A Boston Globe reviewer, Ty Burr – recently weighed in on what it is to be an urban cyclist, and why he has been bike commuting for the past 10 years. He recounts daily cycling commutes from the suburbs where he lives into the heart of Boston. From pot-hole ridden streets and crazy intersections to the best of the city’s cycling infrastructure there is beauty and appreciation to be had everywhere.
He even recounts an anecdote of being doored; but the people of the neighborhood waited for the ambulance with him. They guarded his bike. They gave him contact information in case he needed witnesses. He recounts how he wouldn’t know the city or the people in it half so well without pedaling the roads.
Cycling is a hot topic in Boston and across the world these days. With more cyclists on the roads, everything from bike shares to cycling accidents are generating passionate commentary – a recent editorial in the Boston Globe also addresses some of these topics. Transit culture is in transition, and even as we continue to discuss and dialogue over the changes coming to our neighborhoods and roads there is one important thing to remember: that riding is joy.
We may mount a bicycle for health, for economics, for recreation, for transit, for any number of reasons; but one thing Mr. Burr reminds us is that no matter the reason, no matter what may happen on the road, or where the road takes us – being on the bike is still the best part of the day.
