Pedaling Revolution! A Transformation of American Cities

" 'I'm a husband, I'm a ____, I'm a motorist...'--Who does that?"--Jeff Mapes discussing the pride of cyclists and how when asked to describe themselves being a cyclist will enter the discussion.

On Thursday, September 16th, Boise Bicycle Project hosted their first Bike Talk at the Linen Building with Portland political journalist and author of Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities, Jeff Mapes. The first of (hopefully) a continuing series, I am looking forward to what's to come.



Infused with humor, inspiring images, and valuable discussion, I really enjoyed the event. The only downside--I forgot my camera! So please forgive the lack of event images. Many cyclists in the Boise community believe we could become the next cyclist mecca, and as an amateur bike commuter and designer, I am fascinated by the ideas that could transform Boise's built environment.

Jeff Mapes discussed his progress into becoming one of Portland's bike commuters--now 7% of the population! On his first night ride home from work it was lightly raining (which seemed to be the case in many of his stories). Crossing the Hawthorne bridge, he could see the Willamette River's waters flowing, stars visible in the sky, a hawk flying above him--as a bus started coming across the bridge, he thought with pity how all those on the bus were missing this connection to the beauty surrounding them. As the bus started going past he looked at the people's faces and noticed a mirrored expression--pity towards the cyclist biking home in the rain. Let's face it, not everyone wants to commute by bike but the cyclist population is growing and America's cities are transforming to create a safer environment for everyone: motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The five reasons cycling would be good in America, according to Jeff Mapes:

1. 40% of trips are 2 miles or less
2. Adult obesity rate is now above 30%
3. Burning carbohydrates, not hydrocarbons
4. Improving livability
5. Providing choices

For his book, Jeff Mapes traveled across the United States and internationally studying cycling and how it is integrated in various cities. In Utrecht, Holland, pictures were shown of lines of children cycling home from school as there are no school buses. In Copenhagen, the City Hall has a counter for the number of cyclists that go by each morning. By 8:49 am the day Jeff Mapes was there, 2,503 cyclists had gone by. NYC's traffic commissioner, Janette Sadik-Kahn, has integrated a bike lane on Broadway and shut down a section of Times Square for pedestrians/cyclists.

Boise, with the unfortunate amount of cyclist deaths this summer, has recently released new bike safety laws. To view, click here. One question to Jeff Mapes was how to begin with bringing awareness to cyclists and improving conditions. In Portland, there is a Political Leaders Ride--including the state highway department--where local cyclists take the elected officials and bureaucrats on a bike ride around the city to better explain problem areas and understand changes needed to be made. Who's involved in the movement towards the transformation? Bureaucrats, Elected Officials, and of course, Grassroots. Otherwise known as his Carbon Frame Triangle--as shown by my illustration...

Overall, a very interesting talk. Be sure to check out the next Bike Talk--once we hear of it we'll link it on our Facebook page. We'd also love to hear your thoughts on Boise's bike community and what changes, if any, you think should happen! Feel free to share below.