Friday, January 31, 2014
CHIMA's Project
What I understand my project to be about is how biking relates to social justice, and possibly helping teach and empower the youth with Tawn Kennedy. I remember when Tawn Kennedy, the director of Greenways to School, the local youth advocacy group for bicycling, visited our class to talk on Friday the 24th. He talked about what he does in the local community in regards to People Power, bicycling, and youth empowerment. . I can relate this to last spring when I took Environmental Justice which had to do with focusing on marginalized communities such as poor communities, people of color, and recent immigrant populations. Environmental justice and the importance of bicycling for a marginalized group of people tie in with each other and are very similar, due to the similar circumstances in which the people are dealing with. I feel that I could do more research about the topic of bicycling, especially with how urban places can become more bicycle friendly, and follow cities such as Richmond and Long Beach, California, especially. I would like to look into the reasons that keep urbanites from biking in urban cities. I already know that issues such as violence and dilapidated infrastructure, such as roads, keep urbanites from pursuing transportation via bicycles. I may also go back to talk to Tawn Kennedy about how I can collaborate/teach the youths the importance of bicycling, and the reduction of the carbon footprint. Also, with the obesity epidemic going on in our country, bicycling is a very effective form of exercise. I understand that teaching and empowering the youths is very important, because they are the next generation, and are our future teachers, politicians, lawmakers, parents, lawyers, etc. The initial first steps for me to take is for me to be able to set aside some time in order for me to be able to do the necessary research. I must do that because, my schedule for this quarter is very crowded.
Santa Cruz Bike Share Feasibility Plan
Wow! It's so exciting to see everyone injecting some individuality into this class via project ideas. I can't wait to look over the blog at the end of the quarter, let alone by the end of next week, and see how everyones projects and visions evolve and progress!
Speaking of project ideas, I was looking into a few myself and one that really caught my eye was this feasibility study for a bike sharing program in santa cruz! The article posted is a rather lengthy read but is a fantastic example at the potential of some of the project ideas put forth so far by the class. The work is well researched and cited and clearly lays out a number of plans for an effective bicycle share network all over the greater santa cruz area. Although the site has gone dormant and getting into contact with the creator has so far been a fruitless endeavor I thought everyone could at least get excited about not only the possibility of a bike share program because there's no doubt it would be an awesome step in the right direction but also of the power well crafted and compiled information regarding the topics we've been discussing in class and online. This project, which may I mention started out as a blog posting, stands out to me as the perfect example of a research based initiative in line with the goals of this class. If we as a group of stakeholders in the local transportation conversation can create a quality of discourse similar to that of this study I think the possibilities are many and great!
Corin's Projects
I'm thinking about helping Tawn with a community project he mentioned like taking some kids out for a mountain bike ride in upper campus. It can show them that it is a fun way to get some exercise and that a lot of people do it on a regular basis. Another thing he mentioned is workshops possibly for kids in high school in the area to teach them some basic bike maintenance. I could definitely help teach some people how to use tools and give them those tips that make could fixing their bike less intimidating and a little easier.
These kinds of projects help to address snags that keep people from getting into things that they might like or be good at. Sometimes, people that would be really interested in a sport don't quite know how to get started. Maybe they're curious about bike maintenance, but don't want to risk breaking their bike or taking something apart that they don't know how to put back together. I need to get some more information on these things and contact Tawn to get some details hammered out. But I will be volunteering to work on bikes as usual as well.
These kinds of projects help to address snags that keep people from getting into things that they might like or be good at. Sometimes, people that would be really interested in a sport don't quite know how to get started. Maybe they're curious about bike maintenance, but don't want to risk breaking their bike or taking something apart that they don't know how to put back together. I need to get some more information on these things and contact Tawn to get some details hammered out. But I will be volunteering to work on bikes as usual as well.
People Power Promotional Plan
Every year in Santa Cruz there are approximately 200 bike accidents, 1-2 of which are fatal. This is a result of a lack of safety awareness and sufficient bicycling infrastructure. Santa Cruz has 46 miles of bike lanes, yet only 4 of those 46 miles are designated bike routes. People Power empowers the Santa Cruz Community to bicycle safely in order to promote a sustainable lifestyle and community.
Project Goals:
- Increase bike ridership in Santa Cruz- Consolidate bike resources by connecting existing bike communities
- Raise safety awareness and hand out bike lights and helmets
- Promote the development of the Rail Trail, which will connect scattered bike paths to create one direct route
Preliminary research will include case studies of other cities that have invested in cycling, research into Bicycle Friendly Business Districts, an inventory of media coverage of biking in Santa Cruz, and statistics on the bicycle industry.
Recently, I designed and laser cut about 40 People Power key chains as a part of a project for my prototyping class at UCSC. I have been giving them out to fellow bike enthusiasts and promoting People Power's vision. I look forward to working on even more creative ways to implement this marketing campaign.
Why I Love Public Transportation (A re-post from Green Gal)
This was originally posted on Melissa's Green Gal blog here on September 14, 2012.
Sure, sometimes you end up next to the smelly guy on the train or you wind up getting the bus with the loud cell phone people or the crazies. But the more you take public transportation, the more skilled you become at selecting seats, using body language (like angry faces and glaring to avoid conversations!), and just learning to deal with it because there are plenty of reasons--I'm about to name five--why public transportation is awesome. Here's why I love public transportation, and why I encourage you to utilize it as often as you can in your daily life.
1. Public transportation reduces the number of polluting, traffic-causing cars on the road.
Every time you take public transportation when you might otherwise have taken a car takes one car off the road. Think about people who take PT every day to work, school, or wherever they going when they could have driven. Certainly a bus requires more fuel than a compact car, but if you fill a bus with people and take the cars the passengers would have been driving off the road, you're saving a ton of gas and reducing pollution and traffic congestion.
2. Staring out the window when you're a passenger and letting your mind wander is really good for your brain, particularly when the scenery is nice.
