Monday, Jun 23

Dear Reader,

My cycling friends have had their butt slapped by a passenger, gone headfirst over a car door that was opened into traffic, and ended up hospitalized when bike tires hit fresh concrete without any construction/warning signs. If you’re a cyclist, you’ve likely had a close call with an automobile or other obstacle, too. 

So it comes as no surprise to me or my friends that a recent Nature Cities report revealed that protected bike lanes encourage four times more cyclists. But rather than wait for enough cyclists to warrant building cycling infrastructure, the study showed that by building the infrastructure, you encourage more cycling. 

It turns out that a lot more of us would take to two wheels if we weren’t so darned afraid, reported Treehugger’s Lloyd Alter.

North American cities would be wise to pay attention to locales where they’re getting cycling right, such as Amsterdam, which, as Bluedot contributor Summer Rylander wrote, has its own Bicycle Mayor (as do lots of other cities. Does yours?). 

Toronto is prepping for a two-wheel revolution (despite the province’s premier promising to tear out the city’s relatively new — and successful — downtown bike lanes) by training the next generation of bike mechanics. 

If you’re ready to saddle up, Bluedot’s own Jim Miller offers up a guide to the “most efficient form of transportation ever devised.”

Why aren’t cities embracing this marvel of transportation? It’s a good question, that Dear Dot took a swing at in this Dear Dot from the archives. 

In the meantime, keep pressing your local reps. Since May was National Bike Month, Dot hopes you found some safe paths in your city for some weekend fun. If your city makes it safe, you might consider making cycling your prime form of transportation.

Cyclically,

Dot