even an internet expert, but I have had to solve many bicycling problems myself over the years, and
therefore I will add to the articles in this directory from time to time as I think of new and helpful topics and as I find the time to write (I am already trying to do too much). Please note that
the skills directly related to bicycle touring will go into that directory and not here, although some of those skills, such as map reading and weather predicting, would be useful to any
cyclist.
My favorite Monty Python skit is one called "Bicycle Repairman." In the skit, we see superman walking down the street in his splendid costume. Then he stops to catch a bus, but
surprizingly, the bus driver is a superman too, in an identical costume. Then, when he turns to walk back to his seat, we discover everyone else on the bus is a superman too. We go on
into town, and there we find that every person in every store is a superman. Then we see a superman riding his bicycle, but it begins to wobble badly, and then he crashes. The bicycle
needs repaired, but superman doesn't know how. Then the call goes out for Bicycle Repairman. Everywhere, supermen are frantically searching for the hero. In a crowded laundromat, a
group of supermen are waiting for their costumes to wash, when another superman announces the emergency. One of the supermen looks around to see if anyone is watching him, and
then he disappears into a dark recess, where he turns into Bicycle Repairman, with his brown coveralls and tool chest. All the supermen are excited to see him, and he goes and repairs
the bicycle. The message of the skit is, of course, that all of us can play an important role; we don't have to be superman. We can play some other essential role, such as Bicycle
Repairman instead! Think about it! If you and a group of friends are unable to proceed on your bike ride due to a flat tire, do you really want some superman to rescue you with his
pickup, ending the trip, or do you want to be the hero and to fix the tire yourself, so you can continue on your ride? The ability to solve your own problems is very, very powerful. It gives
you freedom to do whatever you want.
There's a tendency to feel that some people are masters while others are natural klutzes. However, even the very most skillful person had to start learning at one time. In acquiring skills,
two essential ingredients are necessary: knowledge and practice. I can't help with the practice, that you have to do yourself, but I can attempt to convey my knowledge and understanding
of these little problems. You can improve your own opportunities to learn by becoming a careful observer. Good luck with advancing your skills!
….
These reason for riding a bike are not given in order of importance, nor could they be.
1) Cycling is fun.
As a child, my bike was my favorite toy; it was my horse, my Fokker triplane, my motorcycle, and my race car. But it was also fun just as a bike. We kids played chase, performed stunts,
and rode thousands of miles within our neighborhood.
As a young man in college, I thought of my bike as a magic carpet or seven league boots. With little money, I was able to travel all over Alabama and even to Northern Ontario.
After I returned to cycling at forty. I noticed that I was drooling a little while cycling. Part was due to having just quit smoking, but part was due to that little boy inside of me really enjoying
himself.
2) Cycling is an opportunity to know a different world.
Is there anything more pretty than a ride late at night with the stars overhead and, from time to time, a falling star?
Is there anything more enchanting than riding after dark with your headlight lighting up the swirling and falling snow?
Is there anything more deeply satisfying than sitting next to a lake or stream, beside your tent, bicycle, and stove, and eating the food you caught and/or gathered?
Is there anything stranger than exploring a cave you discovered by the side of the road, using your somewhat dim bicycle light?
Is there anything hairier than traveling through a dark tunnel on your bike when you can't see either wall or the ceiling?
Is there anything more exulting than to be cycling in the clouds in the high mountains and to see the patches of green and the toy houses below?
Is there anything more humbling than a flat tire during a heavy rain with no shelter?
Is there anything more nostalgic than to be cycling down a road on a long bike trip and suddenly recognize where you are from childhood memories?
Is there any greater satisfaction than to return to the place where another trip had ended, and go on?
Is there anything more powerful than to realize after building up all summer that you can cycle all day and climb any mountain without getting tired?
Is there anything more wonderful than to turn your daydream into a reality?
3) Cycling is healthy.
In the middle of a hundred-mile ride, I was climbing a mountain when I noticed steps had been cut into a giant boulder to make a lookout. Just as I pulled off the road, a car stopped, and
the occupants painfully pulled themselves out of their seats and looked at those steps. "I'm not climbing up there," the woman flatly declared, "I'm too tired from traveling, and those steps
are too steep." At that moment, I had reached the base of the rock. I leaned my bike against it and ran to the top. It was good to have a chance to catch my breath! I ran back down,
jumped on the bike, and started climbing again.
