So, with all the intentions of getting up at 7am to make the meeting time of 8am this morning for National Ride To Work Day’s free breakfast in Hobart’s CBD, I slept through and woke up at 8:30am. Shit eh.
Still, today provides a bit of a prompt to think about how we get to work every day. While we might struggle through winter’s gusts, rain, sleet, hail, and freezing cold early mornings, it’s coming into summer, and biking around the city is a real joy. Being outside, somewhat free of traffic, and breathing in the fresh air (unless you’re stuck behind a coughing mid-70s Mercedes Benz, that is) seems much more sane that being behind the wheel in peak hour traffic every day. While we don’t have the massive congestion problems of other cities, cycling to work is way less stressful than driving, at least for me, and there’s already enough stress at work for most people to deal with.
Good to see that NRTW Day is getting some coverage nationwide too. The report in that article suggests the number of commuters using bicycles to get to work in Melbourne has doubled in the past year. Some of this, no doubt, is due to the new trendiness of fixed-gear bikes, but regardless, whatever is making people hang up the car keys and drag out the pushies, it’s all good, and the more people cycling for commuting, the better things will be for cyclists in Australia’s cities.
Not all of it is chance and luck though. Check out this article, from two years ago, that looks at ways of encouraging people to cycle to work in Melbourne, rather than drive or take the bus/train/tram. With a bit of foresight, cities can plan to become cycle-friendly. Let’s hope more cities can be as forward-thinking.
Woke up to snow on the hills above Margate this morning.. not condusive to riding to work.. but I did, and I made it to Mawson’s Place for the brekkie where I met a Kiwi on a Fixed Crosser! Crazy!