Monthly Archives: December 2016

United bikers

It is a common believe that when people unite, they are more powerful. History has shown that what is almost impossible to reach for a single person, it can be done when dozens, hundreds or millions join together. The biking movement is not an exception. Organizations like BiciRed México or Conbici are clear examples at country level. The first one represents the bike throughout Mexico. Not only does it promotes people moving in a sustainable way, but also launches campaigns to improve human health and environment. Who would deny slogans like “more human cities” or “let’s reduce death in roads”? These messages aim to realize people the benefices of bikes in a friendly, universal way. BiciRed México, Conbici as well as other national associations coordinate movements of smaller, usually local associations. Conbici is the Spanish coordinator of dozens of smaller associations. Sometimes there are more than one association by city. It acts as a catalyst of the main tendencies in biking and defends bikers rights against undesirable law changes. And finally, the more we are, the more power we have.

Bike line or street?

There has been a recurrent discussion among bikers who live in large cities regarding which infrastructure is the best to ride. On the one hand, we have bike line and on the other one the whole street. Both sides offer points in favor and against. Cyclists who ride on a bike line enjoy a dedicated space for them which is respected specially in the cases in which it is separated by a physical barrier from pavement and car lines. They feel this separation as a privilege with a potential effect on avoiding traffic accidents. This fact encourages those who are learning to ride and makes bikers who do not want to ride at high speed happy. It seems to say “Hey, we drive a vehicle, but we live in a peaceful manner not as the pollutant cars”. On the contrary, pro-street bikers say “Hey, we drive a vehicle, so we are traffic and must share the street”. They feel traffic has to be calmed down, not by cornering them but by forcing cars to reduce speed as bike do not usually reach high speeds as cars do. This type of cyclists often complain about the facts that bike lines often zigzag and their surface imply deficiencies, whereas streets often follows direct lines with better asphalt. Which position is the best? Neither, it all depends on the particular circumstances of infrastructures and the way of thinking of every biker.