Re: Nice Bike to Work Day yesterday.

On Fri, 17 May 2024 18:07:44 -0700 sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote:

Nice Bike to Work Day was yesterday. First time since the company I work
for changed locations that I rode in. A longer ride than our old office
but a good route, about one third of it on a creekside MUP.
>
Very Silicon Valley route. Rode by Apple’s HQ, Nvidia’s HQ, and Intel’s
HQ. Some decent swag being given out, but Apple had no presence this
year and the food this year was mediocre.
>
So glad that bicycle infrastructure continues to expand and improve with
more separated bike lanes and more multi-use paths.

Roads *are* bicycle infrastructure.

As pensioners, my wife and I are glad that we now have more
opportunities to avoid areas with accompanying and most often mandatory
bicycle infrastructure. We just came back from a vacation in a region
where there are a few cycle paths for those who don't understand it any
better, but hardly any compulsory use ones. Weather could have been
better, but otherwise it was great.

<https://www.mystrobl.de/ws/pic/fahrrad/20240504/bi20240504c.jpg>

That's in Germany, in a large forest near the french border.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatinate_Forest>

>
Remote-working really appears to have affected bicycle commuting, with
those persons most likely to have commuted by bicycle also the most
likely to come into the office less frequently.

Is that so. I started to commute by bicycle in the Eighties, doing it
almost exclusively til 2011, when a accident broke my bones and made it
impossible to continue. It took years to partially recover and I need
regular upper body muscle training to compensate for some of the damage.
The cause for the crash was an ingredient that can be found on almost
every "bicycle infrastructure", but hardly ever on real roads: a shard
of glass that had led to a sudden loss of pressure later, at the worst
possible moment, causing an unexpected fall.  I had learned to avoid
most bike paths back then and did well with it. Unfortunately, there was
no viable alternative to this cycle path, a popular place for bums and
teenagers to drink and smash bottles.  


Another example of perfect infrastructure, somewhat nearer to where we
live. Look at that road, about 20 km from and about 200 m of altitude
above our house. 

<https://diasp.org/posts/34132ce0e2c9013a9ffc28a1592b385a>

It is a perfect example of bicycle infrastructure.

This road does not need “bicycle infrastructure”, because it *is*
bicycle infrastructure. As cyclists, we neither need nor enjoy so-called
“bicycle infrastructure”. My wife and I prefer such roads just like they
are. Most people do. The royal "we" - "we need bicycle infrastructure" -
is a lame excuse for *not* using a bicycle.

Since 2021, I have taken a photo at this spot every time I touch this
road on one of my regular road bike rides.  Unlike most bicycle
infrastructure around here, the road is not broken, never dirty, never
closed for long periods, and certainly never closed without official
notice.  Although it is in better condition than most of the bicycle
infrastructure here, it was resurfaced over several kilometers last year
and now in a perfect condition.  Because there is important traffic on
that road. And that doesn't mean bicycles. 

--
Thank you for observing all safety precautions