Is it true that there are those who see bicycles as toys?
I suppose that as children are the ones usually seen using them, that attitude gains strength…
Maybe adults need to be seen riding bikes more often to change attitudes?
At least I rode mine yesterday to do some shopping as my back is still sore, but I could ride my bike so carrying the shopping was easier on with the panniers than using a bag and walking!
I’m sure in any area that bicycles aren’t very normal (such as mine. Southern California), they can be imagined to be toys. But a better explanation is that most drivers last rode a bike as a kid, with parents that did the same, and were never told that a bike isn’t just a toy used for riding around the local cul-de-sac.
Even in areas, where cycling is normal (like northern Germany), are bikes imagined as toys, vehicles for the poor or the people without driving license (age, alcohol), and as 2nd choice to cars on short distances (5km/3mi).
Even a child’s bike need not be a toy, a birth or christmas present (resident’s common sense). My son (5) is riding to the kindergarten every day the year round or accompanies me on shopping tour, so he got a new bike two days ago, because the old was to small. Friends of mine were astonished at this point of view, spending so much money, but they did not calculate the gas and time, we save by riding.
Anyone who thinks that bikes are toys and cars aren’t, that bikes are for juveniles and that grownups use cars, has never watched an episode of Top Gear.
… makes me look awesome… Sure, can apply to bikes. But the the number of people you can impress with a flash bike is limited, and if you can’t walk the walk – sorry – ride the ride – then you will not impress the cognoscenti. On the other hand, plenty of couch potatoes watching Top Gear, buying the magazines etc.
Interesting – I made the last 2 comments with my iPad and it remembered my Avatar from my desktop!
Looks like I need to find out how to use a word processor on the iPad
The lack of a ‘Delete’ function to help when editing my posts is a real pain. My memory loss means a lot of swapping around to re-read what I commenting on. My dyslexia means I make a lot of mistakes and getting it right takes ages anyway. Without being able to ‘Copy’, ‘Delete’, paste into a Word Processor and edit, Copy and Paste back all of my mistakes take up lots of comment space and add nothing to the flow. An embarrasing experience for me and unnecessary comments, and the memory to store them, in the strip…
Also – All I used to need was one click to ‘like’ a comment.
If further clarification was needed, then a comment could be added but ‘like’ is often all that is needed. YouTube etc uses a ‘like’ button, what is wrong with re-introducing it here?
I’d rather say that “anyone who thinks that bikes are toys and cars aren’t, that bikes are for juveniles and that grownups use cars, is an ignorant schmuck”.
my bike is my favorite toy and i love to play with it for hours every day.
usually you also start to use a car as a toy but that soon became boring to me.
I spoke witha a collegue at work some twenty years ago, and he told med that in Iraq (where he came from) grownups don´t ride bikes unless retarded.
I don’t know how the situation is today in his country, but different cultures and different generations (like Nannys) could be seen as an excuse for hostility against bikeriding. But in a modern society I see it as sad when adults behave like Nanny.
Fogel, similiar attitudes may be found in Eastern Europe now where only poor folk ride bikes for utility. The same may be likely in many other countries (South America?). For many Eastern Europeans and Latinos who come to the US getting a car is their first priority. And now that economy has improved over there, car ownership skyrocketed in Eastern Europe, mostly Poland. Car is seen as status symbol all over the world because of the Western influences. 30 years ago in Poland people were riding bikes and no one complained.
I’ve been riding in Poland for decades, before and after the demise of the People’s Republic. I usually ride 10,000 km annually, with 50% of this commuting. It is very rare that I’ve had any road rage incidents that seem to be so common in the States. My 6 year old daughter and I completed a 240 km mini tour in 3 days with 90% on peaceful country roads. We were honked at twice, but the drivers were being polite and maybe were giving us some warning before passing our tandem. All the major cities have a loaner bike program. The recent changes to the rules of the road are very beneficial to cyclists, allowing us to legally ride two abreast on country roads and protecting our rights to ride.
Sport cycling is enjoying a renaissance in Poland and there really is no stigma, unless you try wearing small size lycra, on being a cyclist. The Czech and Slovak Republics are cycle crazed and their tourist information offices tout the terrain as bike friendly.
