{"id":7777,"date":"2014-05-22T07:45:25","date_gmt":"2014-05-22T14:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/?p=7777"},"modified":"2014-05-19T13:09:52","modified_gmt":"2014-05-19T20:09:52","slug":"tbt-bike-culture-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"#tbt: Bike Culture–who needs it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In keeping with the popular hashtag theme #ThrowbackThursday, or #tbt, we’re republishing a blog post from May 20, 2010. Author Ted Inkley still serves on our board and continues to ponder on things related to bicycling.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"bike-culture\"<\/a>\u201cBike culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many times have you heard this buzz-phrase? Bike enthusiasts and advocates talk about it. They all seem to want it. Alternative transportation advocates in New York City even considered the topic important enough to merit a \u201cBike Culture Summit<\/a>\u201d earlier this month.<\/p>\n

But what is bike culture, anyway? Does it mean anything, or is it just one of those terms-of-the-moment that sound good rolling off the tongue, like \u201cparadigm shift\u201d or \u201csynergy\u201d?<\/p>\n

A Google search on this much-used phrase returns 4,040,000 hits (more or less), with links to websites featuring everything from\u00a0World Naked Bike Ride Day<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0bicycle-operated water pumps<\/a>\u00a0to a\u00a0bicycle dance team.<\/a>\u00a0Does this bring us any closer to a definition? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

But if you cruise through North American-based bicycling websites, you do get the idea that when people talk about \u201cbike culture,\u201d what they\u2019re really referring to is the\u00a0subcultures\u00a0<\/i>of bicycling that exist here\u2014that amalgam of groups, from fixie fanatics to weekend warriors to hard-core commuters, that makes up the bicycling scene on this side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Contrast this kind of self-conscious group identification with North America\u2019s\u00a0car culture. When most Americans get in their cars to go to work, they don\u2019t consider themselves to be part of a cultural phenomenon. And when they drive to the supermarket, they\u2019re just going to the store. That\u2019s because car culture is so mainstream that it isn\u2019t a separate culture at all\u2014it\u2019s an inherent part of American culture. We built the\u00a0infrastructure<\/a>\u00a0for motor vehicles, and the rest came naturally.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the way it is with cycling in countries where two-wheeled transport is considered mainstream. Take Denmark, for example. If you go to a dinner party in\u00a0Copenhagen<\/a>, chances are good that every guest will have arrived on a bicycle. And if you marvel at this phenomenon, the Danes will be amused and a bit puzzled. It\u2019s just how they get around. And the reason they do is thanks in no small part to official transportation policy and\u00a0infrastructure<\/a>\u00a0that favor the bike over the motor vehicle.<\/p>\n

So maybe we North Americans should be less concerned about bike culture and more concerned about just making cycling a safe, convenient and comfortable option for transportation and recreation. And not just for road warriors and cycling enthusiasts, but for everyone. Then the bike culture will take care of itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In keeping with the popular hashtag theme #ThrowbackThursday, or #tbt, we’re republishing a blog post […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[32,13,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bike-culture","category-bike-infrastructure-wa","category-safety"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In keeping with the popular hashtag theme #ThrowbackThursday, or #tbt, we’re republishing a blog post […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Washington Bikes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-22T14:45:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-05-19T20:09:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest Blogger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest Blogger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/\",\"name\":\"#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-22T14:45:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-05-19T20:09:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/67287a08d418020a29afc76552489f86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"#tbt: Bike Culture–who needs it?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/\",\"name\":\"Washington Bikes\",\"description\":\"People who bike make a difference\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/67287a08d418020a29afc76552489f86\",\"name\":\"Guest Blogger\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1531b9fefd0bbd75a146d91ab673b9e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1531b9fefd0bbd75a146d91ab673b9e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guest Blogger\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/author\/guest-blogger\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes","og_description":"In keeping with the popular hashtag theme #ThrowbackThursday, or #tbt, we’re republishing a blog post […]","og_url":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/","og_site_name":"Washington Bikes","article_published_time":"2014-05-22T14:45:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-05-19T20:09:52+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg"}],"author":"Guest Blogger","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Guest Blogger","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/","url":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/","name":"#tbt: Bike Culture-who needs it? - Washington Bikes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg","datePublished":"2014-05-22T14:45:25+00:00","dateModified":"2014-05-19T20:09:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/67287a08d418020a29afc76552489f86"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/bike-culture-212x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/05\/22\/tbt-bike-culture-needs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"#tbt: Bike Culture–who needs it?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/","name":"Washington Bikes","description":"People who bike make a difference","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/67287a08d418020a29afc76552489f86","name":"Guest Blogger","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1531b9fefd0bbd75a146d91ab673b9e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1531b9fefd0bbd75a146d91ab673b9e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guest Blogger"},"url":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/author\/guest-blogger\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p36Q8O-21r","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7777"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}