 |
| No cars allowed on this bike path on an abandoned rail bed. It is peaceful, quiet, and safe |
As I wrote about here several weeks ago, our van broke down in our driveway leaving us without motorized transportation. Since then I have been able to identify and fix the problem myself.
Using a small set of tools, and with direction from videos and manuals on the Internet, I was able to identify the problem and implement a solution that worked.
 |
| On this ride I had the whole trail to myself. |
While it was satisfying for me to fix the problem myself without the aide of an expensive mechanic, it was akin to fixing a carbon cannon with which I could continue to use to blast up our ailing atmosphere, so the back patting was short lived.
 |
| My route passes by a farm that grows apples, pears, blueberries and strawberries. |
Even though the van is back on the road again, I have been continuing to choose biking for my grocery trips into town.
Here are the top 10 things I like about biking over driving:
1. I save money by not driving.
2. I get much needed exercise outside in the fresh air and sunshine.
3. Riding lowers my carbon footprint.
4. The ride itself is beautiful. And FUN.
5. When I drive I do not feel like I am walking the talk. Am I serious about reducing my impact on the environment, or not?
6. Each time I ride I get closer to my goal of not owning a motor vehicle at all.
7. I get to witness seasonal changes along my route every time I make the ride into town.
8. A good part of my route is on an abandoned rail bed trail through the forest. It is peaceful and safe.
9. Riding cleans my mind and invigorates my soul.
10. Driving is dirty and inefficient, while riding is a sensible Earth-friendly alternative.
 |
| Back on the pavement toward the top of the hill, and getting close to home. My ride is almost over at this point, but the smile and afterglow will linger. |
One more thing Linda and I have noticed is that our grocery shopping strategy has changed completely. Every purchase must be scrutinized carefully since I will be carrying the weight home on my back.
As a result, we have become more efficient at shopping, as well as cooking and eating.
Now is a great time to have food from our most favourite "store" - our garden.
That store is just outside our door. No car, or bike, required to gather food there.
As I was riding my bike yesterday, I had many of the same thoughts. When you're in a vehicle, at least from what I've noticed while driving, it seems to make you feel more aggressive. In my experience, many people in cars tend to think they own the road and that they always have the right of way. Thankfully for me, being a more aware and perceptive person, I always try to pay attention to what's going on, because I have had plenty of close calls because people weren't paying attention and they would have likely hit me.
ReplyDeleteA lot of drivers tend to be oblivious to their surroundings and many are just plain inconsiderate to others on the road, not just other drivers, but people on bikes, joggers, and even walkers. From inside the vehicle, behind the glass and steel, you're cut off from your surrounding environment. You don't feel the breeze, you don't feel the actual temperature outside, you don't feel the insects that may hit you, you don't smell the grass or the exhaust from cars (not that that's a plus!) you don't hear the birds or the rustling of leaves.
Being on a bike, you become keenly aware of just how polluting vehicles really are...not just environmentally, but also the noise pollution and even the visual pollution. They can be really jarring to the senses and even if you're on a trail in a more rural area, traffic can be heard from miles away. Not to mention the cars that have booming stereo systems that can rattle the walls of your house, or the people who have modified cars so their exhaust/mufflers sound like a freight train.
Driving seems to alter your perception of distance. If you get in your car and drive somewhere that takes 15 minutes it will feel close. Ride your bike for 15 minutes and you will only have traveled about maybe half of the distance you had in a vehicle, and it will seem far.
I think vehicles deceive us with many illusions that have deleterious consequences that a lot of people don't want to face, or that they don't even realize. If every time someone got in their car to drive somewhere, 20 gallons of sewage was dumped in their living room, I think many of us would solemnly rethink our habit/addiction/over-reliance on driving. One of the problems is that we can't see the immediate consequences, or the true cost of the entire system of driving, whether the resources that are excavated from the earth, destruction of ecosystems and the environment, the health costs, maintenance and buying costs, the costs of war, etc.
Oil supplies have been steadily declining as we've used up most of the supply, and there doesn't seem to be any other truly sustainable or environmentally friendly ways of travel (that I've heard of) available. So...biking and walking seem to be the mass transit of the future, as they were in the not so distant past. I, for one, would gladly welcome that.