I totally agree that carrying stuff on a bike is so much easier than walking. I actually feel weird if I need to walk long distance (i.e. more than one block) and carry stuff (other than hiking).
I’m always amazed a the different kinds of loads I can carry with my bike. Like yesterday, when I helped three students from Thailand carry their new futon to their dorm (5 blocks) The bike took much of the weight while they stabilized it, and I walked along guiding the bike.
I brought a folder with me to vegas and instead of riding around town (convention kept me busy) it wound up being a luggage trolley and a fast way to get my dogs to the patch of allowable ground at the end of the parkade. It’s got a rack so I strapped a box style dog seat onto the rack and popped both little dogs in there for the ride. Boy didn’t I get looks! I couldn’t ride it through the lobby every time and by the end of my stay the security were making a point of preventing me from it…. Still, a bike is useful!
Actually, I was more curious about the idea that bicycle advocates were a force to be reckoned with! Outside of Portland? Only in cartoons!
As far as bike as toy, I don’t get that attitude here in the San Diego area. It’s more like a gadget, technology you can spend money on. In four years of commuting on bike, I’ve never had an encounter with a disrespectful driver or been looked askew by my neighbors for jumping on my toy in the morning. To the contrary, I think they like looking at me in my cycling clothes!
Even adults can make them seem like toys, when the rider is dressed like a super hero it’s hard not to imagine why. The problem is that people don’t think about it as transportation. And here in Richmond, it’s almost as fast as getting around with a car because all most all the in city roads are only 25 mph.
@ Velotales – depends on what you mean by fundamentalism. Seems to me that a lot of (most?) fundamentalists (either described as such by others or themselves) aren’t really the kosher deal – more interested in conforming to their peers than getting to the bottom of things. A true fundamentalist wants to get to the roots and junk the useless accretions and blind alleys. As a result I ride a recumbent trike and take the Bible at face value. Both result in a lot of fun as well well as other beneficial effects!
Juveniles playing in the streets, being a danger to themselves and others?
According to what I see around, this description much more often applies to motorcycle riders than cyclists…
Harsh!
Although I wouldn’t be surprised if regular biking would help strengthen pelvic floor muscles to sort of reduce or eliminate that issue for her.
And rick captures, in a single strip, the very problem behind intolerant drivers’ attitudes. Well done, Rick, this is indeed why so many adults refuse to take cycling seriously!
I didn’t bother getting a drivers’ license until I was 18, and continued riding my bike whenever possible even after I could drive. My friends (most of whom had gotten their licenses a couple of years earlier, as soon as they were old enough) thought I was crazy. In the US at least, abandoning your bike and driving a car often is seen as one of the milestones in passing from childhood into adulthood. It’s no wonder some people look down on them as toys.
Just yesterday, as per usual days, I witnessed a motorist honk loudly at a pedestrian who was trying to cross the street at a cross walk and it was her right-of-way. He was trying to turn right. As he honked, he crept close to her. God. There is an entire culture of Nanny States here in Jacksonville to contend with. I’m anxious to see how this new obstacle fairs for the Kickstand clan.
Perhaps “Nanny” never had a bicycle of her own or learned how to ride one? Her appearance says born early last century when only kids with money had bicycles. If so, maybe there is jealousy that displays as anger. Quick! Someone give Nanny a bike and teach her to ride!
Good luck Nanny. The councilman knows what he is talking about! At last first to comment! lol
Is it true that there are those who see bicycles as toys?
I suppose that as children are the ones usually seen using them, that attitude gains strength…
Maybe adults need to be seen riding bikes more often to change attitudes?
At least I rode mine yesterday to do some shopping as my back is still sore, but I could ride my bike so carrying the shopping was easier on with the panniers than using a bag and walking!
I’m sure in any area that bicycles aren’t very normal (such as mine. Southern California), they can be imagined to be toys. But a better explanation is that most drivers last rode a bike as a kid, with parents that did the same, and were never told that a bike isn’t just a toy used for riding around the local cul-de-sac.
Even in areas, where cycling is normal (like northern Germany), are bikes imagined as toys, vehicles for the poor or the people without driving license (age, alcohol), and as 2nd choice to cars on short distances (5km/3mi).
