This is the time of the year when I notice a significant increase in the number of people bicycling to work and school. I consciously stop myself from smugly thinking, ‘where were you in January?’ and focus on sending ‘welcome to the bike path’ energy. The big jump in e-bikes is a double edged sword. I love that e-bikes make cycling accessible to those who have needs. I curse the danger created when those less responsible riders speed by without using any cycling etiquette. And, while I applaud the state offering rebates to folks who purchase an e-bike, some days I wonder where the subsidy is for those of us using pedal power year round?

You can’t play in the climate change world without following the push for more electric vehicles, more e-car infrastructure, and more affordable options in the e-vehicle universe. I try to hold the complexity and continue to wonder how we can seek fossil fuel free transportation strategies in ways that do not continue to cause harm, as the extraction of the minerals for e-vehicle batteries does.

I wish we could lean into models of urban (and even rural) development that center walkability and good public transportation, rather than continuing to center cars. I learned recently that Japan’s urban planning models center schools. Planning policies support low-traffic neighborhoods with people-centred streets. Mixed use zoning creates neighborhoods that are a blend of housing, retail and public services, while transit-oriented design means communities are built around public transport hubs. Street parking is prohibited in many Japanese cities, and as a result in Japan, roughly 98% of children walk or bike to school. I wish we could talk about effective, safe, and accessible public transportation and city walkability as climate solutions too.

For training purposes, I ride into the suburbs a lot. The sprawl of housing developments (grand houses with 4-car attached garages) begets new big 4 lane roads and highways, which is then followed by lots of big box stores and enormous parking lots. It makes me sad.

On Memorial Day this month, I will be joining local legend Donna Minter on her Grammy Ride, to cycle from New Orleans to Tallahassee to raise awareness about the climate crisis, to witness its impacts on the Gulf Shore, and to listen to local folks on their experiences with climate change. I am hoping to raise $10 for each mile I cycle — $4,600 total for 460 miles. Please join me and sponsor a mile, or ten.

Have you gotten your bike out this spring? Do you cycle to work? Do you cycle for fun? Did you know that May is National Bike Month? Here is your call to get your bike out, pump up the tires, oil up the chain and ride your bike to save the planet!

Susan Phillips
Executive Director

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Cycling for the Planet