@hozn 114504 wrote:
Sure, but to me this sounds like taking a rock out of the ocean in order to counteract the rising sea level.
I look at it as taking a rock out of the ocean in a very public way, that shows others they can take rocks out of the ocean. Face it, kids in a cargo bike turn more heads than MAMILs biking along. If seeing us out and about convinces a few more families that they can take the car a little less and the bike a little more, then I’ve multiplied my effect. If seeing families using the roads makes anyone think “oh, if it’s safe enough for them…”, then I’ve multiplied my effect. And if riding around on a bike starts conversations – with kids, amongst parents, at schools – then I’ve multiplied my effect.
Personally, the environmental impact is a minority part of why I ride and why I dedicate time for bike advocacy, but it’s not negligible. If we can figure out how to make biking for transport safe and normal here, we can be a model for others, and we can all reap the benefits (environmental, social, cultural, etc).
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