When I take the bus and train home from college, I almost instantly find myself glancing up to the window and letting my thoughts wander for awhile before returning to my book or computer. Most of my commute is through forest and then through open space, so my mind has nothing in particular to grab ahold of and capture my attention--I'm free to explore whatever aspect of the universe of thought that my brain has the capacity to access. Often, I recognize how much I need that unfocused thinking to the passing world in order to let my mind wander, and I put my book or computer away. Pretty soon, the notebook comes out and ideas for things I should do at work, school, or on my blog come pouring out. I outlined the plan for this blog post while sitting on the Highway 17 Express yesterday, for example. I write best when I'm inspired after some unfocused gazing off into space, like on the bus, and I often do my best thinking when I'm the passenger of a moving vehicle without distraction. It's this unfocused attention that allows our brains to recharge, and the same kind of thing happens for me when I'm surrounded by nature and am able to simply think. Turns out, it's not just me. Richard Louv discusses this and something called "directed-attention fatigue" (28) in his book The Nature Principle:
Along these same lines, it has always bothered me when parents have their kids watch DVDs in the back of the car on long drives. I was never that child, and I'm so incredibly thankful to my parents for forcing me to sit there and gaze out the window. Occasionally, I read a book or colored or sang songs with family, but after awhile, I would get bored of doing anything and start to watch the orchards go by (you know what I'm talking about if you've ever gazed out a car window in an agricultural setting--the rows are so fun to watch, it's addicting), or start day dreaming. Those poor kids who have their eyes glued to a television in the backseat aren't developing the habit of day dreaming and thinking without being focused on something. How are you supposed to think about your life as a whole if you're always sectioning it off into "projects" or "subjects" or "to-dos"? Sometimes you need to literally just sit and stare in order to put things together in your life, and while we all know this and have had experience with it, being aware of how important this is and acting on this every single day will make us all more clear-headed. Having these experiences as a child in a car or on a bus or train set the foundation for us to be able to be creative with our thinking and learn to entertain ourselves. Being able to simply be, think, and enjoy the ride without being entertained is so important, and this is why I will never let my children (if I ever have any) watch DVDs in the back of my car--oh wait, that's because I won't have a car! :-)
3. How often do you get to be the passenger? You can get work done as you travel when you aren't driving.
While I recommend gazing out the window for a good portion of your trip, you can also get work done when you aren't the one driving. Some buses and trains have free wifi, or you can read or use a computer without the internet. You can also nap, which I call getting a lot of good work done.
4. Public transportation costs significantly less money than owning and maintaining your own car, and you don't have to worry about parking or the stress of driving.
Even if you do own a car, using public transportation whenever you can reduces the amount of mileage you're accumulating on your car and means you don't have to pay for gas at the pump as often. You don't have to pay parking fees or even find parking in the first place. You can enjoy a drink without worrying about driving yourself anywhere (a college student's best designated driver is often the bus driver).
5. You gain some perspective on life by observing those who have no other option but to take public transportation.
While I do not own my own car, I have parents who do own cars who've driven me back to campus before. I have friends with cars who could drive me places if I really needed a ride. Eventually, I will probably own a car--though I'll fight getting one as long as I can. I use public transportation largely because I'm a college student and everyone takes the buses, but I also do it because I know it is less polluting in the long run than using a car to get everywhere. But the fact is, most people who use public transportation have no other option because they have no car. Spending time on public transportation and realizing this fact can give you some perspective on your life and make you thankful and grateful for the privilege you have in being able to even make public transportation a choice rather than a necessity.
It can open your heart a little and make those uncomfortable moments on public transportation that I mentioned at the beginning of this article a little less of an issue. We're all just people doing the best we can, moving from one place to another. Maybe the smelly guy is homeless for reasons beyond his control; maybe the loud person on their cell phone is going through a rough time in their life and they need to have that conversation with whomever to make it through the day; and maybe the "crazy" people aren't really crazy after all. They just see life a little differently than you.
Hopefully this article makes you more inclined to take public transportation the next time you have an opportunity to do so. If not, I'm curious what your hesitation is, and I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Thank you for reading!
Have a great weekend!
Sure, sometimes you end up next to the smelly guy on the train or you wind up getting the bus with the loud cell phone people or the crazies. But the more you take public transportation, the more skilled you become at selecting seats, using body language (like angry faces and glaring to avoid conversations!), and just learning to deal with it because there are plenty of reasons--I'm about to name five--why public transportation is awesome. Here's why I love public transportation, and why I encourage you to utilize it as often as you can in your daily life.
1. Public transportation reduces the number of polluting, traffic-causing cars on the road.
Every time you take public transportation when you might otherwise have taken a car takes one car off the road. Think about people who take PT every day to work, school, or wherever they going when they could have driven. Certainly a bus requires more fuel than a compact car, but if you fill a bus with people and take the cars the passengers would have been driving off the road, you're saving a ton of gas and reducing pollution and traffic congestion.
2. Staring out the window when you're a passenger and letting your mind wander is really good for your brain, particularly when the scenery is nice.
When I take the bus and train home from college, I almost instantly find myself glancing up to the window and letting my thoughts wander for awhile before returning to my book or computer. Most of my commute is through forest and then through open space, so my mind has nothing in particular to grab ahold of and capture my attention--I'm free to explore whatever aspect of the universe of thought that my brain has the capacity to access. Often, I recognize how much I need that unfocused thinking to the passing world in order to let my mind wander, and I put my book or computer away. Pretty soon, the notebook comes out and ideas for things I should do at work, school, or on my blog come pouring out. I outlined the plan for this blog post while sitting on the Highway 17 Express yesterday, for example. I write best when I'm inspired after some unfocused gazing off into space, like on the bus, and I often do my best thinking when I'm the passenger of a moving vehicle without distraction. It's this unfocused attention that allows our brains to recharge, and the same kind of thing happens for me when I'm surrounded by nature and am able to simply think. Turns out, it's not just me. Richard Louv discusses this and something called "directed-attention fatigue" (28) in his book The Nature Principle:
Over time, the Kaplans [who conducted a study with a group similar to Outward Bound in the 1970s] developed their theory of directed-attention fatigue. As described in a paper by Stephen Kaplan and Raymond DeYoung: "Under continual demand our ability to direct our inhibitory processes tires. . . . This condition reduces mental effectiveness and makes consideration of abstract long-term goals difficult. A number of symptoms are commonly attributed to this fatigue: irritability and impulsivity that results in regrettable choices, impatience that has us making ill-formed decisions, and distractibility that allows the immediate environment to have a magnified effect on our behavioral choices." The Kaplans hypothesize that the best antidote to such fatigue, which is brought on by too much directed attention, is involuntary attention, what they call "fascination," which occurs when we are in an environment that fulfills certain criteria: the setting must transport the person away from their day-to-day routine, provide a sense of fascination, a feeling of extent (enough available space to allow exploration), and some compatibility with a person's expectations for the environment being explored. Furthermore, they have found that the natural world is a particularly effective place for the human brain to overcome mental fatigue, to be restored. (Louv 28)
Along these same lines, it has always bothered me when parents have their kids watch DVDs in the back of the car on long drives. I was never that child, and I'm so incredibly thankful to my parents for forcing me to sit there and gaze out the window. Occasionally, I read a book or colored or sang songs with family, but after awhile, I would get bored of doing anything and start to watch the orchards go by (you know what I'm talking about if you've ever gazed out a car window in an agricultural setting--the rows are so fun to watch, it's addicting), or start day dreaming. Those poor kids who have their eyes glued to a television in the backseat aren't developing the habit of day dreaming and thinking without being focused on something. How are you supposed to think about your life as a whole if you're always sectioning it off into "projects" or "subjects" or "to-dos"? Sometimes you need to literally just sit and stare in order to put things together in your life, and while we all know this and have had experience with it, being aware of how important this is and acting on this every single day will make us all more clear-headed. Having these experiences as a child in a car or on a bus or train set the foundation for us to be able to be creative with our thinking and learn to entertain ourselves. Being able to simply be, think, and enjoy the ride without being entertained is so important, and this is why I will never let my children (if I ever have any) watch DVDs in the back of my car--oh wait, that's because I won't have a car! :-)
3. How often do you get to be the passenger? You can get work done as you travel when you aren't driving.
While I recommend gazing out the window for a good portion of your trip, you can also get work done when you aren't the one driving. Some buses and trains have free wifi, or you can read or use a computer without the internet. You can also nap, which I call getting a lot of good work done.
