Eight Ways to Overcome Excuses and Start Cycling
You haven’t yet begun bike commuting, but you’ve considered it. What’s putting the brakes on your brilliant plans? A handful of good excuses that have made cycling to work a mere pipe dream. But, whatever your reason for continuing to take the car, there’s likely a simple means to make bike commuting an efficient, reliable, and sustainable way to get to work. Here are eight common (however, lame) excuses—and how to overcome them with chutzpah. Prepare to dust off your helmet.
Birmingham's Big City Plan
Leader of the Birmingham, UK City Council Mike Whitby commissioned a study to move the city towards sustainability and revitalize the city centre. Dubbed the “Big City Plan,” the goals include decreasing the city's carbon emissions by 60% by 2026, revamping mass transit systems, and moving the city towards self-sufficiency with livable and walkable neighborhoods, local produce and products sold locally, and homegrown industries to support the residents.
Paris-Roubaix Inspires Commuters?
Paris-Roubaix is a “hard man's race.” If you never realized that cycling is one of the world's toughest sports – check it out. The event is so over-the-top difficult that it can't help but inspire everyday cyclists to stop making excuses and get out and ride.
Greening the Concrete Jungle
Asphalt gardening is growing in popularity, as more green-thumbed urbanites reclaim the concrete and break ground to turn parking spots into lush, green space.
Farmers Ditch Conservation, Cash in on Fuel
The American farmer won’t be taken for granted; their families will grow fat on gas, they say, not on government money. With fuel growing ever more expensive, many farmers have opted for a fat paycheck, breaking their promise to practice responsible agriculture by preserving conservation lands.
Cyclists: The Intermediate Stage between Humans and Pure Energy
Thanks to time well-spent browsing the wonderful worldwide web, I came across a fantastic Monkey Dust clip that both nails the inherent superiority of riding a bike as well as the hypocrisy, elitism, and attitudes some riders exhibit. It's awesome, check it out!
Deliver Us From Evil… in Your S.U.V.
"You don't have to get close to the pope to have him touch you," said Ricky Pequeño of Pope Benedict XVI. Yet Ricky and his family, along with a dozen neighbors, set out on a motorized "pilgrimage" from Spring, Texas to Washington, D.C. to attend a papal Mass in Nationals Park.
Boston Bike Czar, Cheap Tech, Better Riding
Nicole Freedman, Boston's bike czar, faces a monumental challenge: to convert the city's choked roads into a cycling paradise. Freedman used her tech-savvy to build a comprehensive bike route map for peanuts. The Boston Bike Map application builds upon GoogleMaps. Cyclists log their commutes routes every day and the resulting patterns indicate the roads that are conducive to riding as well as where improvements are needed.
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