It's a great time to be a cyclist. . .

It’s a great time to be a cyclist. Every day, more people are joining the fold – experiencing the freedom and rush of self-powered mobility. Last week, I was in a bike shop at ten in the evening and the place was buzzing with people wheeling their bikes in for tune-ups and pimp jobs. Ten o’clock on a Saturday night!

In year’s past, cyclists have often been looked down upon as second-class citizens of the road, or worse. People who biked to work were either viewed as health fanatics, members of a lower class, or wanna-be hippies trying to relive a bygone era. But times have changed. Increasing numbers of people are choosing to bike to work: because they love the feeling of an early workout in the morning light; because they relish the rush of fl ying past lines of cars; or because they want to lower their carbon footprint. In fact, cycling has, in many cities, become positively “fashionable.”

So what does this mean?

Well for starters, it means that our collective cycling voice is getting louder, which means that we have the right to demand more bike lanes, more bike parking, and more bike-friendly urban planning. If you’ve ever been to Amsterdam, you’ll know how amazing it is to live in a big modern city where cars, bikes, pedestrian areas, and mass transit all blend together seamlessly. Shame on the politicians in New York who killed the Congestion Charging initiative.

It also means that now is the time for us all to take decisive action to get more butts on bikes. Here at Dahon, we’ve got a number of things we’re working on. To get more of our own people on bikes, we’ve started a Bike to Work program that includes a free Dahon bike for anybody who rides to work. The more days you commit to riding, the nicer a bike you can choose. Worldwide, out of over 1,300 staff members, we have only about seven people who drive to work. And we’re working on them to make a switch.

We’re also planning to roll the Bike to Work program out to other companies, to help them set up their own programs with showers, bike parking, and incentives. And we’ve just been invited to join the Global Alliance for EcoMobility, an international, U.N. supported organization dedicated to promoting ecologically friendly forms of transport. We’ll be working with this group to push national and city governments to invest more in green mobility. There are a lot of great advocacy groups out there and they need our support.

But we haven’t forgotten that cycling is also about fun. That’s why we’ve also been a supporting sponsor of this year’s Bicycle Film Festival – an event that captures a bit of the whimsy, wonder, and spontaneity that is cycling.

This era of $4.00 gas has given cycling a huge tailwind – let’s enjoy the ride and work to spread the word. Mother Earth will thank us.

- Joshua Hon, Vice President
September 2008