One day, returning to Alabama by bike, I stopped to wash my clothes in Roanoke, Virginia. Two fellows were also doing laundry. They admired my courage and physical fitness, and one
of them said, "I'd like to do something like that, if I were as young as you are." "How old are you?" I asked. He said, "forty-three." I said, "I'm almost fifty-one."
When I started my first trip to Canada in 1966, I weighed 150 pounds; when I got back, I weighed 165, without a trace of fat. When I started my last trip to Canada in 1995, I weighed 193
pounds; when I got back I weighed a lean 165 pounds. My final weight is about the same on all long trips.
I never lift weights, I never condition my abs, I never stretch, I never diet, I seldom see a doctor, I just walk and ride my bike. My weight increases only when I am riding less than 100 miles
a week. Cycling keeps me lean, fit, healthy, and happy.
4) Cycling is economical.
A bike doesn't have to cost much. Unlike a car, a chrome-moly bike will outlast the owner, and few parts will ever break or fail. Some parts will wear out: the tires, the chain, the cogset,
the sprockets, the brake pads, and the bearings. The wheels will fatigue. Replacing the tires is the greatest maintenance cost. When I had little money, I was able to keep my costs to
about a penny a mile by using tires and chains from discount stores and rear cogs from a flea market. My costs are greater now; I have paid $2,000 over ten years and 50,000 miles (4¢
a mile), but I still have my two bikes and gear in good condition.
On the other hand, the average car cost about $5,700 a year. These costs break down to $2,883 for depreciation, $724 for insurance, $696 financial charges, and 9.3¢ a mile for fuel,
maintenance, and tires, for a total cost of 45¢ per mile. For some reason, these government figures don't include repairs, parking costs, or taxes. Nor do they consider the earnings
necessary to save $5,700. Nor do they include a host of hidden costs, indirect costs, and costs passed on to others. If all costs are included, the total might be as great as $1.25 a mile.
An unmarried cyclist living in the South can live quite comfortably on that $5,700 a year. An apartment costs $200 a month, utilities (gas, electricity, phone, Internet, and water) from $100
to $150, and food from $60 to $100, leaving $300 to $1,400 a year left over for miscellaneous expenses, such as bike tires. Because of being a cyclist, I can save half of my income while
I'm working, or I can afford to take a year off to go back to school or to write.
Some people have said that a cyclist has to buy special clothes or eat more foods. First, no special clothes are necessary, with the exception of a rain suit in place of an umbrella.
Second, if the cyclist does buy special clothing and shoes, those items take the place of other clothing and shoes the cyclist would have to buy anyway. And cycling clothing lasts just as
long as any other. Cycling clothing does not have to be expensive either. As far as eating more, I only eat more when on a long trip; then, I just add more rice or pasta to my diet.
5) Cycling is ecologically sound.
Each person that rides a bike rather than drives a car is helping to save our planet. Our civilization has been burning huge quantities of coal, natural gas, oil, and their byproducts, thus
pumping carbon dioxide into the ecosystem. Living creatures absorb most of this carbon, but the excess accumulates in the atmosphere. The result has been 1) a longer growing
season, 2) more hot days, 3) more rain, and 4) greater drying. Predicted but not proven results are: 1) more frequent violent storms, 2) drought, famine, and the destruction of forests,
and 3) the flooding of coastal cities. Of all of our fossil fuel uses, automobile travel is the least defendable.
The amount of carbon dioxide which motor vehicles produce is enormous. The average car in the US burns about 650 gallons of gas, producing eight tons of CO2 (total production is 20
tons per person). Although fuel economy has increased to 19 mpg, travel has reached 1.6 trillion miles a year, so (adding truck usage) we burn 338 million tons of gasoline and 246
million tons of diesel and other fuels each year. The world consumption of oil has now increased to 3.2 billion tons of oil, thus 10 billion tons of CO2 are produced yearly from oil alone.