4. Public transportation costs significantly less money than owning and maintaining your own car, and you don't have to worry about parking or the stress of driving.
Even if you do own a car, using public transportation whenever you can reduces the amount of mileage you're accumulating on your car and means you don't have to pay for gas at the pump as often. You don't have to pay parking fees or even find parking in the first place. You can enjoy a drink without worrying about driving yourself anywhere (a college student's best designated driver is often the bus driver).
5. You gain some perspective on life by observing those who have no other option but to take public transportation.
While I do not own my own car, I have parents who do own cars who've driven me back to campus before. I have friends with cars who could drive me places if I really needed a ride. Eventually, I will probably own a car--though I'll fight getting one as long as I can. I use public transportation largely because I'm a college student and everyone takes the buses, but I also do it because I know it is less polluting in the long run than using a car to get everywhere. But the fact is, most people who use public transportation have no other option because they have no car. Spending time on public transportation and realizing this fact can give you some perspective on your life and make you thankful and grateful for the privilege you have in being able to even make public transportation a choice rather than a necessity.
It can open your heart a little and make those uncomfortable moments on public transportation that I mentioned at the beginning of this article a little less of an issue. We're all just people doing the best we can, moving from one place to another. Maybe the smelly guy is homeless for reasons beyond his control; maybe the loud person on their cell phone is going through a rough time in their life and they need to have that conversation with whomever to make it through the day; and maybe the "crazy" people aren't really crazy after all. They just see life a little differently than you.
Hopefully this article makes you more inclined to take public transportation the next time you have an opportunity to do so. If not, I'm curious what your hesitation is, and I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Thank you for reading!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Camille's Project(s)
I spoke with Tawn on Wednesday about my upcoming project with Green Ways to School. We considered a lot of different options for my involvement in publicizing People Power through video. We did come to the agreement that I'll be putting together a general video promoting People Power that will be put on their website. We also discussed possibilities of going out during one of the Green Ways to School rides and capturing video, putting together a 30-minute show with Tawn's middle schoolers for the local public access television channel, or making a promotional video for one of the upcoming rides. Tawn will be talking with Amelia over the next few days about their main priorities for my involvement and he and I will be meeting next Tuesday to solidify these plans and so that he can give me footage from People Power's previous endeavors that I can use in the promotional video for their website. Beyond working with Green Ways, one of my goals for this quarter is to create a PSA promoting the use of bike lights, which I'd like to air on SCTV, the UCSC television channel, Santa Cruz's public access channel, and across the World Wide Web. It's going to be a really visually pleasing, sort of experimental video that will become a fresh and exciting PSA. I'm going to start the filming for that this weekend and I'll be contacting SCTV early next week and hope to get in contact with Santa Cruz's public access channel next week as well. The wheels are turning folks! And I just pumped up my back tire!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
"Bespoken" a Piece Composed Using Just a Bicycle and its Parts
"Through music I want change the way that people perceive their surroundings, and I hope this will inspire others to look at everyday objects with more curiosity and wonder" -Johnnyrandom
Its hard to believe that this music involves no conventional instruments, synthesizers, samplers or drum machines. Check it out!
Its hard to believe that this music involves no conventional instruments, synthesizers, samplers or drum machines. Check it out!
ReCYCLED Bike Parts!
I stumbled upon some wonderfully creative uses for bicycle parts. How cool would it be to design a bicycle themed community garden? A unique space where sustainable transportation meets sustainable food systems using charming recycled materials. It could be a symbol of collaboration between local organizations with different specialties but a similar vision.
Stained glass cogs
Wheel inspired planters and genius pest management tactics
 | |||
| My personal favorite - a trellis adapted from wheels and zip ties. It looks like a special gathering space for small groups, families, picnics, etc.. I would use it to grow pole beans. |
A bicycle gate to tone set upon entry.
These are pretty cool, as they can be utilitarian or strictly decorative. Perhaps one could hang trowels, shovels, rakes, or even bicycles on one of these bad boys.
Sneak Routes Bike Ride in Santa Cruz
People Power recently led a 10 mile bike ride around Santa Cruz through the lesser-known routes. It was fun biking around town in a big group. Many pedestrians were curious why there were so many bicyclists of all ages and different types of bikes, including one covered in fur (see below).
.jpg)
Bicycle safety overview
_resized.jpg)
The road less traveled
_resized.jpg)
The Coastal Rail Trail will start here
http://www.peoplepowersc.org/news/2013/10/27/santa_cruz_approves_funding_application_for_coastal_rail_trail
Handing out bike maps of Santa Cruz County
It was a beautiful day for a group bike ride!
~ Thank you Tawn Kennedy for taking these photos ~
&
~ Thank you People Power for organizing this sneaky bike ride ~
&
~ Thank you People Power for organizing this sneaky bike ride ~
Monday, January 27, 2014
Hasti's Relationship with Her Bicycle
When I travel, my favorite way to explore a new area is by bicycle...
Paris was the first place I experienced a bike sharing program. There are numerous stations around the city where you can pick up or drop off rental bikes (14,000 bicycles and 1,230 stations). I'm excited San Francisco and Palo Alto recently added similar bike sharing stations!
Barcelona also has a bike sharing system; however, it was locals only since you needed to have a residential address to rent out the bikes on the street. We rented cruisers through a bike shop and coasted by the beach!
Biking around the Grand Canyon with my cousins is one of my most memorable bike rides. The weather in Arizona is so unpredictable. Towards the end of the bike ride, the clouds rolled in and it began pouring for a brief moment. It was exhilarating to cool off in the rain after biking in the heat!
As a freshman
at UCSC, I was intimidated by the terrain and didn't think it would be
practical to bring my bike. I brought my bike to Santa Cruz Winter quarter of
my Freshman year, and began to discover new routes and new areas of
campus. Getting around campus and town became much more exciting and enjoyable.
