And this phenomenon is not just limited to cyclists. Look around and notice the increased number of pedestrians and motorcycles and scooters.
As painful as these rapacious increases in gas prices are, the unintended consequence of getting people out of their cars and onto their feet or their bikes is not a bad one. It is forcing us to rethink our "car-centric society" and our propensity to live our lives as if it's normal to drive everywhere, sometimes to the same place two or three times a day.
And when gas prices push people out of the drivers' seats and into the travel lanes on bikes, everyone's perspective on the role of bikes and how we accommodate them will also change. Bikes are a legitimate and important means of getting from here to there. The idea of repaving highways without automatically creating bikes lanes will be a thing of the past. Allowing a highway to be resurfaced without attending to pedestrian access will be unheard of as well.
And even though we're coming off the successful Valley Walk and Roll week -- which encouraged biking and walking in lieu of driving -- don't be surprised if the bike and pedestrian traffic increases as gas continues to rise. The season for saving money by eschewing driving is short and sweet in Vermont. Many will decide, of necessity, that it's better to bike now and buy heat for next winter with any savings.
And don't be surprised if gas doesn't come down in price as promised now that we're not sending 70,000 barrels a day to the federal Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Look for more bikes, share the road and work seriously on bike lanes, sidewalks and public transit.
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