But 3/4rds of the automobile trips in the US are for distances of less than ten miles, and over half are for distances of less than five miles. By riding my bike on errands, to work, for
weekend recreation, and on summer vacations, I have greatly reduced auto use, and I have had a better life.
6) Cycling is environmentally sound.
Ronald Reagan used to announce for GE, "Progress is our only product." People are often so committed to this ideal of progress that they fail to see that "progress" has been very
destructive. We have sold our birthright and have little to show for it. Our forests have been stripped cleaned, our farms are badly polluted, our children are abandoned and carry guns,
our cities have become slums, our countryside is a maze of freeways, our lives are empty, taxes and meaningless expenses eat up our salaries, the balance of trade and national debt
have reached insane amounts, and our heroes are constantly in trouble over sex and drugs.
Henry Thoreau, speaking 150 years ago, foresaw the problems our civilization was headed towards. He did not attack change ("When one man has reduced a fact of the imagination to
be a fact in his understanding, I foresee that all men will at length establish their lives on that basis."), but he pointed that we were not happy ("The mass of men lead lives of quiet
desperation."), that we had the wrong goals ("Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved
end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at."), and that we expected a free lunch at some point ("Men have an indistinct notion that if they keep up this activity of joint
stocks and spades long enough that all will at last ride somewhere, in next to no time, and for nothing.") .
The solution, both for us as individuals and as a nation, is to quit following the piper and to rearrange our priorities. True improvement is not always outward ("The kingdom of heaven is
within you"). We have to learn to value people over property, Nature over luxury, love and affection over sex and money, and meaningful experiences over financial success. While I
recognize that riding bicycles can't solve all these problems, I think that cycling can help people begin making healthy changes in their own lives. Cycling, by itself, can be a good
alternative to massive traffic jams, a million injuries and 42,000 deaths a year, high insurance costs, double bypass surgeries, high taxes, and mile after mile of sterile, God-forsaken
asphalt.
I know that my own move back to the bike was the best decision I ever made.
(Louis J. Halle, Jr. Spring in Washington)
.....
Under the circumstances, it is proper to wonder why our entrapped multitudes do not seek escape from the hive, once more asserting their individual independence as men. The door
stands open on the outside world. I conclude that we have lost our knowledge of the outside world, and fear of the unknown is greater than any accustomed horror. I have seen a bird
cowering in its cage when the door was open for its escape.
Bike Commuting and Transportation
Those who are trapped into driving a car to work every day -- which, thank God, I am not -- often have to face a particular misery called gridlock. In some places where one can see for
miles, the cars are bumper to bumper the entire distance, a huge waste of gasoline, time, and patience. Often these commuters have chosen to drive 50 miles or more each way to work,
and usually they will defend this choice by saying that there is no other option. So, they sit in heavy, blocked traffic while their wages are turned into greenhouse gases and other
pollutants. Those who don't face gridlock often still find driving a car between work and home to be a daily battle that leaves them harassed and exhausted twice a day. Finally, there are
many who are riding with less discomfort yet still wish they had a less expensive, more environmentally friendly, much healthier, and/or more enjoyable way to get to work.
On the other hand, there are many who have chosen to rethink their lives and the daily grind to the office and are riding their bikes to work instead. These bike commuters sometimes
ride on gridlocked streets, speeding past thousands of immobilized cars while traveling to work, sometimes they are traveling alongside traffic on busy roads, and sometimes they are
traveling on a parallel streets and roads with light traffic. In a few places they are even riding on bikeways, their own private highways into town. Whatever route they use, bicycle
commuters are getting healthy exercise every day on their way to work, exercise that will improve their vigor, outlook, and even sex appeal. They also know that they are not adding to or
sucking down the pollution of the travel lanes. They appreciate the money they save, which can be as much as $7,500 a year (including taxes saved) towards an early retirement. And
finally, they are just finding the trip to work to be more fun.
At least some of the motorists getting to work by car are wishing that they could use bicycle transportation instead, and so I have written the following pages as an encouragement. I hope
that my experience and suggestions, plus the help found on the many sites I have linked to, will be a guide towards living a less car-dependent, possibly even car-free life.