My first 3
years at Santa Cruz Bay Street
Currently, I
take the bike shuttle to campus, which drops off at one of the
highest point on campus at Science Hill. This makes is easy to cruise downhill to wherever I
need to go. My favorite and most frequent route in Santa Cruz is West Cliff. I love biking along the coast and anytime I need some fresh air, I'll head to my favorite scenic route.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Chima's Relationship to Cycling
My relationship with cycling is a very general question to ask me. Cycling to me takes on so many connotations. I could fondly remember as a younger individual Lance Armstrong and his many Tour-de-France victories, lifting the United States to worldwide fame in the arena of cycling. I have spent a great deal of my transporation history utilizing bikes as a means of transportation. I could remember as a young boy going to ride my bicycle in the BART parking lot in Oakland, California during the late 1990’s. Then again, later in my life, I remember riding my bike to my high school from 10-12th grade on most school days. I did this for many reasons. I remember that I did this because it was faster than walking and cheaper than taking public transportation. Additionally, I had to ride my bicycle to school because I could not get a ride from my parents, because they had to go to work. It was a great experience. From the late 1990’s until 2003, I did not ride my bicycle. This has to do with the fact that I was going through rough times, and I was riding my scooter. In March 2003, I moved from Oakland to Antioch, a suburb in the East Bay. I remember that I had to relearn how to ride my bike. From that period until Fall 2006 when I started 10th grade, I only rode my bike for aesthetic purposes, not for anything important. After riding my bicycle from 2006-2009 to go to school, I started to understand the importance of cycling. I admit that I did not really worry about, or really knew about the carbon footprint that I avoided by choosing to ride bikes over drive a vehicle or take public transportation. Also, I realized how healthy it was to ride bikes, because the human being became the engine, making the human being excercise by pedaling. I had to move to Tracy, California on June 26, 2009, after completing high school, this also affected my relationship with cycling. I remember that when I was riding my bike, I ran over sharp objects, my tire became flat, and I had to get my tube replaced over and over again. It got to a point that in the late summer of 2010, I had to stop riding my bike, partly because I officially received my driver’s licence on July 27, 2010. Because of this, I had to focus more on driving, because I had to travel farther I distances in order to get to school. I have not ridden a bicycle since at least 2010. I still have a positive relationship with cycling despite all of those setbacks. I am expecting to ride a bike sometime in the new future because I am in a class titled Sustainable Transportation. I now understand that when one chooses to ride a bike over drive a motorized vehicle, they reduce the carbon footprint.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Corin's Relationship with the bicycle
Cycling is a pretty big part of who I am for multiple reasons. I like the mechanical aspect of them with working on them and building them, but I also obviously enjoy riding. I ride a bicycle for transportation, but I also ride for recreation in multiple forms. Recreational cycling is a way to get exercise, enjoy nature and spend time with friends with similar interests. Being able to build and maintain your own bike is a great feeling because it puts you really in tune with it while riding and makes the experience that much more enjoyable for me.
I work on them as a (small) source of income, as well as work my volunteer position at the Bike Co-op. This is another part of my relationship with cycling. I ride for recreation, but also for transportation and I try and convince others to do so. I show my support for the movement of riding by helping make it easier for people on campus. Some people may not be interested in the mechanical aspect of bikes, or might just not have experience with it, but that doesn't mean that they should be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a way to ride on a daily basis. That is what the Bike Co-op is all about and I was super stoked when I learned about it.
I have only been riding to get around for a few years, but the bicycle is pretty much my only way of getting around independently. I do not have a car back home, so I ride my bike. Now that I have done so for a while, I hope that some day when I get a car, I won't use it unnecessarily. I plan on riding whenever it is feasible. So, as a portion of my transportation history, it is both a small part and a very large part.
I work on them as a (small) source of income, as well as work my volunteer position at the Bike Co-op. This is another part of my relationship with cycling. I ride for recreation, but also for transportation and I try and convince others to do so. I show my support for the movement of riding by helping make it easier for people on campus. Some people may not be interested in the mechanical aspect of bikes, or might just not have experience with it, but that doesn't mean that they should be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a way to ride on a daily basis. That is what the Bike Co-op is all about and I was super stoked when I learned about it.
I have only been riding to get around for a few years, but the bicycle is pretty much my only way of getting around independently. I do not have a car back home, so I ride my bike. Now that I have done so for a while, I hope that some day when I get a car, I won't use it unnecessarily. I plan on riding whenever it is feasible. So, as a portion of my transportation history, it is both a small part and a very large part.
Maryam and Her Bicycle: A Love Story
Though I have only had a relationship with cycling for two years or so, it has been transformative and multifaceted. Most obviously, I would say that I am dependent on cycling. I have a heavy reliance on my bicycle for transportation within the city of Santa Cruz, whether it be school, work, a friend's house, or an errand. I find there to be a lot of unpredictability and impulse in my schedule. For this, buses and I are incompatible. I depend on my bicycle so much because our schedules are always coordinated - except during times of mechanical failure, in which case, my reliance is made all the more apparent.
I also rely on cycling for my health. Student life demands a lot of idle time, so it really helps if I can squeeze small windows of exercise into my schedule on my way to school and in between classes. As a society, I think we are out of touch with the lower halves of our bodies. I really appreciate being more in tune with muscles I otherwise would have neglected. Even better, cycling works harmoniously with yoga and running and contributes to an overall sense of health and well-being.
This brings me to the mind. During times when my bicycle is inoperable, my state of mind is quickly affected. The repetitive motions of cycling compiled with the humming of the chain, deep breathing, and fresh air make it very easy to meditate. Having periodic bouts of meditation worked naturally into my daily schedule helps keep me calm, focused, energized, and capable of going about my work load. Being on my bicycle also keeps me social and engaged with my surroundings, be it people, dogs, sounds, smells, etc.. I have found that this makes me a much happier person in general.
While I really cherish cycling for these reasons, I regret that it makes me so vulnerable. Even if I have a helmet, lights, reflectors, and bright clothing, I know I can still be mangled by a distracted driver. Though I have never been seriously injured on my bicycle thus far, I have had a host of near death experiences. The majority of my friends who use their bicycle as their primary mode of transportation have been hit by a car, some multiple times. While every mode of transportation presents serious dangers, I feel particularly exposed to the elements on my bicycle. A constant awareness of this makes my relationship with cycling bittersweet. Regardless, I stand by my decision to bike.
More than anything, my relationship with cycling is generative and inspiring. It has challenged me to reach goals I never would have considered before two years ago. Though the community of experienced cyclists and mechanics in Santa Cruz can be at times intimidating, a genuine love of it all has encouraged me to go for the longer bike excursions and ask questions regardless of silly and inexperienced I may sound. I have put a few of my friends on their bicycles, and I hope to recruit more. I am excited to see myself bike further, acquire more knowledge, work better, and sway more drivers to make the switch as my relationship with cycling continues to evolve.
