Conservatives call bull on UW bicycling study
Last week, a local financial executive called me a “stooge.”
I was somewhat insulted, but mostly curious.
There was no question what I had done to inspire the vitriol. It was my reporting on research that projected the physical and environmental benefits to be gained if Midwesterners turned to biking or walking for 50% of their trips under five miles. (The report can be found here).
For that, I was deemed a “pawn of the left.”
The criticism mirrored that of other self-described conservatives and made me wonder again why advocating for bicycling is deemed a liberal pursuit.
In an email to the critic, I posed the question this way: “It would seem that cycling, as a cheaper alternative to driving, would be a transportation option embraced by conservatives. It's cheaper for the individual and the required public investment, compared to road-building. In most debates, though, it seems conservatives view cycling as a liberal enterprise. I realize you're probably busy, but your insights into that divide would be welcome.”
He did respond, at some length, but later asked that I not share his dissertation on the blog. He explained that it might cost him clients, who hold an opposing view.
Fortunately, conservative blogger James Wigderson posted a somewhat similar critique on the MacIver Institute web site. Another post, in the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, argues bike lanes add to traffic congestion.
Wigderson has previously ridiculed investments in cycling infrastructure, and he followed a similar path in critiquing the study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
For a number of reasons, Wigderson found absurd the idea that Midwestern residents would bike or walk upwards of five miles to run errands.
“If I took a bicycle everywhere I went, I wouldn’t be able to use my cell phone,” he wrote. “The gasping for air would get me arrested for making obscene phone calls.”
His larger point was more practical than physical:
“My wife’s trips today to the grocery store, Menards hardware store and for take-out pizza all should have been on her bicycle. But of course that wouldn’t work. It’s hard to carry the latest Christmas outdoor decorations from the hardware store on the back of a Schwinn, even with a basket. Two gallons of milk, cereal for a week, bacon, eggs, bread, and light bulbs weren’t going to fit on the back of the bike, either. As for the carry out pizza, that might have worked. Just leave the two-liter of soda and the breadsticks behind.”
Wigderson ably expressed his view that the study’s preposition – that 50% of trips under five miles could be managed in non-motorized fashion – was unattainable.
But his post, and my financial friend’s response, failed to answer my larger question about conservatives and their opposition to investments in cycling.
I think it’s worthy of discussion, preferably in a thoughtful, fact-based, non-insulting manner.
74 Comments for "Conservatives call bull on UW bicycling study"
rekmke Nov 09, 2011 4:41 PM
Can we also agree that the notion of everyone making half of their trips that are less than 5 miles by bike is so totally unrealistic that it is silly to even use as the basis of the study? People like you and the authors of this study like to cite examples in New York and other metro areas with a population concentration that Milwaukee doesn't even come close to. We aren't New York City and I think it's time you accept that.
stebo35 Nov 09, 2011 4:43 PM
As for your point that it is ridiculous to believe that people throughout the entire Midwest (not just Milwaukee) cannot make 50% of their trips under 5 miles by bike I respectfully suggest you do some more homework. A recent study of transportation for the city of Milwaukee shows that more than 50% of all trips are less than 2 miles. Not all trips have to be exactly 5 miles.
And looking at other cities with similar populations and climate (Minneapolis for example) show much higher ridership than MKE. In short it IS both possible and reasonable.
What is missing is the awareness and the will of individuals.
BDWIRunner Nov 09, 2011 7:46 PM
Bike trips to the bakery make the doughnuts taste better
The coffee shop trips are more complete
Dairy Queen trips with my children... a personal favorite
After church,you can hear the sermon again whistling in the wind
A backpack to the super market holds a serious bag of groceries
For the single guy...chicks dig a guy on a bike and for the gals there is nothing sexier
Trips to the hardware store seem to make the house project a little easier to swallow
Trips to the gym offer a great warm-up/cool down
Even trips to the lake, pool or swimming hole bring back childhood memories
Load up the Burley with your fishing gear and bring home some fresh bluegils...done that more than once
Pedal up to a meeting or school activity...definately a great ice breaker with the kids
Library trips:A book and a bike...does it get any better?
Biking over to a friends for conversation or party...are awesome times!
To a downtown club for a cool beverage or two...refreshing
Biking is not really a chore,it burns calories, you get your vitamin D and excercise, you relieve stress...heck all this talk makes me want to ride my bike!
martyd Nov 10, 2011 5:19 AM
Mamsy Nov 10, 2011 3:07 PM
Re: [[From google maps, a five mile trip would be from the zoo to the Ambassador Hotel, and would take 42 minutes by bike (and 37 by bus).]]
Just because Google maps expects you to travel roughly 7.5 mph, doesn't mean you have to go that slow. Avid riders on road bikes ave. between 22-24 mph; solid citizen bikers can ave. 12-18 (depending on age/health, etc.) after a very short break-in period.
And you feel like a million bucks with even that basic boost in fitness.
I happy dirt Nov 10, 2011 6:12 PM
Ordinary Cyclist Nov 15, 2011 9:27 AM
YaHey Nov 15, 2011 11:44 AM
YaHey Nov 15, 2011 11:54 AM
I also dress professionally for the office and plan ahead. If I plan to wear a skirt, I put it in my pannier and wear shorts (or jeans), changing when I arrive at the office.
For grocery shopping that requires three or more bags, yes, I drive my car. A neighbor who cannot drive due to vision problems, does his family grocery shopping using his bicycle and an attached unit. For the rainy weather, a poncho works great.
Thanks, Mr. Held, for offering the opportunity for discussion of the topic.
Bike Commuter Nov 15, 2011 7:33 PM
Marc G Nov 16, 2011 7:33 AM
Got a Burley trailer when #1 son was nine months old. Before he graduated to a trail-a-bike and then his own bike, he was sharing space in the Burley with friends, and often groceries. It's not unusual for me to get four 12-packs, a gallon of milk, and all the usual staples in the trailer. Lightweight cereal and bread fit nicely in the back of the Burley where they won't throw off balance too much.
The Burley has taken many trips to Home Depot. I don't think I'd haul concrete blocks, but if buying something like 10' of PVC pipe, I have taken a saw along to cut it to job length before transporting it home. 4" corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe rolls up nicely inside the trailer. A couple of gallons of paint? No problem.
I often put my propane tank in the Burley to get it refilled. That seems like a lower risk to me that putting it in the car.
After I change the auto oil, I almost always put the used oil and filter in the Burley to take them for recycling.
I've taken a kid to the doctor and dentist on a bike, although the orthodontist is out of range. We bike to swimming lessons, piano, school, and often we bike to go out to dinner.
For carryout pizza, I used to have a rear rack with adjustable outriggers (Load Llama) that was perfect. Of course an Ian's large wouldn't fit on that (oops, liberal reference!).
Dry cleaning goes in the Burley, just as easily as in the car.
As stated by others, panniers work well for a gallon of milk, loaf of bread, bottle of wine.
I bike twelve months a year. Although I avoid biking during snowfall and on ice, this usually only amounts to a few days each year.
Arghhhhh Nov 16, 2011 9:52 AM
eyeshaveit Nov 17, 2011 11:26 PM
I can understand opposition to bike projects as opposition to government spending. But then, for consistency, I would expect even more skepticism towards highway projects, which are many times more expensive than bike projects and, despite the myth, are only partially paid for by users.
brthompson Nov 20, 2011 8:30 PM