One: Some government unit changed half of the busy street outside my gym into a bike lane–blocked off with pylons so no car may use the lane. This took away parking on one side of the street. Just like that, parking grew much more difficult than it already was for the gymgoers. To accommodate the now-heavier traffic, the city decided to limit street parking on the other side of the street from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. so rush hour traffic can use both lanes. Result? People are changing their behavior but not in the way city planners hoped. Instead of biking to the gym, people go less often and–when they do go–are much more inconvenienced. Sometimes I think twice about going to lift when it’s around rush hour; parking is uncertain and ridiculous. During a normal hourlong workout, hundreds and hundreds of cars pass by the gym–thousands, really. A dozen bikes pass by. I also rarely patronize other shops along bike routes in the city. There’s never parking, and you can’t help but ask yourself, how important is that cup of coffee?, when you have to park four city block away? Not very.   Two: Cyclists–insisting they be allowed to…Continue reading Dispatches from the most bike-friendly city in the U.S.