Maryam Mirahmadi
I also rely on cycling for my health. Student life demands a lot of idle time, so it really helps if I can squeeze small windows of exercise into my schedule on my way to school and in between classes. As a society, I think we are out of touch with the lower halves of our bodies. I really appreciate being more in tune with muscles I otherwise would have neglected. Even better, cycling works harmoniously with yoga and running and contributes to an overall sense of health and well-being.
This brings me to the mind. During times when my bicycle is inoperable, my state of mind is quickly affected. The repetitive motions of cycling compiled with the humming of the chain, deep breathing, and fresh air make it very easy to meditate. Having periodic bouts of meditation worked naturally into my daily schedule helps keep me calm, focused, energized, and capable of going about my work load. Being on my bicycle also keeps me social and engaged with my surroundings, be it people, dogs, sounds, smells, etc.. I have found that this makes me a much happier person in general.
While I really cherish cycling for these reasons, I regret that it makes me so vulnerable. Even if I have a helmet, lights, reflectors, and bright clothing, I know I can still be mangled by a distracted driver. Though I have never been seriously injured on my bicycle thus far, I have had a host of near death experiences. The majority of my friends who use their bicycle as their primary mode of transportation have been hit by a car, some multiple times. While every mode of transportation presents serious dangers, I feel particularly exposed to the elements on my bicycle. A constant awareness of this makes my relationship with cycling bittersweet. Regardless, I stand by my decision to bike.
More than anything, my relationship with cycling is generative and inspiring. It has challenged me to reach goals I never would have considered before two years ago. Though the community of experienced cyclists and mechanics in Santa Cruz can be at times intimidating, a genuine love of it all has encouraged me to go for the longer bike excursions and ask questions regardless of silly and inexperienced I may sound. I have put a few of my friends on their bicycles, and I hope to recruit more. I am excited to see myself bike further, acquire more knowledge, work better, and sway more drivers to make the switch as my relationship with cycling continues to evolve.
Maryam Mirahmadi
Camille's Relationship with Bicycles!
I interact with bicycles on a daily basis. I take the bike
shuttle every day to get to school and bike home from there which is almost
always one of the best parts of my day, since I have late afternoon classes and often get to see the sun setting over the hills as I ride home. I would love to see the bike shuttle introducing more frequent routes to the downtown location, provided that enough riders use it to make up for the fuel usage of the trip. I live in a
house where biking is the topic of about one out of four conversations, and I've learned a little bit about bike maintenance, just a small step toward the wealth of information I'd love to know about bikes. As a bicycle commuter, I've become much more aware in the past couple of years of the role that bicyclists play as a part of the Santa Cruz transit community. Santa Cruz is so much more bicycle friendly than my hometown, and it's often a joy to ride the streets of Santa Cruz, but personally having been hit by cars on a couple of occasions, I still think it has a long way to go in providing a safe environment for bicycling. I was recently introduced to mountain biking, which is a sport I would love to pursue further. I'm interested in learning more about why so many of the trails in Santa Cruz are illegal for mountain bikers to use, and how to open them up again for local mountain bike enthusiasts!
Engaged Discussions on Santa Cruz Transportation 1/17/14
Last Friday, our class met in the Common Ground Center, Kresge Room 166. Our normal classroom, the Kresge Seminar Room, was full of California Student Sustainability Coalition students who were at UC Santa Cruz for their winter convergence. Having class in the smaller space allowed for a more intimate discussion on Santa Cruz-specific transportation issues, and although we'll return to the Kresge Seminar Room for most other weeks, we may venture back into that space if we feel that our discussions on particular days require that closer intimacy.
We spoke about Santa Cruz transportation statistics, things to celebrate, issues to find solutions to, and also discussed our first blog post experience of writing our transportation histories, which can all be found on this blog. Students expressed having trouble getting started writing about transportation history because it's such an integral and typically changing history of our lives. Most people discussed the multiple modes they've used in their lives--cars, bikes, buses being the most common methods. We discussed how our experiences, comfortability, and perceptions of each mode affects how we view other modes and other people using other modes.
After spending some time reviewing local Santa Cruz information and hearing a brief presentation by Brenden Fant, a UCSC alum, former Impact Designs: Engineering & Sustainability through Student Service (IDEASS) bike transit intern, and former Student Environmental Center Transportation Campaign Coordinator. Brenden went through his report from his IDEASS project that surveyed people who bike to and from the UCSC campus to identify where people are riding and what the barriers are to people riding bikes more. Brenden had us brainstorm the benefits of cycling since we had touched upon the reasons why bicycling is an effective and healthy mode of transportation, but we hadn't articulated in one place what those reasons were. Here's what we came up with (click the image for a larger view):
Then we brainstormed as a class what kinds of visions we have for the future of transportation at UC Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz in general. This ranged from more people perceiving walking as a good way to get around to double decker bridges for bikes on campus to zip lines to less crowded buses. I took some photos of the board before class ended so we could review them later:
Thank you everyone for participating in great conversation and bringing your perspectives and experiences to class to share! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, when we select project topics and hear from Amelia Conlen and Tawn Kennedy of People Power of Santa Cruz County about the work that they do and how you can get involved!
Documents from January 17 class:
We spoke about Santa Cruz transportation statistics, things to celebrate, issues to find solutions to, and also discussed our first blog post experience of writing our transportation histories, which can all be found on this blog. Students expressed having trouble getting started writing about transportation history because it's such an integral and typically changing history of our lives. Most people discussed the multiple modes they've used in their lives--cars, bikes, buses being the most common methods. We discussed how our experiences, comfortability, and perceptions of each mode affects how we view other modes and other people using other modes.
After spending some time reviewing local Santa Cruz information and hearing a brief presentation by Brenden Fant, a UCSC alum, former Impact Designs: Engineering & Sustainability through Student Service (IDEASS) bike transit intern, and former Student Environmental Center Transportation Campaign Coordinator. Brenden went through his report from his IDEASS project that surveyed people who bike to and from the UCSC campus to identify where people are riding and what the barriers are to people riding bikes more. Brenden had us brainstorm the benefits of cycling since we had touched upon the reasons why bicycling is an effective and healthy mode of transportation, but we hadn't articulated in one place what those reasons were. Here's what we came up with (click the image for a larger view):
Then we brainstormed as a class what kinds of visions we have for the future of transportation at UC Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz in general. This ranged from more people perceiving walking as a good way to get around to double decker bridges for bikes on campus to zip lines to less crowded buses. I took some photos of the board before class ended so we could review them later:
Thank you everyone for participating in great conversation and bringing your perspectives and experiences to class to share! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, when we select project topics and hear from Amelia Conlen and Tawn Kennedy of People Power of Santa Cruz County about the work that they do and how you can get involved!
