Student blog posts from the Great VCU Bike Race Book

Jordan, Rachel

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VCU Scholars Compass

Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVCU Scholars CompassGreat VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts Great VCU Bike Race Book2015Bicycle Urbanism, Blog 2Rachel JordanVirginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_studentPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA4.0) License.This Blog Post is brought to you for free and open access by the Great VCU Bike Race Book at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted forinclusion in Great VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, pleasecontact libcompass@vcu.edu.Downloaded fromhttps://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_student/311/24/2016 A Bike Friendly City | Bicycle Urbanismhttps://rampages.us/bicycleurbanism2015/a­bike­friendly­city/ 1/3Bicycle UrbanismPart of the Great VCU Bike Race Book CourseA Bike Friendly CityOctober 1, 2015 Student Post dpittA Bike Friendly CityThere are several ways a city can be bike friendly. Statistics show that traveling by bike just makessense; bikes emit zero carbon emissions, it is physically healthy, it is economically healthy—AltaGroup’s report for Portland, OR showed economic activity related to biking was $90 million. The mostrecent news for Richmond was the World Championships in Richmond, VA. During that week, peoplesaw professional riders all over town, and the general response was excitement and encouragement.Some people were able to test out the bike share program coming soon to Richmond. Remarks Iheard from Richmond residents a☍�er the event was that they had never seen so many bikes in oneplace, and maybe they are not so bad a☍�er all.  From my experience riding around in di撂�erent cities, well-planned bicycle infrastructure and bikefacilities do not necessarily make cities bike-friendly. Biking culture and acceptance is what makes anarea feel safe for bicycling to me. In fact, sometimes bike lanes give a false sense of security; I amconstantly wondering when a car will veer into the bike lane or when I will run into a parked car in thelane. At least that is the case in Richmond, and it will continue to be the issue until people have fullyembraced bicycling as an e撂�ective means of transportation.  For me, what makes a city bike friendly is all about the experience while riding. When I rode my bikein Boulder, Colorado and in the surrounding mountains, I was not familiar with any of the roads butfelt completely safe. It was not because of protected bike lanes or excellent road conditions butbecause there were so many cyclists doing just what I was doing, and drivers were accepting andrespectful to cyclists sharing the road. I feel a similar way in some parts of Richmond. I live in ChurchHill and ride my bike around Church Hill and commute to work downtown and to school at VCU. I feelencouraged to visit areas that support bicycling; Lakeside became Richmond’s first Bike FriendlyBusiness District, and DC has designated Business Improvement Districts to enhance the quality oflife. Also, bike programs and events geared toward empowering women such as women’s specificbike clinics and last year’s Women’s Bike Summit also encourage me to keep pedaling even whenriding conditions are frustrating. It is also exciting to feel included in bike events that are changing thecourse of the city forever—the Mayor’s ribbon cutting for the Manchester Bridge bike lanes brought a11/24/2016 A Bike Friendly City | Bicycle Urbanismhttps://rampages.us/bicycleurbanism2015/a­bike­friendly­city/ 2/3decent crowd of cyclists, bike advocates, and press. A city is bike friendly when riding a bike to get to all my destinations is enjoyable. When there areother pedestrians and bicyclists on the road and they seem to also be enjoying themselves, thatcontributes to the overall experience. Bike lanes, bike parking, and other infrastructure may increaseridership among people who already have bikes and would be willing to get around town sansautomobile, but it may not necessarily reach a larger audience who is too scared of being hit orworried about carrying too many items per trip. I believe this disconnect is an opportunity forplanners, tra撂�ic engineers, bike advocates, local governments, and the general public to collaborateand eventually embrace commuting by bike or by walking as major modes of transportation and partof the urban lifestyle. Bikes are powerful tools, and people need to know they can transform lives forthe better. Especially so soon a☍�er Worlds, Richmond can use that excitement generated from those 9days and keep the momentum going, making Richmond the most cycling-friendly it has ever been.Submitted by Rachel4 thoughts on “A Bike Friendly City”MariamSankohI have never actually biked for non-recreational purposes in places other thanRichmond VA, so I find it refreshing when you talk about it not just beinginfrastructure but mindset. And, although Richmond VA was awarded the bike raceI do not think we have quite reached the point of developing the mindset. Maybedoing more free programs great towards minority groups and children will helpmove us more towards a biking culture as it helped you do.October 5, 2015 at 10:36 pmJamesYanceyHaving others around you cycling creates a great atmosphere, I agree. You’re spoton when it comes to the cycling mentality and what makes us feel safe whencycling. It’s not always about great infrastructure, but about sharing thisrecreational activity with others that get the same enjoyment from it. Yousummarize perfectly when you state that bikes are tools and that they cantransform lives.October 9, 2015 at 2:54 pmI have to say that, I love how the bike race brought bikers and non bikers toRichmond. Living in Northern Virginia, which is similar to Richmond roads it makesOctober 9, 2015 at 3:16 pm11/24/2016 A Bike Friendly City | Bicycle Urbanismhttps://rampages.us/bicycleurbanism2015/a­bike­friendly­city/ 3/3JimmyNguyenit easier for me to bike around since i already know how the city works. I would sayfor non bikers and people who are starting out to bike it may be harder for them toadjust to the roads though.JustinGrenzebachI think it is really interesting that a lot of us are mentioning the cultural side / socialnorms of cycling. I also think that the bike share display was a great feature of therace because as people spectated, they also noticed the bike share displays andmany inquired and thus were exposed to the idea of having one in richmond.Additionally the ones that were at the race had electrical assisted pedaling whichis great not only because it would be the first electrical bike share I’ve ever heard ofbut also because its an excellent way to warm non-bikers up to cycling as it wouldreduce sweat which is definitely a factor(example: people may choose to drive overcycling if they have a meeting/presentation where sweat is not desirable)October 10, 2015 at 10:45 pm

Bicycle Urbanism, Blog 2

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&amp;context=bike_student

Bicycle Urbanism, Blog 2

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