Blogs The SpokesMan

Cars rule the streets in North American cities, and pedestrian (and cyclist) deaths in traffic are considered normal, but it wasn’t always thus.

Thanks to the Ottawa Citizen’s David Reevely for drawing attention to this article in the Atlantic.

According to the piece, until the 1920s streets in U.S. cities were considered common property and it was the automobile was that was regarded with fear and anger. In the face of outrage over pedestrian deaths, the car gained primacy only after a concerted campaign by Detroit and car advocates.

 “There was a lot of anger in the early years,” says Norton. “A lot of resentment against cars for endangering streets.” Auto clubs and manufacturers realized they had a big image problem, Norton says, and they moved aggressively to change the way Americans thought about cars, streets, and traffic. “They said, ‘If we’re going to have a future for cars in the city, we have to change that. They’re being portrayed as Satan’s murdering machines.’”

Is there a shift back in the other direction? I hope so.

Why is it that the biggest and heaviest object on wheels rules the strip of asphalt outside your door? Why is a child at fault — or at least, why is the driver of the car not at fault — when he or she gets run down by an automobile?

The current configuration of the American street, and the rules that govern it, are not the result of some inevitable organic process. “It’s more like a brawl,” says Norton. “Where the strongest brawler wins.”

It doesn’t have to be like this.

The second edition of the Capital Velo Fest is set to go on the weekend of June 2 and 3.

The festival features bike rodeos, courses, seminars and the Tour la Nuit on Saturday, a nighttime ride on closed streets from City Hall to the Experimental Farm and back.

Sounds like a good time. For more information, check the Velo Fest website here.

OK, so we're not going to get this level of commitment to bike commuting here anytime soon, but every little bit helps ...

May is Bike to Work Month, and the Ottawa’s EnviroCentre asked me to publish the article below to promote it. Rather than rewrite it, I’ve posted it in full below the break.

It’s a good incentive to try using your bike to get to work more often and see how you like it. There are some compelling arguments for cycling to work: It’s good for you, it reduces traffic congestion, it saves you money. They’re all spelled out on the Bike to Work website, which also has some very slickly produced bike safety videos.

Bike to Work Month also has some prizes up for grabs for people who pledge to switch to pedal power — including a new bicycle.

The EnviroCentre is doing a pretty impressive job at organizing events to promote bike use. Last September I took part in their  bus-bike-car challenge, which was won handily by the cyclists. You can watch the video here. Read more…