Monday, October 31, 2011

Normal

I find myself in a strange position. At this point in the game, I think I can safely call myself a "bicycle advocate". To be effective as such, I strive to "normalize" the act of bicycling everyday. As I live in North America, part of that "normalization" is showing people what riding a bicycle has looked like all over the world for most of the last century.

Part Of The Crowd 6

I take pictures of people moving through an urban environment just as they would on foot or by bus or car. Hopefully the pictures show people on bicycles, not bicycles with people on them.

Part Of The Crowd

The small moments are what make the act of cycling "normal". Interactions between people, small movements, eye contact... these are what make anything we do seem familiar and attractive.

Pedi Family

By now, in San Francisco, bicycles are just part of the scenery. We don't notice them, except in their numbers.

Bay

The conversation continues in the bicycle lane, just as it doe sin a car in the fast lane. Those who participate in it do not think anything about it. A normal conversation in every way.

Part Of The Crowd 5

We watch the world go by and the world pays us little attention back.

Part Of The Crowd 3

We blend in like anyone else.

Part Of The Crowd 2

Even in those more flashy, broken down moments we are just a part of the environment.

Repairs

There is still so much work to do, not just in San Francisco. Not everywhere has achieved what we have here, and we have a long road ahead. But for today, I want to think about what we have made happen to this point- we have become ubiquitous, normal, part of the scenery. Go us!

6 comments:

  1. yah, this is why i hesitate to use the popular phrase, "bike culture." if we separate it and distinguish it as an "other," it's just that much harder to make it the norm. but i know i'm not with the majority on that opinion.

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  2. I am glad to learn that things in SF have progressed, but why did it happen in SF, but not in other areas?What are the contextual factors that give rise to greater rates of biking? Is it a larger proportion of younger folks? Is it climate?

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  3. I have begun. I have declared myself an S.O.B. - Saver of Old Bikes. My little blog is in and about Illinois. We are growing.

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  4. I agree w/ Calitexicana that I don't like to use the phrase "bike culture". I find myself almost referring to it in my posts and always stop myself. What is bike culture other than a choice, which could have it's roots in anything, about what form of transport one chooses? I don't really feel comfortable referring to myself as a bike advocate because all I'm really doing is what works best for me. I suppose if I can influence by example I'm happy with that.

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  5. Slow going but it is going. Always enjoy seeing bike love spreading!

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