Documents from January 17 class:
- View the presentation slides from 1/17
- 2012-13 IDEASS Bicycle Transit Study (Brenden's project)
- Read the Community Assessment Project, which contains statistics about Santa Cruz issues
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Language of our Transportation System
On the first day of class, we discussed our reactions to Jeff Speck's TED Talk based on his 2012 book, The Walkable City. In groups of two, we shared our thoughts and then as a full group reflected on what the video made us think about or what we disagreed with or found challenging.
One student, Pedrum, discussed how strange it is that we call collisions on the road "accidents." Another student questioned this: it's not like people driving intentionally hit other people, right? Pedrum qualified his statement: on a small scale, yes they are accidents, but when you step back and look at the system, are they really accidents? By calling them "accidents" we allow them to be excusable situations that simply seem to happen without any real cause.
But there is a cause, and it's the reason we're in this class in the first place. Our transportation system has biases and inequalities and inherent flaws in the way it focuses on car travel first and the people in the cars after that. I was just reading Elly Blue's Bikeonomics to find some evidence for a grant I'm writing to acquire some automated bicycle counters for Santa Cruz, and I came across a passage I had marked that directly aligns with Pedrum's sentiment that we should perhaps find other words to express the tragic crashes that happen every day involving cars. Here's how Elly Blue puts it:
This example of language reinforcing the system is not the only example. Another one that I read about a few months ago (read here) which has completely altered my discourse around the subject is using "people who bike" instead of "cyclists." "People who bike" puts the human being, the person, back into the descriptor. "Cyclist" is in many people's minds a group of spandex-clad middle age men riding on Saturday mornings, rather than your typical everyday person trying to get to work by bicycle. Even if it doesn't conjure up that image, "cyclist" is still a descriptor that groups a bunch of people together based on the fact that they bike. Removing the collective aspect and saying "person on a bike" helps to distinguish in people's minds that regardless of how they're getting around, they're still first and foremost a person whose death or injuries while traveling should not be disregarded or mocked.
You might be thinking, no one would really mock the death of another person, even if they were biking, right? The fact is, many people do, and there's a clear cultural bias against "cyclists" among people who drive cars--just read the comments section of any news article about someone riding a bike who was involved in a crash. For some articles on bicycling and safety, check out the list of links under "Bicycle Laws and Issues of Safety" here.
Well, now that I've procrastinated from working on my grant application, it's time to get back to it. See you on Friday at class!
Works Cited
Blue, E. (2013). Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy. Portland: Microcosm Publishing.
One student, Pedrum, discussed how strange it is that we call collisions on the road "accidents." Another student questioned this: it's not like people driving intentionally hit other people, right? Pedrum qualified his statement: on a small scale, yes they are accidents, but when you step back and look at the system, are they really accidents? By calling them "accidents" we allow them to be excusable situations that simply seem to happen without any real cause.
But there is a cause, and it's the reason we're in this class in the first place. Our transportation system has biases and inequalities and inherent flaws in the way it focuses on car travel first and the people in the cars after that. I was just reading Elly Blue's Bikeonomics to find some evidence for a grant I'm writing to acquire some automated bicycle counters for Santa Cruz, and I came across a passage I had marked that directly aligns with Pedrum's sentiment that we should perhaps find other words to express the tragic crashes that happen every day involving cars. Here's how Elly Blue puts it:
"We have a very large cultural blindspot when it comes to cars. Using the roads by any means is one of the most dangerous things you will do on a daily basis; in a car, you are not very much less at risk, but you become a tremendous danger to others.
"Yet crashes are so commonplace that even when they affect us directly, we see them as flukes rather than a real and systemic threat. We call them 'accidents' and think of them as inevitable yet unlikely to happen to us. The legal system treats them the same way; unless a driver who causes a fatal crash was drunk or leaves the scene, criminal penalties are low or nonexistent. Texting and talking on the phone while driving are the functional equivalent to driving while drunk, yet the acts are so commonplace that it is difficult to either pass or enforce laws against them." (Blue, 2012, p. 101)
This example of language reinforcing the system is not the only example. Another one that I read about a few months ago (read here) which has completely altered my discourse around the subject is using "people who bike" instead of "cyclists." "People who bike" puts the human being, the person, back into the descriptor. "Cyclist" is in many people's minds a group of spandex-clad middle age men riding on Saturday mornings, rather than your typical everyday person trying to get to work by bicycle. Even if it doesn't conjure up that image, "cyclist" is still a descriptor that groups a bunch of people together based on the fact that they bike. Removing the collective aspect and saying "person on a bike" helps to distinguish in people's minds that regardless of how they're getting around, they're still first and foremost a person whose death or injuries while traveling should not be disregarded or mocked.
You might be thinking, no one would really mock the death of another person, even if they were biking, right? The fact is, many people do, and there's a clear cultural bias against "cyclists" among people who drive cars--just read the comments section of any news article about someone riding a bike who was involved in a crash. For some articles on bicycling and safety, check out the list of links under "Bicycle Laws and Issues of Safety" here.
Well, now that I've procrastinated from working on my grant application, it's time to get back to it. See you on Friday at class!
Works Cited
Blue, E. (2013). Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy. Portland: Microcosm Publishing.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Ernest Hemingway on bicycles
This week's topic is Bicycles!
More about last week and this week coming soon. Enjoy this perfect bicycling weather!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Corin's Transportation History
Write your transportation history - Think about the various modes of transportation that you've used in your life at different times and places. How do your experiences with these modes affect your perception of the world, your community, etc.? Have you had pivotal moments on buses, bike rides, car trips, etc. that have changed how you see the world?
Where I am from in Southern California, riding a bicycle around as a regular form of transportation was very rare. Now it is getting much more prominent and even stubborn cities are beginning to put in bike lanes. I live in the mountains and went to school in the valley below where a lot of my friends got cars and started driving during, or right after high school. I was always driven everywhere throughout my whole life (except a few instances with walking), because I always seemed to be able to catch a ride. I always enjoyed riding bikes for fun, but didn’t see how anyone could use them to get around on a daily basis for a long time.
When I got older, I couldn’t get a car and taking the bus did not sound ideal (everyone I knew who had used the bus system said that it needed a lot of work), but my older brother always rode his bike everywhere he could. For a while, I thought that he just did it because he raced bikes all the time and he lived in San Diego and that I wouldn’t be able to do it. But I got into it because I was interested in trying a road bike as I had always had mountain bikes. I bought an old road bike at a thrift store and I learned that there was so much about bikes in general that I didn’t know. They didn’t just have to be objects used for special occasions like “bike rides”. They have been for a long time, and still are the main form of transport for many people. In high school, I would get a ride up and down the mountain and ride my bike to school most days out of the week.
Now, riding bikes is a huge part of who I am. I ride for transportation and recreation. I am really happy and surprised when I go home and see that a lot of the roads are being repaved and painted with bike lanes (I wish they would have done that before I moved away, but at least they’re there now). Ever since coming to UCSC and joining the bike co-op, I have been riding everywhere. From now going forward I hope to ride my bike as often as I can. I still don’t have a car and have to get rides from people sometimes. Obviously, you can’t use bikes for everything, but I believe they are beneficial for the rider and everyone else.