I do not make the claim that I have been able to commute by bicycle due to any cycling superiority on my part. My skill with words is above average, and I believe I have a superior
philosophy of life, but I claim no special cycling abilities except for years of experience. Right now, I seem to be averaging twelve and thirteen miles per hour on my round trips into town,
so I am not a superman. As you can see from my personal account, there were many years when I felt forced to travel by car, even though I didn't want to.
I don't claim that everyone can get to work by bicycle. However, I do believe that most people can, either now or at some time in their futures, if they are willing to readjust their priorities.
In the event that they can't, they can still increase their cycling and reduce their car driving by using their bikes to run errands as much as possible.
I have tried to write articles which address the basic problems that bicycle commuters, errand runners, and other practical cyclists face. I hope that they can be helpful to you in one way
or another. If not, I hope you will visit the great sites listed in the right-hand column, as they have further information.
…..
Why Go Touring By Bicycle?
Long-distance bicycle touring is by nature a Quixotic activity. In these days of light-speed communications, multimedia entertainment, fast, powerful, and prestigious automobiles,
luxurious homes, exotic restaurants, and instant gratification, why would someone choose to pedal at slow speeds up high hills carrying a heavy load to boil rice in a small pot in the dark,
insect-filled woods alone at night? Are bicycle tourers and bikepackers driven by a masochistic self-hatred that causes them to perform painful and anachronistic pilgrimages?
Actually, long-distance, loaded, bicycle camping is one of the most pleasurable activities I have ever experienced. I generally sleep poorly at night; but in the woods on a tour, I sleep like
a baby, lulled to sleep by the music of insects. In the morning, I am awakened by the cheeping of birds. I eat a snack before getting up, and then I quickly pack my sleeping bag, air
mattress, tent, and other gear and get on the road. I'm slower in the morning, having less speed but also a greater desire to stop at pleasant spots, dawdle, and enjoy. Traveling by bike
allows me to stop anywhere, such as meadows, lakes (especially places to swim), woods, and scenic spots, not just at the tourist traps and overlooks. My large panniers may look very
heavy to the passing motorist, but I barely notice their weight; actually, the bike feels better loaded than empty; it's a lot more stable. Somewhere near lunch, I find a small grocery and
buy some bread, sandwich materials, and fruit. I find a town park or other shady spot to wait out the high mid-day sun and maybe nap. In the afternoon, my speeds are higher, and I
spend less time at stops (but I still usually stop fairly often, sometimes a quick dash into a grocery for bananas, sometimes a stop to pick wild berries). My body, tanned, lean from cycling,
hardened by climbing, feels fantastic. I relish the climbs. In the late afternoon, I start riding slower, and I start having thoughts about stopping. I finally find a place in the early evening,
cook a simple meal, and rest and cool off. As it starts to get dark, I pitch my tent, crawl in, and fall asleep.
There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places and accomplishing goals are always exciting to me. I meet and talk with interesting people along the
way, sometimes other traveling cyclists. Beautiful views, strong tail winds from nearby storms, encountering wild animals (usually at my camping site), and traveling up and down hills also
stir me up. On the other hand, I may run into a rainy or hot spell, have to repair my bike or tire, encounter a hostile motorist, or just find myself in a bad mood. The problems are
infrequent and are easily dealt with; the pleasures remain in my mind for years.
….
Cycling Health and Fitness
People follow three paths to good health: doctor, diet, and exercise. Our path to the doctor involves the greatest expense, $1,035 billion in 1996, or almost 1/7th of the Gross National
Product. Over 60% of these visits involved medication, and there were over 70 million surgeries (source CDC). However, there would be less expense, trauma, and tragedy if we
prevented many of these medical problems. According to the American Medical Association, 60% of Americans are physically inactive. According to U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher,
the number of people at risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke is increasing, and 50% of Americans are overweight. He said that improved nutrition along with 30 minutes of
exercise five times a week could reduce cardiovascular illnesses and deaths by 50% and colorectal cancer by 40% (source CNN, June 11, 1999).