Even a child’s bike need not be a toy, a birth or christmas present (resident’s common sense). My son (5) is riding to the kindergarten every day the year round or accompanies me on shopping tour, so he got a new bike two days ago, because the old was to small. Friends of mine were astonished at this point of view, spending so much money, but they did not calculate the gas and time, we save by riding.
Anyone who thinks that bikes are toys and cars aren’t, that bikes are for juveniles and that grownups use cars, has never watched an episode of Top Gear.
For a lot of people (mostly male) cars are not only toys but extensions. Or perhaps substitutes….
‘this thing makes me look awesome’ often applies to bikes just the same as it does to cars.
… makes me look awesome… Sure, can apply to bikes. But the the number of people you can impress with a flash bike is limited, and if you can’t walk the walk – sorry – ride the ride – then you will not impress the cognoscenti. On the other hand, plenty of couch potatoes watching Top Gear, buying the magazines etc.
@troiker
as if failing in this regard has ever stopped man trying desperately
good on Don!
Good ONE Done!
Interesting – I made the last 2 comments with my iPad and it remembered my Avatar from my desktop!
Looks like I need to find out how to use a word processor on the iPad
The lack of a ‘Delete’ function to help when editing my posts is a real pain. My memory loss means a lot of swapping around to re-read what I commenting on. My dyslexia means I make a lot of mistakes and getting it right takes ages anyway. Without being able to ‘Copy’, ‘Delete’, paste into a Word Processor and edit, Copy and Paste back all of my mistakes take up lots of comment space and add nothing to the flow. An embarrasing experience for me and unnecessary comments, and the memory to store them, in the strip…
Also – All I used to need was one click to ‘like’ a comment.
If further clarification was needed, then a comment could be added but ‘like’ is often all that is needed. YouTube etc uses a ‘like’ button, what is wrong with re-introducing it here?
Thanks.
The lack of delete and edit functions is a pain but makes this section more conversational. What you said can’t be unsaid.
@Don – I don’t want to unsay anything, just mae corrections to my errors
I’d rather say that “anyone who thinks that bikes are toys and cars aren’t, that bikes are for juveniles and that grownups use cars, is an ignorant schmuck”.
my bike is my favorite toy and i love to play with it for hours every day.
usually you also start to use a car as a toy but that soon became boring to me.
I spoke witha a collegue at work some twenty years ago, and he told med that in Iraq (where he came from) grownups don´t ride bikes unless retarded.
I don’t know how the situation is today in his country, but different cultures and different generations (like Nannys) could be seen as an excuse for hostility against bikeriding. But in a modern society I see it as sad when adults behave like Nanny.
Fogel, similiar attitudes may be found in Eastern Europe now where only poor folk ride bikes for utility. The same may be likely in many other countries (South America?). For many Eastern Europeans and Latinos who come to the US getting a car is their first priority. And now that economy has improved over there, car ownership skyrocketed in Eastern Europe, mostly Poland. Car is seen as status symbol all over the world because of the Western influences. 30 years ago in Poland people were riding bikes and no one complained.
I’ve been riding in Poland for decades, before and after the demise of the People’s Republic. I usually ride 10,000 km annually, with 50% of this commuting. It is very rare that I’ve had any road rage incidents that seem to be so common in the States. My 6 year old daughter and I completed a 240 km mini tour in 3 days with 90% on peaceful country roads. We were honked at twice, but the drivers were being polite and maybe were giving us some warning before passing our tandem. All the major cities have a loaner bike program. The recent changes to the rules of the road are very beneficial to cyclists, allowing us to legally ride two abreast on country roads and protecting our rights to ride.
Sport cycling is enjoying a renaissance in Poland and there really is no stigma, unless you try wearing small size lycra, on being a cyclist. The Czech and Slovak Republics are cycle crazed and their tourist information offices tout the terrain as bike friendly.
I totally agree that carrying stuff on a bike is so much easier than walking. I actually feel weird if I need to walk long distance (i.e. more than one block) and carry stuff (other than hiking).
I’m always amazed a the different kinds of loads I can carry with my bike. Like yesterday, when I helped three students from Thailand carry their new futon to their dorm (5 blocks) The bike took much of the weight while they stabilized it, and I walked along guiding the bike.
