I was recently asked for my nomination for the North Texas Clean Air Coalition's "Commuter of the Year". Historically, these kind of awards (if not this one in particular) have often gone to someone who makes Herculean efforts at commuting: 20 miles (one way) by bicycle, 50 miles by bus and train, 12 miles up hill (both ways) through 12" of snow, 10 miles on inline skates into gale-force winds, etc., etc. The stuff of Superman.
But what does that tell the Jimmy Olsens of our culture, the Everyman citizens who admire these extraordinary feats? It tells them that, A) these truly are extra ordinary feats, and B) only Superman can perform feats like these ("Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings with a single bound! Commutes by bicycle 60 miles a day!").
Inspires normal folks to want to try it, right? Wrong.
I would like to see someone who rides their bike less than two miles to work almost everyday, because they made the concerted effort to buy or rent close to work, be recognized by awards like this. Or someone who moved into the city center to be close to work and walks to the office everyday. Or perhaps someone whose lifestyle change involved abandoning suburbia for an urban experience. Maybe someone who has gone car-free, or a couple who have become a one-car family.
Someone who embodies the Everyman, for therein lies the future of effective bicycle transportation.
2 comments:
Funny. This subject was broached during the DART Bike Riders Advisory Panel (BRAP) last night. A discussion regarding nominees was made by the panel Chair, who then launched into a commentary regarding this post. He mentioned bringing his concerns to your attention, but I have not seen those comments here. Interesting.
If I were a more sensitive creature, I might take offense at resembling "someone who makes Herculean efforts at commuting: 20 miles (one way) by bicycle", but I don't ...because I do. :-) Bringing recognition to those who perform these "Herculean" efforts has merit insomuch as it may serve to ease the trepidation others may feel toward the entire idea. Something along the lines of "no one would ever do that, because they would be run over."
OTOH, your criticism also makes sense. By highlighting the Everyman (or woman), those who are placed at ease with knowing someone does it, but still harboring doubts they could be amongst them, may be inspired to give it a try. This is especially the case if the nominee makes use of a mixed mode, such as a combination of mass transit and on-road, vehicular cycling or adopts any of the lifestyle changes you illustrate.
In our discussion last night, we vetted the nominee. Absent any others, this individual was voted and approved. (That is correct, only one nominee was tabled. If other candidates exist - surely they must - they were not offered.) From what I could gather (being a relatively new member of this group), the candidate does fit some of the "Jimmy Olsen" criteria, but would not necessarily be my first choice. Especially since the actual award is to a "Cycling Commuter of the Year" and the leg of the nominee's route making use of a bicycle is relatively limited.
That being said, how does one identify a worthy candidate. Those who are most vocal - like me; like you, PM; and you, too, Keri - tend to be of the Superman variety in one aspect or another. The average bicycle commuter remains anonymous. We need to discover ways of determining the identities of these Everymen so that they can be used to inspire the reticent an the reluctant.
His comments aren't here because he didn't submit them as a comment, but as an email to my double-super-secret government email address.
No criticisms of Super-men and Super-women from me. Ever. The criticism is aimed at the Press and Agencies that like to focus on the the most difficult commute trips, thereby communicating what a difficult, out of the ordinary, and bizarre activity bicycle commuting is. That's why I wanted the award named after Otto Wetzel, whose short-distance efforts were far more super-human than the loneliness of the long-distance bicycle commuter... but it highlights his short commute distance.
I identify more closely with Noah Jameson.
Welcome back, Herman. Sounds like you got some rest. ;-)
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