Unfortunately, those who decide to respond to health alerts tend to go overboard on nutrition and to adopt the wrong exercises. Rather than exotic nutrients, we need a diet consisting
mainly of grains, fruits, and vegetables, with reduced amounts of meat and cheese. Rather than weightlifting, TV "aerobics," and ab crunching, we need true aerobic exercises that help
strengthen the heart, such as fast walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, rollerblading, skating, and crosscountry skiing. The best exercise to change our sedentary habits is the one we
can and will do nearly every day.
Bicycling has several advantages over other exercises:
1. Cycling exercises the heart better than walking without the pounding of jogging.
2. One can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and at low cost.
3. Little or no time has to be lost, as bike travel can be used to get to work, perform errands, or enjoy the outdoors.
4. Commuting by bike reduces pollution that causes asthma and bronchitis. A commuting cyclist is also less exposed to air pollution than a commuting motorist.
On the down side, cycling does involve some risk of injury which has been greatly exaggerated by fearmongers. Cycling actually has similar risks to traveling by automobile. The British
Medical Association has estimated that the health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks by twenty to one.
One very interesting question is how much aerobic exercise should one get every day? Some medical authorities recommend as little as 20 minutes a day, three times a week, while
others recommend 2,000 kCal, which would be at least four times that amount. Why the great difference? Well, most authorities recognize the more exercise the better up to some
undetermined point, but many are afraid that if they expect too much, people won't exercise at all. Another reason for lowering the recommendation was due to the damage caused by
jogging, a problem cycling does not share. I am afraid that those setting very low requirements are giving people the mistaken impression that they don't need any more exercise than
their usual, basically sedentary activity.
How much exercise do I recommend? I find that 45 minutes of cycling six days a week (about 2,000 kCal) keeps me feeling good, but not great, two hours per day keeps me very strong
and controls my weight, and six hours a day on my bicycle trips makes me feel like superman after several weeks. We might say that lower amounts of exercise improve one's health and
higher amounts improve one's fitness. I would recommend a minumum of 45 minutes a day and as much addition cycling as time permits. The time spent cycling will not be wasted; in
addition to having a good ride, the cyclist will be more productive during the remaining time and will live longer as well.
….
Bicycling Advocacy
Bicycle advocacy can have a number of meanings, from encouraging bicycle sales to wanting bicycle memoribilia everywhere. This entire site is actually an advocacy site, advocating the
cyclistÂ’s lifestyle in one section, cycling for health in another, and so on.
This section is mainly concerned with two advocacies: advocating bicyclistsÂ’ rights and advocating bicycling as beneficial to society. The two are separate: cyclists have their rights by
law, not according to some recent decision based on the value of cycling. However, cyclists can win sympathy and support by demonstrating that they play a role and perform a service to
others. In addition, recognition of the value of cycling can create new cyclists who need to learn about their rights.
Cyclists' Rights
Although itÂ’s not rare to encounter motorists, bicycle riders, or sometimes policemen who believe that bicycles belong on the sidewalk and have no right to the roadway, the truth is that
cyclists were granted the right to use the roadways before the automobile was invented and are recognized as having those rights in every country of the world and every state of the
United States.
However, wherever there are cyclists and motorists, some motorists want us off of the road. In some cases, they might act. Motorists who take it upon themselves to run cyclists off of the
road are engaged in criminal assault. In Texas, a motorist who thus assaulted Lance Armstrong received ten years in jail, but not all cyclists are that fortunate. There's a strong tendency
to turn a blind eye toward the harassment of cyclists or even to blame the victims. Cyclists sometimes mistakenly assume that most motorists are hostile because of the actions of a few,
yet most people are sympathetic, and many wish they could bicycle too.
It seems that some of our friends can be more of a problem than our enemies. There are many cyclists who either feel they have the rights without the responsibilities or who don't
recognize that they have either rights or responsibilities. As a result, they ignore traffic laws. When city planners and government agencies finally recognized the value of cycling, they
started hatching out plans to build bike paths and bike ways as ways of separating cyclists who don't obey the traffic laws (that is, the ones with accidents) from the rest of the traffic.
