The dog days are over
Editor’s Note: For links to many of the organizations named in this piece, see this related post, or check out the links on the sidebar.
It’s a song, the title is. It’s been stuck in my head for a few days. Normally, when a story comes to mind, it happens on a ride. This came to mind, and then needed another ride. It was a 2010 idea that was to evolve on the next ride. My first ride this year was going to be a quick ride through Bixby’s canyon — only I face-planted into the creek. Then the commute, only the first morning commute was fraught with annoyances: missing socks, missing gloves, missing shoes, missing key to the bike lock. A ½ second complete release of all air in the tire on the darkest section of Imperial without a sidewalk to change the tube on. Every red light was red. It was still better than driving in.
Of course, it was the end of 2010, and at the end of every year there are lists. And plans. Top 10 for anything: “Top 10 yarn releases.” Well, maybe not yarn releases. So the idea was to come up with some sort of bike resolution for San Diego or commentary on the year as it were and witty inspiring punch line to motivate us into the next year.
But really, what happened in 2010?
We arrived. Not loud. No doors got kicked down. But we, San Diego cyclists, in all our glorious differences, arrived. We started doing things. We started having fun. We gave up on some of the bickering — not all, but some. We got things. So, we…arrived.
Bike Polo. Happens regularly; the group even goes out of town to compete.
Bike Union. Not 100% familiar with the folks, but they are banding together to do group rides, fun events, and are starting to stand in on meetings with planning groups, etc.
Sharrows. SHARROWS. Sort of a hallmark. The SDCBC pulled this off!
Repaving of the bike lane on Harbor Drive. I think the last time Harbor drive was paved, we were at war with Japan. No longer does it have the topography of Mars!
SDBikecommuter.com discount program. Get a discount at local shops for riding your bike there. A local bike shop owner, Sky Boyer, came up with the idea, and did months of foot work, er, saddle work, going to door to door to build up support.
In the news: of course, old stream media is now paying attention. From news spots on bicycle based business, to stories on the growing bike culture,
Speaking of the SDCBC. I’m not a fan of bureaucracy, nor meetings, nor politics, nor flat tires. But if you live in a city, you have to work within the framework of how the city manages its resources. SDCBC is that interface. They’ve been knee deep in the meetings, and their efforts on behalf of the “Urban Core” have reached out to numerous cyclist who before felt distanced by what might have been seen as an out of touch organization. They’ve got a Twitter and Facebook page too.
San Diego isn’t Copenhagen, nor is it Portland. Those bike meccas are, well, bike meccas. But, as I think about it, who cares about them? It’s great to learn about how they did what they did, but San Diego’s gonna be its own city, in a way that will reflect us. San Diego, as you know, has its own backward politics and methods of solving problems, sometimes creating more issues.
So kudos to all the people who stepped away from the keyboard, got on a bike, and went out there; folks who braved the fabled “death wish”, and proved that riding bike is a lot of things to a lot of people, but that it is something we can share, something that is fun, and something that is important. Kudos to everyone who side-stepped drama and sniping and just rode. The dog days are over.