I brought a folder with me to vegas and instead of riding around town (convention kept me busy) it wound up being a luggage trolley and a fast way to get my dogs to the patch of allowable ground at the end of the parkade. It’s got a rack so I strapped a box style dog seat onto the rack and popped both little dogs in there for the ride. Boy didn’t I get looks! I couldn’t ride it through the lobby every time and by the end of my stay the security were making a point of preventing me from it…. Still, a bike is useful!
Actually, I was more curious about the idea that bicycle advocates were a force to be reckoned with! Outside of Portland? Only in cartoons!
As far as bike as toy, I don’t get that attitude here in the San Diego area. It’s more like a gadget, technology you can spend money on. In four years of commuting on bike, I’ve never had an encounter with a disrespectful driver or been looked askew by my neighbors for jumping on my toy in the morning. To the contrary, I think they like looking at me in my cycling clothes!
Yes, it’s true, and it’s the reason why cycling isn’t built into the infrastructure during road construction as it should be.
Even adults can make them seem like toys, when the rider is dressed like a super hero it’s hard not to imagine why. The problem is that people don’t think about it as transportation. And here in Richmond, it’s almost as fast as getting around with a car because all most all the in city roads are only 25 mph.
Yay! It’s the coffee-drinking councilman!
And yes, she really is called Nanny State.
Hey granny, you ain’t gonna win. And yay for the councilman making a comeback (and showing appreciation for bicycle advocates).
Councilman Turner’s always been one of the good guys:
http://yehudamoon.com/20080413/
Not sure if it’s appreciation or just resigned acceptance.
Nanny speaks with the clarity one expects from the ignorant.
Alas, there’s no fun in fundamentalism (of any kind).
@ Velotales – depends on what you mean by fundamentalism. Seems to me that a lot of (most?) fundamentalists (either described as such by others or themselves) aren’t really the kosher deal – more interested in conforming to their peers than getting to the bottom of things. A true fundamentalist wants to get to the roots and junk the useless accretions and blind alleys. As a result I ride a recumbent trike and take the Bible at face value. Both result in a lot of fun as well well as other beneficial effects!
Juveniles playing in the streets, being a danger to themselves and others?
According to what I see around, this description much more often applies to motorcycle riders than cyclists…
The geriatric population will be the downfall of the USA!
Mind where you’re going with this, young fellermelad.
“..they need to be curbed!” Nice, I see what you did there Rick!
Hey Nanny… Your “Depends” will make a great chamois if you ever decide to ride a bike.
Harsh!
Although I wouldn’t be surprised if regular biking would help strengthen pelvic floor muscles to sort of reduce or eliminate that issue for her.
I seem to have two user names. (Did anyone notice?)
Does Nanny State always talk entirely in clichés, or is it just that we’ve heard this kind of nonsense too many times before?
Love that her name is “Nanny State”
Cue Zorba and his trademarked nanny state phrase!
Always glad to oblige: Repeat after me: “The Socialist-Liberal Nanny State!”.
Thank you, sir!
I wonder how this Ms. Nanny State would feel about being called a socialist liberal?
There *is* the possibility she’s the opposite – a Fascist Theocratic Nanny State ™. We’ll find out if/when she pulls a Bible out of her purse…
And rick captures, in a single strip, the very problem behind intolerant drivers’ attitudes. Well done, Rick, this is indeed why so many adults refuse to take cycling seriously!
I didn’t bother getting a drivers’ license until I was 18, and continued riding my bike whenever possible even after I could drive. My friends (most of whom had gotten their licenses a couple of years earlier, as soon as they were old enough) thought I was crazy. In the US at least, abandoning your bike and driving a car often is seen as one of the milestones in passing from childhood into adulthood. It’s no wonder some people look down on them as toys.
Just yesterday, as per usual days, I witnessed a motorist honk loudly at a pedestrian who was trying to cross the street at a cross walk and it was her right-of-way. He was trying to turn right. As he honked, he crept close to her. God. There is an entire culture of Nanny States here in Jacksonville to contend with. I’m anxious to see how this new obstacle fairs for the Kickstand clan.
Perhaps “Nanny” never had a bicycle of her own or learned how to ride one? Her appearance says born early last century when only kids with money had bicycles. If so, maybe there is jealousy that displays as anger. Quick! Someone give Nanny a bike and teach her to ride!