Thus, it's possible that we could end up with a bikeway system like the one in Holland, where cycling is both encouraged and restricted at the same time. There are five problems to such
a scheme: 1) the enormous cost, 2) the restriction in ability to get from A to B, 3) the tendency of bikeways to fill up with other, incompatable traffic, 4) the problem of crossing other
roadways, and 5) the higher accident rate created by incompatable traffic and frequently roadway crossings.
A more effective method of encouraging cycling, which would also encourage walking, increase safety for children, improve the general quality of life, and provide a place to operate low-
speed electric vehicles, would be to ensure low-speed roads in residential and commuter areas. Reducing traffic speed on arterials can actually increase traffic flow; higher maximum
traffic speeds between stop lights usually just increase the wait time at the lights. Of course, some motorists perceive any effort to reduce automobile speeds, to reduce congestion and
noise, to reduce or compensate for pollution, to encourage carpooling, to provide transportation alternatives, or to adjust taxes to reflect actual roadway costs as being anti-car. In
addition, they would like to see cyclists pay heavy license or user fees in order to be on the roadway. But the more dependent on automobiles we become, the greater our traffic and
environmental problems become, so we have to seek additional solutions.
In addition, over the years, many authorities and motorists have mistakenly come to see driving a motor vehicle as an unrevocable right, and thus even drivers who have caused
numerous collisions due to speeding, reckless behavior, drinking, or other disorders are allowed unrestricted driving and are often not punished in any way, even after killing someone
due to their clearly faulty behavior. Fortunately, we are beginning to see an end to the concept of the highway as being a wild frontier and the last lawless area. I think we should take
traffic infractions seriously. The purpose of streets and highways should be to efficiently and safely transport people and goods from one area to another. They should not be places for
people to work out their aggressions.
Perhaps the most effective and cost-efficient way to encourage cycling and reduce accidents at the same time would be to teach Effective Cycling in the schools. Besides reducing
cycling injuries and benefiting cycling, these instructions would help create safer motorists as well. Teaching cycling skills would not be a waste of school time, as cycling is a more
beneficial and long-term exercise than most school sports. Texas has received a grant to instruct all grade-school physical education teachers in cycling safety. We can hope that the
program is well-designed and that other states will follow this lead.
The Benefits of Cycling
Beyond the heath benefits and enjoyment of cycling, which are discussed elsewhere, bicycling also provides economic, ecological, and environmental benefits over other forms of
transportation.
Cycling has a lower cost per mile than any other form of transportation except walking, both for society and for the user. When the cost of travel is calculated into the speed equation, a
bicycle ends up being faster than an automobile under most conditions.
The impact of cycling on other living creatures and on the ecological balance is small. A bicycle uses only a tiny amount of oil. The amount of steel and other materials in its construction
is less than two percent of that found in a small car. A bicycle's tires and tubes are the greatest waste, as bike tires last only a few thousand miles at most; however, automobile tires,
while lasting longer, are much heavier. A bicycle burns no fossil fuels: a bike that replaces an automobile for all travel is equal to the planting of 170 trees.
Finally, bicycles do little to degrade the environment people live in. They create no noise, no stink, no pollution, and no congestion. They do not require massive highways or extensive
parking areas. In a collision, they are unlikely to kill, and a cyclist can more easily avoid a collision.
In short, the bicycle is an friendly transportation solution, and bicycling needs to be encouraged.
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Bicycle Traffic Safety
Bicycle traffic accidents, also called cycling accidents, pedalcycle accidents, bicycle crashes, pedalcycle crashes, and bike-car collisions, can be avoided through understanding why they
occur.
There are many people who think that bicycling is especially dangerous, not recognizing that cyclists travel more miles per fatality than pedestrians and more hours per fatality than
passenger vehicle users.
However, saying that cycling is fairly safe on the average does not mean that individuals shouldn't make efforts to make their own cycling more safe. We see a vast difference in the
safety of selected groups of cyclists; for instance, children have 720 accidents per million hours while a group of British cyclists averaged just 66 accidents in the same amount of cycling
time. We also see strong differences between individuals. Some have frequent, serious falls and/or collisions, and others have few accidents or none. In my 100,000 miles of cycling, I
have fallen off of my bike six times, resulting in skin abrasion twice and no visits to the doctor. All of my own accidents, by the way, were due to my own stupidity and could have been
easily avoided. [NOTE: In February 2002, I had my seventh fall, again my own fault, and this time I went to the hospital with a broken hip.]