Drivers here tend to be very considerate, with most slowing down, and pulling out wide around me. But as you say, cars are noisy and stinky at any speed.
DeleteAnd when one does go by at top speed, it is so out of joint with the quietness of riding. That is why I like to ride on the rails to trails system as much as I can. Only there can I relax and just enjoy being out riding.
I am always dismayed to find that there are very few places I hike or bike where I can't hear traffic off in the distance. And in those places I can't hear traffic, I can hear the jets overhead.
Civilization is too noisy for me.
I will also welcome a quieter, more Earth-friendly future. We can choose to go there now, or be forced to later. I choose now.
Mother Nature will have the final say, and her assessment of our performance over the past few thousand years may be less than glowing.
We have a lot to (re)learn. Like expending more effort to get things done, instead of relying on diminishing supplies of dirty energy to do it for us.
That is my experience as well. For me, it tends to shatter the peaceful atmosphere I'm experiencing in nature, where the general sounds are of trees blowing, or leaves rustling, or birds chirping, only to be split by a noisy car's motor, or a plane flying across, or someone using some sort of power tool off in the distance. I recall reading that civilization has become louder and louder over the years, and that the effects on humans due to this ongoing din is having negative consequences.
DeleteI forgot to mention another reason that biking and walking are good...they kill less insects and animals than cars do. I try my best to watch the ground in front of me when I bike to try and avoid any insects, but I know it's not realistic that I would never run any over. It's a lot less than driving a car kills, that's for sure. We need all those butterflies and bees and other insects who help pollinate.
I also swerve for insects. Imagine if the speed limit on our roads was reduced to a level such that bugs would not be killed by vehicles. It is beyond our comprehension to even consider such a "foolish" notion as that. We would rather go faster, and kill anything that gets in our way (bugs, reptiles, amphibians, large and small mammals, cyclists, pedestrians, and the drivers and passengers of other vehicles...).
DeleteIn 2014 when Linda and I moved from British Columbia to Nova Scotia we noticed that there were not as many bug splatters on our windshield as we crossed the country. Their absence left us with a feeling of foreboding as it was the middle of summer.
On the bright side, we didn't have to throw as many bug funerals as before.
We have beautiful no cars allowed bike paths around here and I love them.
ReplyDeleteThey are the best, and I really appreciate the money that is spent to build and maintain such systems. They are a net benefit to society.
DeleteThere is literally no safe place to ride a bike anywhere near where I live. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteI understand this - although there are bike lanes around my area, they are often covered in debris that has been pushed over by the cars and can be unsafe to ride on. But mainly, there are just a whole lot of cars driving crazy.
DeleteAll that said, I am nearly ready to start doing more biking. Got my tires fixed, and a new pump that is easy to use; just need a better lock so my bike doesn't go home with someone else -- just the reality of where I live.
Thanks for the great article and other great comments.
Mary
Lorraine,
DeleteEver since cars made their disruptive debut, we have designed everything around them. Obviously, the whole idea was to leave us with no good alternative. That alone pisses me off enough to try to get off them for good, an idea that both terrifies and thrills me at the same time.
What about biking on some of those beautiful beaches you visit?
Mary,
It is so exciting to hear you are planning on biking more. We support you fully, and would love to hear about one of your rides. Have fun. Be safe.
I am unable to ride a bicycle--serious ear infection that came with chicken pox as a child left me with very poor balance. BUT I have been investigating the idea of a foldable (I live in an apartment) adult tricycle. I live in an area of the city with marvelous tree-lined streets in the warmer months and I could cover so much more territory than I can on foot--and my feline companion could come along for the ride. Mela
ReplyDeleteWhen Linda was still semi-mobile we looked into buying her a trike of her own. There are many good options, and this would be a great way to go. In Linda's case, she went into a wheelchair before we could get her on a trike. Don't wait. Joyful bike rides (with your furry friend) await.
DeleteThere's also the option of a recumbent bike, if sitting atop a seat were too difficult with your balance issues.
Delete