This morning we met up with 6 (SIX!) other #KidsOnBikes during our ride to school. Six smiling, happy, slightly flushed faces, all bright eyed and ready to start their day.
The activity, socialization, & independence these kids are getting is no small thing. The change in my kid's resilience & attitude since she's been riding her own bike to school has been remarkable.
When we deny kids #SafeRoutesToSchool, we deny them a huge part of their life.
(I should mention that I use my body as a human shield for this bike ride because we collectively agree that the safety and well-being of kids is less important than the convenience of grown-ups in cars and that anyone trying to give their kid an opportunity to thrive does so at their own risk)
We're one of the wealthiest societies the planet has ever seen.
So when your politicans and officials tell us there's no money for sidewalks and protected bike lanes and functional pedestrian traffic lights, don't believe them. There's truckloads of money. We just don't choose to use it on the things that'll make us healthier, happier, and less likely to die just trying to get from point A to point B.
There's a 7-lane road (lol, misplaced highway) near us that is getting a new right turn lane that is demonstrably unnecessary, but there's apparently no money to replace the defective ped-head that--when functioning--is the only protection for the kids who live on one side of the road to get to the school on the other side of the road.
@DrTCombs I think this is an important point. It’s not “just the way it is” or “some things are necessary and others nice to have”, it’s just priorities being made. In traffic infra we choose to prioritize cars over all else. Other choices are possible, and we have the power to make those choices. It seems like a lot of people aren’t aware of the possibilities or that these are conscious choices. I’m not sure how to communicate it to them. I guess steadily chipping away at car brain is a start.
@CargoBikeLife I do think communicating and showing alternatives is the most important piece. We know how to make roads safe. We know how to make cars & driving safe(r).
Where we struggle is in helping people see that it doesn't have to be this way, that they can and must demand more from their agencies and elected officials.
@CargoBikeLife Carbrain is a huge part of the problem, but it's also a convenient excuse. "We can't change because people will always prefer to drive."
I mean, yeah, if the alternative is a near-death experience every time you leave your home, yeah, driving is better. Or if you can't afford to live close to where you work, shop, play, whatever, then obviously driving is going to look real good.
@CargoBikeLife But fundamentally, I think the vast majority of us believe that people on foot or bikes should not be killed. And probably most of us also would be willing to change our driving behaviors if we actually understood the true dangers we pose behind the wheel.
Instead we (as a society and a profession) hide behind carbrain, and shrug defeatedly.
(no pics, since it was too many young faces to blur)