One choice a bicyclist can make is to be fatalistic about the matter and to decide that some cyclists are lucky and others are not, and another choice is to work to prevent future falls and
collisions. However, the decision to try to be careful in itself is not safe enough. Many fatalities and injuries occur among those who were trying to be careful, but who weren't following the
correct procedures. For example, cyclists who ride on the sidewalk, on wrong side of the road, and at the extreme edge of the pavement are all fearfully trying to prevent injuries, but the
methods they employ greatly increase their chances of getting struck by cars.
Analysis of bicycling accidents and of cyclist fatalities demonstrate that cyclists are most safe when they operate their bicycles as vehicles. Motorists scan the highway in front of them
and on either side watching for other vehicles. They do not watch as carefully for pedestrians, and they do not anticipate fast-moving bicycles traveling on sidewalks, crosswalks, and
shoulders, especially when traveling in the opposite direction from the rest of the traffic.
For this reason, bicycle traffic laws are almost the same as those for motor vehicles. All state laws either define bicycles as vehicles or give cyclists the rights and responsibilities of
vehicle operators. Unfortunately, police do not enforce these laws, probably on the principle that only the cyclist is likely to be injured. In fact, in some areas, cyclists are encouraged to
ride on sidewalks where they are less safe or to use bikelanes which violate the rules of normal traffic behavior.
The advice I provide in my articles is based on my own experience in traveling by bicycle and on accident analyses that I have read. For those needing more basic advice, John Allen and
Wayne Pein both have safety handbooks online (see the right-hand column).
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Basic Skills for Cyclists
There are many little problems involved in using a bicycle that can defeat the enthusiasm of a new cyclist. For this reason, I will be using this directory to explain how to cope with some of
these difficulties. I am not a bicycle repairman, someone with vast technical skills, or even an internet expert, but I have had to solve many bicycling problems myself over the years, and
therefore I will add to the articles in this directory from time to time as I think of new and helpful topics and as I find the time to write (I am already trying to do too much). Please note that
the skills directly related to bicycle touring will go into that directory and not here, although some of those skills, such as map reading and weather predicting, would be useful to any
cyclist.
My favorite Monty Python skit is one called "Bicycle Repairman." In the skit, we see superman walking down the street in his splendid costume. Then he stops to catch a bus, but
surprizingly, the bus driver is a superman too, in an identical costume. Then, when he turns to walk back to his seat, we discover everyone else on the bus is a superman too. We go on
into town, and there we find that every person in every store is a superman. Then we see a superman riding his bicycle, but it begins to wobble badly, and then he crashes. The bicycle
needs repaired, but superman doesn't know how. Then the call goes out for Bicycle Repairman. Everywhere, supermen are frantically searching for the hero. In a crowded laundromat, a
group of supermen are waiting for their costumes to wash, when another superman announces the emergency. One of the supermen looks around to see if anyone is watching him, and
then he disappears into a dark recess, where he turns into Bicycle Repairman, with his brown coveralls and tool chest. All the supermen are excited to see him, and he goes and repairs
the bicycle. The message of the skit is, of course, that all of us can play an important role; we don't have to be superman. We can play some other essential role, such as Bicycle
Repairman instead! Think about it! If you and a group of friends are unable to proceed on your bike ride due to a flat tire, do you really want some superman to rescue you with his
pickup, ending the trip, or do you want to be the hero and to fix the tire yourself, so you can continue on your ride? The ability to solve your own problems is very, very powerful. It gives
you freedom to do whatever you want.
There's a tendency to feel that some people are masters while others are natural klutzes. However, even the very most skillful person had to start learning at one time. In acquiring skills,
two essential ingredients are necessary: knowledge and practice. I can't help with the practice, that you have to do yourself, but I can attempt to convey my knowledge and understanding
of these little problems. You can improve your own opportunities to learn by becoming a careful observer. Good luck with advancing your skills!
….