Advocacy - 2 Ways

Jim at Oil is for sissies, one of my must-read blogs, and a bike shop owner, has some good things to say about Cycle Advocacy. I tend to choose the passive advocacy path, riding to work, often along well traveled roads (Metcalf Avenue, Shawnee Mission Parkway) with an absence of spandex. I also strive to put people on bikes one at a time. People who work with me come to me and I try to find them a good used bike. I also did a good deal of legwork for a better set of bike racks at the Whole Foods Market where I work. But I try to avoid dealing with politicians and meetings.

My wife, on the other hand, attends several meetings weekly with MARC, the City Council, Missouri Bike Federation and other luminaries. It's nearly a full-time job.

I believe, and my friends at the Kansas City Bike Federation that we need to get more people on bikes. If you come, they will build it. The city needs to see more riders out there. Drivers need to expect them everywhere. Developers must accomodate riders with racks. This metro area is so far behind other cities and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. We're spread out, hilly and we have more highway per capita than anyplace else but that's no excuse. We're also one of the fattest cities around.