Or really the three types, plus the non-cyclists for transportation purposes.
Some may have seen Roger Geller's classification if bicyclists previously, but an article recently talked about how city bike maps would be more useful if city officials kept those categories in mind and presented facilities reflecting the comfort levels. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/bike-maps-give-riders-info-they-actually-need/4717/ "Geller puts riders into four categories: 1 percent or less are "strong and fearless" and will ride under any conditions; 7 percent are "enthused and confident," and feel "comfortable sharing the roadway with automotive traffic, but … prefer to do so operating on their own facilities"; 33 percent are "no way no how"; and the remaining roughly 60 percent are "interested but concerned." In other words, the majority of people might want to give biking for transport a try, but they’re worried they might not be able to handle the stress and danger of riding on their city’s roads. That 60 percent is the coveted demographic slice that Wilkes and others want to encourage. And for Austin, a better bike map is a key part of an overall strategy to get those folks out and riding." I guess I also want to put in a pitch for all of us to keep in mind that we should all be aiming to build a city where that 60 percent of the population feels OK biking at least for some trips. Sometimes I think that those of us on this list - who I'm going to posit are in either the 1% or 7% of confident riders - forget that many, many other people do not have the confidence that we do. We should all - citizen advocates, casual readers, elected officials, city staff, and those who have any influence over local decisions - work to build a city where the 60 percent can jump on a bike to go to work, shopping, dinner, school, or social activities. We Bikies will probably be fine, no matter what is or is not built. But wouldn't it be great if all our friend, neighbors, loved ones, and work colleagues also could feel as good as we do about using a bike to get around? Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst State Smart Transportation Initiative www.ssti.us 608-263-9984 (o) [email protected]
_______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
