Byke Bytes

“I’ve noticed there aren’t a lot of people using the downtown bike routes. I worry that they just weren’t a very good idea.”

A well-meaning friend said this to me yesterday. A day later, I have figured out what I should have replied. Better late than never, I guess.

In a nutshell, people are slow to embrace change. In fact, it’s quite fascinating to look back to the advent of motors cars, and see how people resisted cars as fiercely as some people now resist bicycle lanes. Cars were first invented in 1885, but it would be decades before they posed any threat to horses and bicycles. As late as 1907 they were seen as little more than annoying, noisy, smelly nuisances. The editor of the New Glasgow Eastern Chronicle commented:

“The automobile fever is catching.  [Soon] ... the chug-chug noise will be quite common. ... The horsemen need not get alarmed that the motor car will injure their business in our country. “
[New Glasgow Eastern Chronicle, 19 April 1907]

One of the things that elevates Vancouver to the ranks of the best cities in the world is the rich diversity of its varied cultures. That's one of the reasons why I believe that cyclists are good for Vancouver (despite that strange minority of fuming cyclophobes). The kaleidoscope of Vancouver cyclists adds further layers of fun, colour and texture to our vibrant mosaic.

Vancouver’s cycling culture has been accused of being a dull, gray monoculture. Nothing could be further from the truth. As far back as 1925, Vancouver cyclists were interesting and original. Above is a photo from 1925, showing a local cyclist on a bike cleverly disguised to look like a horse. Sadly, the technology of the times means we have lost the colours, but I am betting this cyclist and his bike were anything but dull and grey. (Photo Copyright 2010 Vancouver Public Library)