Saving Energy with Convivial Cycling

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I have seen either the same headline, or a similar headline three times. It speaks about the revival of nuclear energy as a solution for Europe’s energy problem. Given how Europe gave up on COVID zero as soon as vaccines arrived, I’d strongly recommend against nuclear. If governments don’t follow through with COVID zero and human health, then how can we trust those same governments to keep us save from nuclear radiation and disasters? A quicker, cheaper, and more instantenous solution is to encourage people to live and work within cycling distance, either of their office, or public transport to their office.

The rationale is simple. Today we went for a bike ride and a BMW Motorbike driver got angry at us for cycling as a group of sixty on a road. He yelled abuse at us, almost ran the person in front of me off the road, and almost caused me to crash into that person. I was furious with the BMW driver for this incident. Someone else took his plate number.

I mention this incident, because two rides ago there was another attack on someone in the group. A car driving lunatic got angry, and almost caused another crash. I heard the sound of the screeching brakes.

Meanwhile, if I look out of a window I see the A1 and I see it congested with cars, for hours per day. What is astounding is that we’re meant to be in an oil crisis, and yet congestion is worse than ever.

When I was driving back from Morges I noticed a car crash, in the same spot, two evenings in a row. The Police in Lavaux wrote a blog post about the increasing number of road fatalities, of which a third are pedestrians. Now, how can a pedestrian be a road fatality. There are two possibilities. The first is that there is a growing number of people who walk with their back to traffic, rather than facing it. I also notice more and more people not even slowing down when I walk across pedestrian crossings.

More and more offices are being built, and more and more housing is being built, but the infrastructure to get from A to B isn’t being improved. Buses aren’t more regularand yet regular buses would make an enormous difference in reducing car use. If you can take a bus, without it add 45 minutes to your commute, you’re likely to travel by bus.

At the same time it’s paradoxical that people are more bad tempered while driving, especially today. The roads are quiet. The motorbike could very easily have passed us without being abusive. No cars were coming from in front. We were turning onto agricultural roads within a few meters of the argument.

The beauty of cycling is that you cycle to the start point of a group ride, you ride with the group, and you use secondary roads as much as possible, and then you ride back home. In theory you never touch your car. I touch a car two times per week, sometimes even less.

I love that my life has, to a large degree, become car independent. I love that I can cycle to the top of the Jura on a weekly basis, and then cycle home. I love that I have a community with which I can do things without touching the car. It’s empowering at a time when driving a car is less enabling, less pleasant, and less enjoyable.

There are too many cars. That’s why cycling groups are harder to overtake. If roads were quiet then we’d be overtaken with ease. cars clog the roads. When I saw this trend I was tempted to drive less. Other people get frustrated and angry, and blame people that are already providing the solution.

A cyclist takes small roads. A cyclist takes viticultural paths. A cyclist takes farm roads. A cyclist, in so far as possible, avoids main roads, because main roads are less pleasant.

Sixty Fewer Cars

As a thought experiment, imagine that each cyclist is a car driver, and that there are sixty of them. If these sixty people went for a joyride on the roads, with cars, that would be a sixty car convoy/traffic jam. On a bike, sixty bikes take the space of a bus or two. That’s sixty parking spaces that are not required. That’s a sixty car traffic jam that doesn’t need to be overtaken.

The Main Road as River

I’ve written about it before. Millions are being spent on cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, without considering the rivers of traffic that we have no choice but to cross. The road by Petite Prairie was good for walking, but when the main road was closed it became dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, because the road isn’t designed for heavy traffic. When we went from a viticultural road to the main road for a few hundred meters, before getting back on farm roads, it exposed us to bad tempered BMW motorbike drivers that almost caused a crash. If cycling infrastructure was optimal, we wouldn’t touch the main road. We wouldn’t be endangered by angry cars and angry bikers.

Facebook and Right-Wing Media as Cesspit

The paradox I notice is that plenty of people see a large group of cyclists and they get excited. Children are excited, and so are bystanders. Being out with a cycling group reminds people of the ideals of the Tour De France and Tour De Romandie. People like the idea of group rides, and if they knew of some that cater to their ability then they would join. People would enjoy social group rides.

Back in the day I enjoyed at least one Critical Mass event in London and at least one Slowup in Bulle. I enjoyed both events, and now I love group rides.

And Finally

The more convivial the experience of cycling becomes, the fewer people will default to motorbikes and cars, and the more people will cycle. Cycling is a healthy sport. During the current petroleum crisis, it makes sense to leave cars and motorbikes at home, and enjoy cycling and hiking.

Years ago I lost the habit of automatically getting into a car. I think that shifting from car culture towards cycling culture is a wise thing to do.