Riding goes along with my goal of being more sustainable and I see it as a way to change communities and make them more sustainable too. It feels good to be able to go somewhere quickly without having to have a car.
Where I am from in Southern California, riding a bicycle around as a regular form of transportation was very rare. Now it is getting much more prominent and even stubborn cities are beginning to put in bike lanes. I live in the mountains and went to school in the valley below where a lot of my friends got cars and started driving during, or right after high school. I was always driven everywhere throughout my whole life (except a few instances with walking), because I always seemed to be able to catch a ride. I always enjoyed riding bikes for fun, but didn’t see how anyone could use them to get around on a daily basis for a long time.
When I got older, I couldn’t get a car and taking the bus did not sound ideal (everyone I knew who had used the bus system said that it needed a lot of work), but my older brother always rode his bike everywhere he could. For a while, I thought that he just did it because he raced bikes all the time and he lived in San Diego and that I wouldn’t be able to do it. But I got into it because I was interested in trying a road bike as I had always had mountain bikes. I bought an old road bike at a thrift store and I learned that there was so much about bikes in general that I didn’t know. They didn’t just have to be objects used for special occasions like “bike rides”. They have been for a long time, and still are the main form of transport for many people. In high school, I would get a ride up and down the mountain and ride my bike to school most days out of the week.
Now, riding bikes is a huge part of who I am. I ride for transportation and recreation. I am really happy and surprised when I go home and see that a lot of the roads are being repaved and painted with bike lanes (I wish they would have done that before I moved away, but at least they’re there now). Ever since coming to UCSC and joining the bike co-op, I have been riding everywhere. From now going forward I hope to ride my bike as often as I can. I still don’t have a car and have to get rides from people sometimes. Obviously, you can’t use bikes for everything, but I believe they are beneficial for the rider and everyone else.
Riding goes along with my goal of being more sustainable and I see it as a way to change communities and make them more sustainable too. It feels good to be able to go somewhere quickly without having to have a car.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Hasti's Transportation History
Write your transportation history - Think about the various modes of transportation that you've used in your life at different times and places. How do your experiences with these modes affect your perception of the world, your community, etc.? Have you had pivotal moments on buses, bike rides, car trips, etc. that have changed how you see the world?
Sitting in the
backseat as a child during my pre-drivers license days, I remember watching the
world go by and observing the different people in their cars going all sorts of
places. It fascinated me that there were so many cars filled with individuals
in transit with their own destination in mind. Although I was observing the
outside environment, I was unaware of the infrastructure encompassing all these
vehicles. It wasn't until I obtained my driver’s license that I became
conscious of the legalities and logistics of our roads. I looked at each
vehicle in a whole new way and better understood the responsibilities of being
a driver.
But before I earned
my driver’s license, I was dependent on someone else to drop me off and pick me
up from the places I wanted to go. Riding public transportation in the Bay Area
for the first time forced me to figure out how the Caltrain and BART systems
worked. From each stop, I learned more about the geography of the area. Public
transportation in the Bay Area is that is fairly inefficient though. Most of
the time, it requires more than one mode of transportation to get somewhere. Someone
would have to drop you off at the Caltrain station and then you take the
Caltrain all the way to the Millbrae Station to switch onto the BART. A major
limitation of public transportation is that it is not always there right when
you need it.
Bicycling helped
me gain independence because I could hop on my bike and head to a local spot at
any time. I could fuel the bicycle with my own energy and was on my own
schedule. Currently, bicycling is my main method of transport in Santa Cruz . When I tell
people that I don’t have my car in Santa
Cruz they usually respond sympathetically as if I’m missing
out. In a car, encased by metal, you are isolated from the world, whereas on a
bike you are exploring and engaging with the environment. It’s actually
relieving to not have my car here with me because I prefer biking around town.
I don’t have to buy gas, I don’t get stuck in congested traffic, and I don’t
have trouble finding parking. I love the scenic routes, the fresh air, and
accelerating my heart rate.
Maryam's Transportation History
Write your transportation history - Think about the various modes of transportation that you've used in your life at different times and places. How do your experiences with these modes affect your perception of the world, your community, etc.? Have you had pivotal moments on buses, bike rides, car trips, etc. that have changed how you see the world?
One of my earliest memories was the purchase of a white Dodge minivan with a built in roof extension. I was at the dealership with my parents and two sisters, vastly unaware about what was happening at four years old. What I did know was that we drove home in a different car that day - a car that would come to see dozens of family road trips and the birth of my youngest sister. The Egg, as we called it, soon became a symbol of family unity and comfort. Looking back, it is no surprise how I was brought to value the automobile at a young age. Then I entered my teenage years. I began carpooling with the neighbors who traded one Mercedes SUV for another each month. Suddenly, the Egg was not cool. It was the opposite of cool. It was an incredibly lame assault to my desperate pursuit of acceptance from the snobby and self absorbed junior high school kids. I hated the Egg as I was conditioned to perceive cars as a status marker.
Eventually, the Egg broke down. To my wretched fourteen year old delight, we traded it in for a Nissan Armada. It was shiny, new, horribly gas inefficient, and one of the biggest cars on the road. I was driven around by my parents until I got a license. I hated that I had no control over my transportation. The city was hardly walk-able, and bikes were not culturally relevant enough to even consider.
My first car was a 2000 Mazda Millenia. For the first couple weeks, it was freedom on wheels. It was quickly apparent that owning a car came with a lot of responsibility, expense, inactivity, and anxiety. I sold it during the Summer before I moved up to Santa Cruz for college. While I expected to be disappointed, I was relieved. I truly felt as though a burden had been lifted. I bummed rides off my friends for the remainder of the summer, and everything changed afterwards.
In Santa Cruz, I relied on my feet and the bus. I loved it. I was breathing fresh air that smelled like redwoods, exercising, interacting with people and my environment, more aware of ecological impact, and truly happy. By the end of my Freshman year, I was working downtown at the Penny Ice Creamery. Suddenly the buses were not reliable enough (either that, or I wasn't), and I was struggling to get to work on time. So, I invested in a bicycle to get to work on the fly. Within a week, it was stolen. I had hardly gotten to know it, but I felt if someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. It was a stark and eye-opening comparison to the way I felt when parting with my car.
After another month or so, I had saved up just enough to get a fixer-upper. I took the initiative to learn the basics of bicycle mechanics and get it up and running. Soon, I had the most beautiful bicycle that had ever existed in the history of bicycles. It was the love of my life, the apple of my eye. I was commuting to Cabrillo college from the west side four times a week, commuting to work downtown, and going on bike rides up and down the coast on the regular. I was introduced to the simple joy of night riding. I felt free and alive. It was a life-changing experience to travel with conviction. Alternative modes of transportation connected me to my community, the city, my body, and my bicycle.
