Cadence Revival

Bike. Helmet. Lights [front and back]. Lock. Water bottle and route map. Sorted.

Where is everyone?

Six days into my urban commuter challenge and I am quiet astounded by how few cyclists I have seen in the approximately 40km I have so far covered. Admittedly I am staying within my neighborhood environs while I gain strength and confidence, yet I find the lack of cyclists somewhat unnerving. And so begins the tussle between expectation and reality.

My city is to host the worlds largest timed cycling event in 89 days time. With less than 12 weeks to go, I am expecting to join our local compatriots on our cities roads, following one of a variety of training programs on offer to ensure the 110km event is successfully completed. If statistics are to be believed, almost 11 000 participants in last years event were from the Western Cape. I am looking forward to more cyclists, comrades and veterans of the road-gutter to join me on the roads as I make sense of this thing called cycling.
I am however not training, I am commuting. This is altogether different.

In my limited experience thus far, these are some of the differences between training cyclists and commuters. Firstly, I need a safe, covered place to lock my bike. Commuting is as much about the destination as it is about the (well planned) trip. Secondly, and very importantly, commuter bikes are different to R10k triathlon bikes/racers and other such machines. If I ride over a pinecone, stormwater grate or pothole at speed, I am sure to have an accident. There are countless such obstacles alongside the kerb where cyclists are expected to ride. This is a real challenge. I am likely to ride in the centre of the lane at some point. Not because its fun, but because I do not wish to crash. Finally, and on the positive side, I have no desire to ride 3 abreast, in a group, not stop for fear of ruining my training time, jump curbs, cross traffic and race taxis to get my heart rate up. I don't have the need or the equipment.
I simply want to arrive - not in a car.    

I made the mistake of expecting family and friends to be more supportive of my efforts to gain insight into NMT (non motorized transport) design as I don the gear and learn what cadence means. Some of my friends are overjoyed, however the majority of discussions with those less keen are peppered with the sorts of foul mouthing one would expect to hear when on the road. Most of the annoyance was centered on how cyclists have no right to be on the roads to begin with. I was quite saddened that my suspicions are proving to be correct. We are no where near to a tipping point in public perception or public behavior that would make cycling more favorable commuting option. Even with 11 000 riders needing to do at least 1 training session before the big day.

I made sure that those who love me don't inadvertently mow me over and texted them a picture of my lovely bike to remind them what the 'right of way' might look like in the future.

I certainly have my work cut out for me, and with 560km of my urban cycle challenge to go, I am so glad it will be worth the effort.

Mind the Gap

An aspect of the process of urban design which fascinates me without fail is the space between perception and reality.
Recently a community group I spoke with lamented that there were so many homeless living in the local park. Upon investigation, I discovered that there in fact just 3 homeless gentlemen sleeping in the park. The community group wrongly assumes that homeless folks don't own a change of clothes! The gap between perception and reality could be closed here with a simple introduction and eye contact recognition.

Perception. Reality. Spatial consequence.

I have never owned a bicycle. My perception is largely that the city is a hostile environment, with roads being the saddest of the spaces where true human nature can be expressed. Not too different from open forums on popular/controversial blogs. Why would I inhabit that space without the maximum protection afforded to me by the 30 000 parts that make up the average road vehicle?

Of course the reality of the situation is that not all roads are created equal, not all roads are used equally and not all road users are equally treated. Were I to attempt to negotiate Claremont Main Road every morning during peak congestion periods I may find my perceptions remain fixed. In recently reviewing my car usage however, I have found that more than half of my car trips are under 10km in distance and outside of peak hours. Additionally, everyone of those trips can be made using alternate routes/back-roads should I chose to do so.

Tick tock.

Tomorrow I will begin my epic cycle challenge. Yes, that is a veiled attempt an aligning the challenge of changing my perceptions with the challenge of completing 718km of mountain bike madness (Google ABSA Cape Epic!). I will be collecting my bike tomorrow from a kind sponsor who believes that one voice can sometimes be loud enough. I will find the back roads and use my bike as much as possible to the tune of 100km a month minimum. I have yet to understand what is required from a kit perspective, but the minimum of a helmet, light and carrier have been met. I am still searching for a Go Pro sponsor, so if that is you - let me know!

To what end.

I advocate for mixed used developments from the comfort of my swivel chair. Every self respecting urbanist does. I have not considered the complexity of mixed use roads from the comfort of a saddle. Every self respecting urbanist should.


Follow the journey with me @contestedspaces