Biking and White Privilege...

Hello, friends!

I'm sure you've seen a lot of things about race in the news lately. I've even written a few things myself about what's been happening in St. Louis, New York, and really all over the country. Of course, I'm by no means an expert about American race relations. I'm just a Chinese guy with a bike.

A few weeks ago, this post made its rounds through the Facebook cycle about biking and white privilege. The author even wrote a follow up post to address many of the comments that folk posted underneath his post. While not perfect (no analogy is) I really resonated with the idea of being a biker in a driver's world. It led to a really great Facebook conversation with some folk about the idea of white privilege and personal responsibility which led to my blog post from last week. The blog itself is very well written so I won't add too much more to it beyond some personal experiences.

When Megan and I got married in 2012, we spent our first year living in St. Louis. I would commute to Columbia weekly but spent most of my time in St. Louis. It was there that I saw how much legislation and the system can improve or inhibit cycling (and then, using the analogy, how legislation and the system can improve or inhibit race relations).

St. Louis is one of my favorite cities in the world but it is NOT a bike friendly city. There are very few bike lanes, the sidewalks are not well kept, and generally, the drivers are not the most observant when it comes to noticing their 2-wheeled road sharers. Not every place in St. Louis is bad and there have been improvements made over time. I'm sure that it's better than it was before. Still, the fact remains that St. Louis is not a bike friendly place to live.

Compare that with Portland, which is definitely the most bike-friendly city in the US. Portland has bike racks everywhere for parking (even at the airport apparently!). There are bike specific traffic signals. As one author put it, it is impossible to run for mayor in Portland without a bike platform. It's by no means perfect. It's still easier to be a car in Portland than a bike. But from what I can tell, bikes are a part of the culture and the cars are aware of their presence. The system has put things in place in order to create a safe environment for those who have an inherent disadvantage.

Friends, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done both in terms of systematic injustice towards minorities and making cities more bike-friendly. Obviously, the former is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the latter. Still, if we can make life easier for those who have the option of getting off their bike and getting into a car, can't we fight just as hard for those who have no choice but to always be a minority?

Stats:
Miles biked: 17 ($.82)
Meters: 21 hours on campus ($21) + 4 hours downtown ($2.40)

Total: $24.22
Grand Total: $668.93
In the Positive: $65.92

Happy Biking!

~Adam