One of my earliest memories was the purchase of a white Dodge minivan with a built in roof extension. I was at the dealership with my parents and two sisters, vastly unaware about what was happening at four years old. What I did know was that we drove home in a different car that day - a car that would come to see dozens of family road trips and the birth of my youngest sister. The Egg, as we called it, soon became a symbol of family unity and comfort. Looking back, it is no surprise how I was brought to value the automobile at a young age. Then I entered my teenage years. I began carpooling with the neighbors who traded one Mercedes SUV for another each month. Suddenly, the Egg was not cool. It was the opposite of cool. It was an incredibly lame assault to my desperate pursuit of acceptance from the snobby and self absorbed junior high school kids. I hated the Egg as I was conditioned to perceive cars as a status marker.
Eventually, the Egg broke down. To my wretched fourteen year old delight, we traded it in for a Nissan Armada. It was shiny, new, horribly gas inefficient, and one of the biggest cars on the road. I was driven around by my parents until I got a license. I hated that I had no control over my transportation. The city was hardly walk-able, and bikes were not culturally relevant enough to even consider.
My first car was a 2000 Mazda Millenia. For the first couple weeks, it was freedom on wheels. It was quickly apparent that owning a car came with a lot of responsibility, expense, inactivity, and anxiety. I sold it during the Summer before I moved up to Santa Cruz for college. While I expected to be disappointed, I was relieved. I truly felt as though a burden had been lifted. I bummed rides off my friends for the remainder of the summer, and everything changed afterwards.
In Santa Cruz, I relied on my feet and the bus. I loved it. I was breathing fresh air that smelled like redwoods, exercising, interacting with people and my environment, more aware of ecological impact, and truly happy. By the end of my Freshman year, I was working downtown at the Penny Ice Creamery. Suddenly the buses were not reliable enough (either that, or I wasn't), and I was struggling to get to work on time. So, I invested in a bicycle to get to work on the fly. Within a week, it was stolen. I had hardly gotten to know it, but I felt if someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. It was a stark and eye-opening comparison to the way I felt when parting with my car.
After another month or so, I had saved up just enough to get a fixer-upper. I took the initiative to learn the basics of bicycle mechanics and get it up and running. Soon, I had the most beautiful bicycle that had ever existed in the history of bicycles. It was the love of my life, the apple of my eye. I was commuting to Cabrillo college from the west side four times a week, commuting to work downtown, and going on bike rides up and down the coast on the regular. I was introduced to the simple joy of night riding. I felt free and alive. It was a life-changing experience to travel with conviction. Alternative modes of transportation connected me to my community, the city, my body, and my bicycle.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Camille's Transportation History
Write your transportation history - Think about the various modes of transportation that you've used in your life at different times and places. How do your experiences with these modes affect your perception of the world, your community, etc.? Have you had pivotal moments on buses, bike rides, car trips, etc. that have changed how you see the world?
I grew up in Eureka, CA, a town in Humboldt County that had its climax during a time of unregulated logging and fishing, where an abundance of resources was excitedly consumed and a town was built as a dwelling for these rugged laborers. Now it’s made up of a mixture of conservative old people and liberal growers, probably in pursuit of a quiet, undemanding life in what’s left of the lush redwood forest that is Humboldt County. In terms of geography, the town is somewhat sprawling with no central business hub, as most jobs were concentrated at the mills which were built on the outskirts of town. Because of this, I would guess that at least 90% of the population in Eureka owns a car. Growing up, I didn't know anyone who rode their bike except for the occasional recreational weekend ride, and as a kid I saw the bus system as a dirty, dangerous and unreliable last resort for transportation. The city itself is pretty flat and not too spread out so biking would have been an incredibly easy way to get to school or work. Using a car was such a normalized way of getting around that it almost seemed ridiculous to consider walking somewhere, even if it was less than a mile away. I realize now that Eureka is a strange, isolated place where people are unconscious (in a lot more ways than transportation) of overarching issues of sustainability.
I grew up in Eureka, CA, a town in Humboldt County that had its climax during a time of unregulated logging and fishing, where an abundance of resources was excitedly consumed and a town was built as a dwelling for these rugged laborers. Now it’s made up of a mixture of conservative old people and liberal growers, probably in pursuit of a quiet, undemanding life in what’s left of the lush redwood forest that is Humboldt County. In terms of geography, the town is somewhat sprawling with no central business hub, as most jobs were concentrated at the mills which were built on the outskirts of town. Because of this, I would guess that at least 90% of the population in Eureka owns a car. Growing up, I didn't know anyone who rode their bike except for the occasional recreational weekend ride, and as a kid I saw the bus system as a dirty, dangerous and unreliable last resort for transportation. The city itself is pretty flat and not too spread out so biking would have been an incredibly easy way to get to school or work. Using a car was such a normalized way of getting around that it almost seemed ridiculous to consider walking somewhere, even if it was less than a mile away. I realize now that Eureka is a strange, isolated place where people are unconscious (in a lot more ways than transportation) of overarching issues of sustainability.
Up until high school, my parents would
drive me to school or anywhere I needed to go, but once I was old enough that
they felt comfortable leaving me to walk, they often left me to find my own way
to and from school. Because I saw walking as a painfully slow waste of time, I
started skateboarding to and from school, which was drastically faster than
walking and a lot more fun.
However, once I got my drivers’ license
and my parents bought me a little Toyota, I started driving to and from school,
as most of the more affluent kids did. There was a whole culture built around
driving at my school; different parking lots informally designated to different
social groups on campus: the hicks parked their trucks in the parking lot near
the metal and the wood shops; the jocks and preps parked their expensive cars
in the lot next to the language building; the seniors had their own lot, etc.
Once I graduated from high school and
decided that I was going to UC Santa Cruz, I figured I’d buy a bike since my
car had been totaled by a reckless lady who’d run a red light on me that
summer. I had a mountain bike at the time but decided I wanted a road bike
because it seemed like the hip thing at the time. I took my grandpa’s 1970s
Univega Sportour to Porter College but was intimidated by the hilliness of the
university so it sat locked up outside of my dorm for the entirety of my
Freshman year. My sophomore year, I lived pretty far from campus, and, again
inspired by my frustration with the sluggishness of walking and with my
impatience in waiting for buses, I started taking the bike shuttle to campus
and biking home. I began to recognize other people who rode their bikes a lot
and started to see how my role as a bicyclist made a statement in the politics
of sustainable transportation.
Now, my junior year, I use my bike more
than ever not only as a means of beating traffic and avoiding the bus system,
but for fun and exercise too! At this point it’s also a choice I feel I’ve
consciously made, now that I have the means to buy a car but don’t find it a
necessary or sensible means of transportation anymore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)