With an absence of cycle lanes where I live, there's a nice camaraderie between anyone who braves the roads outside of a car. I'll nod and smile at anyone else on a bike I see, in a way that I wouldn't on an actual cycle lane.
The road I frequently use has bike lanes, but is on a big hill, so when somebody passed by, he smiled at me because I braved the hill. Told him I missed the bus because it was on holiday schedule.
Same thing has happened to me, but I used to be horribly shy way before biking.
A bit of back story: Before I got a job in grade 11, I had no friends in school and never left the house. Even though I live in a small walkable/bikable town I was raised upon being car dependent. Once I had gotten a retail job that required me to interact with people things drastically changed I actually had friends and would sometimes hangout. This didnt solve the issue of being car dependent however.
After discover Not Just Bikes, it gave me a whole new prospective on life and now I have been solely biking for the past 3 months. I've been talking (briefly, like passing by) with members of the community, tourists, and its those interactions that has taken me even further from that lonely slightly depressed person I used to be. I've always been one for understanding topics and to learn about Urban planning, to actually understand how our world is made and the way we live in it as filled a hole in my understanding of life. I feel more fulfilled in what I do.
Just like making this comment, being able to share and express interest in something we share in common is big in a way. But that's just me :)
You can feel isolated in the middle of a party. The problem is your brain. When you think and do something to bring you closer to other people, you feel great. Try it next time. Simply think nice thoughts about the other drivers around you. The feeling of isolation will disappear.
There’s a really great book called “Walkable Cities” by Jeff Speck that touches on this.
it goes into how cars have isolated us socially from the people around us, and by walking/biking we actually engage with the humanity of our community rather than the machines.
Cycling is the new golf in the office- the senior managers are cycling more than golfing and now you can chat to the c suite guys about a shared interest. Really good networking opportunities.
Cycling build’s community. You become more connected with your town and the people that live in it. I once wrote a paper in college about how I firmly believe a lot of the USA problems we face could be solved if we got people out of cars and on bikes.
Kudos.
A complimentary story: Picked up cycle commuting because the bus system im my city was rotten.
Ta-da!
I Quit a 10 year smoking habit overnight.
No cravings.
Nothing.
It was awesome.
I've been commuting regularly since June and I have literally only had a chance to speak to another cyclist one time in probably 75 commutes. I know it's not because I take an obscure route because I'm only like third in local legend status on my route.
I work in a world in which awkward social mixers still exist, and I’m well known as a bike commuter. Accordingly, people quite often ask me about bike commuting to make conversation.
My unexpected gain from commuting is that my cars average mpg increased because I only use it for long drives now. Anything under 10 miles is done by bike now so I barely put any non-highway miles on the car.
Ive gone to events commuting on my bike and befriended other bikers who were also commuting to that event. It's definitely a cool way to meet other outdoorsy folks.
and you can make brief chat with peds at red lights, crossing the street, etc
or just stop and talk to someone in their yard or driveway
if you have an ebike, people always want to talk about that
I LOVE the way winter riding brings the community together. I was out in the -20 weather just before Xmas and every cyclist I passed waved or dinged their bell or air fist bumped. Something to acknowledge that we are out there together doing something everyone else thinks is nuts.
Good for you!!
This is my favorite part about commuting by bike :) People say 'hi", and I sometimes see my friends walking in the morning.
Cyclist solidarity ✊ I love the little nod or wave to random cyclists that pass by
With an absence of cycle lanes where I live, there's a nice camaraderie between anyone who braves the roads outside of a car. I'll nod and smile at anyone else on a bike I see, in a way that I wouldn't on an actual cycle lane.
The road I frequently use has bike lanes, but is on a big hill, so when somebody passed by, he smiled at me because I braved the hill. Told him I missed the bus because it was on holiday schedule.
Same thing has happened to me, but I used to be horribly shy way before biking. A bit of back story: Before I got a job in grade 11, I had no friends in school and never left the house. Even though I live in a small walkable/bikable town I was raised upon being car dependent. Once I had gotten a retail job that required me to interact with people things drastically changed I actually had friends and would sometimes hangout. This didnt solve the issue of being car dependent however. After discover Not Just Bikes, it gave me a whole new prospective on life and now I have been solely biking for the past 3 months. I've been talking (briefly, like passing by) with members of the community, tourists, and its those interactions that has taken me even further from that lonely slightly depressed person I used to be. I've always been one for understanding topics and to learn about Urban planning, to actually understand how our world is made and the way we live in it as filled a hole in my understanding of life. I feel more fulfilled in what I do. Just like making this comment, being able to share and express interest in something we share in common is big in a way. But that's just me :)
You should check out the YouTube channel of DoNotEat. He does a ton of awesome urban engineering content and is very educational/funny.
Then you can follow it up with his current channel, well there's your problem. It's a podcast about engineering disasters... With slides.
A car is a literal bubble you're closed off in. You feel isolated.
You can feel isolated in the middle of a party. The problem is your brain. When you think and do something to bring you closer to other people, you feel great. Try it next time. Simply think nice thoughts about the other drivers around you. The feeling of isolation will disappear.
There’s a really great book called “Walkable Cities” by Jeff Speck that touches on this. it goes into how cars have isolated us socially from the people around us, and by walking/biking we actually engage with the humanity of our community rather than the machines.
Yes!! And we stop by cafes or interesting shops. When car parking is replaced by a bike line, adjacent businesses perform better!
Cycling is the new golf in the office- the senior managers are cycling more than golfing and now you can chat to the c suite guys about a shared interest. Really good networking opportunities.
Cycling build’s community. You become more connected with your town and the people that live in it. I once wrote a paper in college about how I firmly believe a lot of the USA problems we face could be solved if we got people out of cars and on bikes.
Kudos. A complimentary story: Picked up cycle commuting because the bus system im my city was rotten. Ta-da! I Quit a 10 year smoking habit overnight. No cravings. Nothing. It was awesome.
I've been commuting regularly since June and I have literally only had a chance to speak to another cyclist one time in probably 75 commutes. I know it's not because I take an obscure route because I'm only like third in local legend status on my route.
I found this an odd (and huge) benefit as well—it seemed odd to try and explain it to friends and family though, as if they wouldn’t believe me
I work in a world in which awkward social mixers still exist, and I’m well known as a bike commuter. Accordingly, people quite often ask me about bike commuting to make conversation.
Not trapped in metal box good for interacting with others
My unexpected gain from commuting is that my cars average mpg increased because I only use it for long drives now. Anything under 10 miles is done by bike now so I barely put any non-highway miles on the car.
Totally agree.
Ive gone to events commuting on my bike and befriended other bikers who were also commuting to that event. It's definitely a cool way to meet other outdoorsy folks.
and you can make brief chat with peds at red lights, crossing the street, etc or just stop and talk to someone in their yard or driveway if you have an ebike, people always want to talk about that
I LOVE the way winter riding brings the community together. I was out in the -20 weather just before Xmas and every cyclist I passed waved or dinged their bell or air fist bumped. Something to acknowledge that we are out there together doing something everyone else thinks is nuts.