Setting on a Journey

 "It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them... you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through."

Ernest Hemingway

To many the landscape we live in is something that we usually experience at a distance, maybe occasionally we stop and really look at it but most of the time we just go through it on our way to work or wherever our destination may be. For many of us who have decided to live in a rural setting like Salt Spring island, this disconnection we experience while driving around may seem like a waste, why would we spend all this effort to get out of the city to end up either too busy or just too distracted by whatever is on our mind to appreciate this beautiful place we call home.

The bicycle is a great invention, maybe one of the finest engineering achievement, by combining human power with a bike and with an appropriate path or road, we can travel in an ecologically sound way while getting the exercise we all need to stay healthy. As Ernest Hemingway reminds us, this is also one of the most enjoyable way to truly explore a country and for many touring by bicycle back country roads, mountain trails and quiet streets is a choice activity, something we look forward to do in our time off. 

As many of us know, our home island of Salt Spring is not exactly a safe place to cycle, our roads are narrow,  windy and have very little shoulder to ride on and I often wonder if this could ever be a cycling destination. The car culture we all live in has many advantages, it is easy, fast and convenient and as a result, for many of us riding a bike has become even more difficult. 

I personally feel uncomfortable with the fast pace of life and lack of physical exercise that goes with car culture. Maybe because I like feeling fit, and maybe because I also feel concerned about the amount of money that goes into an industry that ultimately lessens our quality of life, I yearn for a more bike friendly world.

One of my favourite things to do is getting on my bicycle often with no specific destination in mind and exploring quiet roads and street while trying to avoid busy and dangerous roads. The highlight of all those exploration is often finding new rideable trails that link it all together and I often dream of living in a place where  safe cycling paths and roads are part of the local culture. 

Those of us who like touring the country side slowly can appreciate how rewarding it would be to go to a beautiful destination and rent a room for a week or two, then bike and tour a different location everyday. Unfortunately currently on Salt Spring, this may mean having to deal with narrow busy main roads without shoulders, not exactly everyone’s idea of a relaxing vacation. With only a fraction of the money we spend on building urban infrastructure we could create a network of paths that would invite ecotourism to our island while giving access to everyone, old, young or to be born to a network of paths to roam and explore for generations to come. 

Just think how wonderful it would be to explore all of the island’s main parks on ebikes or bicycles, we could even have bike rack locations so people can leave their bicycle behind and go hiking and  have bike friendly stops all over the island for refreshments and food. In the same way that cars need gas stations to keep everyone driving, the kind of fuel that bicycles run on could be on offer all along the main bike paths and the benefits from those sales would benefit our local community. Bicycles use a very different kind of fuel and can run on local produce, and, as one can imagine, that kind of fuel is way tastier and can be prepared and grown locally!

This may be a dream that may not be possible for everyone, but really, dare I ask, why is it so hard to realize this. What is it that has hardwired us into believing that the only way forward is hard and fast, especially when this fast lane leads us straight into a brick wall of environmental degradation. Maybe we have to revisit our priorities and consider what is it we value most, the comfort that comes from having to do no physical effort, even though this may mean increase in green house gas, bad air quality, more noise  and poor health, or the simpler joys of physical exercise while either traveling or even getting groceries or getting to and from work. Maybe riding a bicycle may make you feel naked and vulnerable in comparison to being tucked inside a car or a truck but to which extent does this attitude benefit our lives and communities. Maybe it is time to reconsider what makes a good life and remove some of the obstacles that keep us from rediscovering the simple joys of riding a bicycle.

It looks like I am not the only feeling this way and there is a movement happening all over the world, the truth is that riding a bike or an ebike is a lot of fun, not something you want to miss out on. We may feel worried and anxious about the future of the planet but who said that it has to be all doom and gloom? Getting on our bikes and exploring our communities might be the best thing we can do whenever life gets stressful wether it is for a twenty minutes ride or a multi day vacation.

Making an effort to get on a bike is a good thing but having safe cycling routes to do it on is essential and that starts by making sure local politicians know that creating safe cycling routes has to be a priority, please let it be known if you care about our quality of life and community.