Happy Biking!

May is Bike Month in the United States, and today, the third Friday in May, is Bike to Work Day. For the past 14 years, my home town of Bellingham has celebrated this day as "Bike to Work and School Day". I've participated as a parent volunteer at my kids' elementary school, as a member of the county-wide organizing committee, and on the job at Western Washington University.

Why have a month dedicated to biking, and a day celebrating bike commuting? According to the League of American Bicyclists, Bike Month and Bike to Work Day are about educating cyclists and other road users about safe cycling and cycling safety, and to promote cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly form of transportation.

Bellingham is recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community and by North American standards it's a great place to be a bike commuter (if you don't mind getting wet once in a while). But like most North American cities, Bellingham could take a few tips on bike-friendliness from comparably sized cities in the Netherlands. Here are a handful of observations gleaned from my (admittedly short) experience:

1. Biking is appealing when it's quicker, cheaper, and more pleasant than driving a car.
2. Roads and paths must be be designed so that bicycles are prioritized. Cars and trucks need roads too - but roads (with only a few exceptions) must accommodate cyclists if a community wants to encourage cycling. See #1 above.
3. Roads and pathways must be designed for the most vulnerable users - moms hauling a small child or two, young kids riding alongside their parents, and the elderly.
4. Motorized vehicle speeds must be low (18 mph) on shared roads or where bikes are not physically separated from motorized vehicles. See #3 above.
5. Driving a car must be a privilege, not a right. Drivers licenses should granted only after demonstrating true driving proficiency, not just the ability to pass an short and easy road test. The penalty for a moving violation or for driving under the influence should be stiff enough to provide a real deterrent.
6. The true cost of motorized transportation must be borne by its users. That means higher fuel and other taxes. Unfortunately, this is the third rail of American (and here I refer specifically to the U.S.) politics. Cheap gas is like a drug, highly addictive and detrimental to a country's long term financial, environmental, and physical health.
7. Every destination must be accessible by bike, without long detours, and wherever possible by pleasant, well signed roads and paths. Ideally, the shortest path for any trip will be by bicycle.
8. Bike parking should be ubiquitous, ample, safe, and close to every destination. Car parking should be available but expensive and out of sight. See #6 above.

In the US about 1% of all trips are made by bicycle; in the Netherlands it's about 30%. You'd think the Dutch would be satisfied with that number (after all, it's the highest rate in the world) but they believe bicycling is important for environmental and social reasons, and the Dutch government actively encourages cycling with the goal of increasing bike mode share.

The Postcode Lottery is one way cycling is encouraged in the Netherlands. Since 1989, the lottery has been raising funds to support organisations working for a fairer, greener world. The picture above is a Postcode Loterij bike; these are awarded to each entrant in the winning district. We frequently see these bikes around town and in our travels around the Netherlands. They give me hope. After all, the cycling share in the Netherlands was once lower than it is today. But with encouragement - like Bike Month in the U.S. - progress has been made. If it can be done here (and in Boulder, CO, Portland, OR, and New York, NY) it can be done elsewhere.

Happy Bike Day!