Yvonne Bambrick - The urban cycling survival guide : need-to-know skills and strategies for biking in the city

Bikes. Are. Everywhere. It doesnt take a study or statistic to prove that bicycle ridership is way up across North America the sheer number of bicycles on the streets of your city, and even in upscale clothing store windows, is proof enough that the bike boom is upon us. Not since the 1890s have bikes been this cool. The timeless bicycle, once known as the mechanical or iron horse, is one of humanitys oldest manufactured self-propelled personal transportation vehicles, and one thats had a profound impact on our history. From its vital role in the emancipation of women and dramatic changes to their acceptable everyday clothing (hello, bloomers!) to the paving of our city streets, the first flight, and the widely accessible transportation of people and goods over ever-greater distances, the bicycle is nothing short of a two-wheeled wonder. Its classic design hasnt even changed much since 1885, when the safety bicycle, with two same-sized wheels, a drive chain, and inflated tires, was invented.

While most of our North American cities are in varying stages of adaptation to the bicycle (and yes, were far from the bicycle nirvana of many European cities), millions of North Americans are choosing a bicycle for daily transportation. Gone are the days when bikes were seen as the last-resort transport of the poor or the domain of men in tight shorts and brightly coloured jerseys, a.k.a. MAMILs (middle-aged men in Lycra). Far more women and men of all ages, backgrounds, and occupations are now riding and theyre wearing whatever they like to do so. Bicycles are increasingly being seen, understood, and praised as the gloriously efficient, fun, fast, elegant, and accessible vehicles that they are a classic solution to so many of the issues that seem to plague our cities. When you ride your bike, it isnt just transportation, it is the key to designing the sustainable cities of the future, says Lloyd Alter, managing editor of TreeHugger.com.

With this growth in ridership, city governments across North America are also increasingly investing in expanded and updated bike infrastructure and programs, and they are recognizing bicycles as an important form of sustainable urban transportation that can help ease the burden of traffic congestion. While we might be on our way, were not there yet: Interestingly, the most bike-friendly large city in North America, Portland, has the same bicycle ridership (6 per cent), as the least bike-friendly city in Germany, Stuttgart.

But as John Pucher and Ralph Buehler point out in their book City Cycling , with the right policies in place, levels of cycling can be dramatically increased: Cities of all sizes with very different land use patterns, histories, and cultures have succeeded in increasing cycling and making it safer.

Unlike that found in the more-established cycling cities, North American transportation cycling culture is still growing and maturing; every year we have more riders with varying levels of skill. With a relatively young bike culture, limited bike-specific infrastructure (bike lanes, etc.), a gap in bike education, and a wider variety of riding conditions to adapt to, some cycling norms are still in development. New riders pick up cycling habits from watching others and through their own experiences. Although honing skills through observation and experience is important, its crucial to start from a solid foundation of knowledge.

And thats where this book comes in. As a full-time cycling advocate, I noticed adults getting back on their bikes with only a partial understanding of how to be part of traffic on two wheels instead of four, or no understanding at all if theyd never gotten a drivers licence. The physical act of riding a bicycle the balance and muscle movements needed to propel the vehicle forward does come back quite easily. The part where you ride that bike out into the often fast-paced and shared vehicular roadways of your city is not quite so simple.

Although my first taste of independence was on my bicycle, like many, I felt the next level of freedom behind the wheel of the family car. Ive been a licenced driver for over 20 years, and I actually quite like driving and can appreciate motor vehicles as the tools they are. Im certain that being a cyclist first made me a better driver, and that being an occasional driver makes me a better cyclist, because it allows me to understand the roadway from both perspectives. I sold my car in 2000 and used the money to pay for part of my post-graduate studies. Though I hadnt ridden much since my commute to and from high school, it didnt take me long to get back into the rhythm of the ride and realize what Id been missing. The idea of buying a car hasnt crossed my mind since, and Ive built my life in such a way that it shouldnt ever have to.

Getting back in the saddle allowed me to step back and see driving and car ownership from a whole new perspective. I realized that owning and habitually overusing a car for short trips actually made me and billions of others far more dependent on all the systems required to make, buy, park, insure, repair, and fuel a car, rather than providing the independence Id originally connected to car ownership. Cars, while useful and essential to some, are also a factor in so many of our societal ills obesity, stress, diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle, worsening air quality, urban sprawl, and divided communities to name but a few. Cars might be symbols of independence and freedom in advertising and rock anthems, but Ive come to fully appreciate that bicycles actually provide it, and so much more.