Greased Melon

I read that question on Warren T’s blog. I started to enter a comment to respond, but it got too long. Here are my thoughts.

Two Things

In my mind, there are two areas to work on: Making the bike trip safe and convincing one that they can indeed safely and efficiently ride a bicycle to get somewhere.

Making the Trip Safe

I’m going to go after the low-hanging fruit here and not talk about the infrastructure improvements Kansas City needs to make it a Bicycle Heaven. It would take millions of dollars and the changing of millions of people’s minds. In other words, it’s not going to happen here quickly or easily unless a major event happens. We shouldn’t give up, but be realistic and pick the easy things to tackle first.

…Such as reminding drivers about bikes. Drivers do NOT pay enough attention to riders on the road. Cars are the most headdy issue one has to deal with when riding on the road for the first time. Until riders are comfortable with it, most people have a mini-panic attack each time one approaches. This keeps people from riding a bike.

So, remind drivers. I’m of the belief that if more drivers see signs saying “Watch for Bikes,” then they would watch for them. These are gentle reminders, like “Slow - School Zone” signs. Signs can’t be that expensive - but still, start small on frequently-traveled routes. Next, add bike lanes. Nothing says “Hey! I’m here! Keep out of my space!” then your own piece of road. It’s a reminder that runs the length of your entire trip. But again, they cost more then signs. So start there and work our way up.

I Can’t Do It

I hear this ALL the time. But this is something I can dispel any day, like I did a few days ago: Have a conversation with someone and explain it’s in their head and that they really have no excuse. They don’t like to hear it, so I turn it on myself.

Most people’s biggest concern is that they can’t possibly ride a bike several miles. They think they’d fall over and die by the effort–which any rider knows is complete baloney. I tell them how I got started. Start slow, start short. You’re not riding the Tour de France–you’re riding at the For Fun speed. Just take your time and you’ll get there. It might hurt for a couple days if you’re used to sitting in a minivan. It goes away and you feel better then you did before you started.

I rode to work for the first time during Bike to Work Week last year. I rode from Waldo to Overland Park - 6 miles each way. I was fairly concerned about how all this was going to work out. I’d say, “What do I do?!” after each of these concerns: “There’s no shower!” “What about wrinkles in my clothes?” “What about wet clothes in my office?” “Where do I put my bike?” “How do I get a change of clothes to the office?” “What if I get a flat?”

They’re valid questions. And there’s enough of them to scare anyone away. Just think them through and ask people questions. They can all be worked out. Some of these things could happen when you drive to work. What would you do then?

It also helps to say “Well, I bet you could.” It leaves them saying to themselves, “Well…could I?”

That Was Easy

Anyway, those are the easiest things I think of that one can do to get more people commuting by bike. Sprinkle in comments about fitness, fun, etc. and being seen staying fit and having fun by people in cars also helps.

Any other ideas?