AAA President: What If Bicycling Became as Mainstream as Driving?

He may work for the American Automobile Association, but Paul Gaffney likes getting around on two wheels, too. In the latest issue of VIA magazine, the president and CEO of AAA Northern California, Nevada, and Utah dedicates his entire column to cycling promotion and share-the-road safety. 

Paul Gaffney likes bikes

“While I do work for an auto club, I still ride a bike,” Gaffney writes. “I’m happy to report that I’m not alone. Cycling is on the rise in most parts of the country. People ride for fun, for exercise, and, increasingly, just to get from here to there. According to a Rutgers University study, the number of bike commuters in the United States grew 64 percent over the past two decades.”

Gaffney goes on to applaud the growth in bicycling in major cities, like New York and San Francisco, and encourages folks to get out and ride, whether its pedaling to work or enjoying one of the region’s many bike trails. And, at the very end, he poses a particularly exciting question.

May is National Bike Month, but don’t let the calendar limit when you ride. With the current price of gas, cycling is good for your wallet. It’s also good for your health and good for the environment. It might even put you in a better mood. There’s something liberating about hopping on a bike that brings back a freewheeling sensation of childhood and learning to fly without training wheels…

More cyclists on the road makes me hopeful about a healthy future. We still think of biking as alternative transportation, like taking the bus or riding the train. Wouldn’t it be interesting if bicycling became as mainstream as driving?

Click here to read Gaffney’s entire column.

 

Carolyn Szczepanski
Communications Director

Carolyn joined the League in March 2012, after two years at the Alliance for Biking & Walking. In addition to managing the League's blog, magazine and other communications, Carolyn organized the first National Women's Bicycling Summit and launched the League's newest program: Women Bike. Before she crossed over to advocacy, she was a professional journalist for nearly 10 years.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 8:00 am and is filed under Bike Month, Motorist education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Responses to “AAA President: What If Bicycling Became as Mainstream as Driving?”

1. Khal Spencer Says:
   April 25th, 2012 at 12:58 pm

   Andy’s overtures to the AAA are paying off, as I hoped. Here is a virtual beer for Mr. Clarke for helping open that door.

   Now, I hope AAA members pay attention to Mr. Gaffney’s admonition near the end of his article: “Motorists and cyclists can move past an often contentious history by simply following the rules of the road” That is something surely we can all agree on.

2. Ron Rizzardi Says:
   April 25th, 2012 at 1:36 pm

   Agreed. Members of both groups share common public spaces and each should work cooperatively. This alliance of sorts between the two I am hopeful will continue to have positive results.

   Anyone know to what degree AAA has legislative influence? What demographic does AAA serve these days. When I was in my 20′s I thought AAA to be more for older folks – like the 50 year – 70 year old range.

3. Khal Spencer Says:
   April 25th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

   AAA has a huge membership base, according to Wikipedia (51 million–we should do as well!). So I suspect it carries some clout if it wishes to. I don’t pay much attention to what they, or I should say we, are up to, though.

   Although I now fall into the geezerly age group as Ron suggests, we joined when we moved to New Mexico as mere fortysomethings, to take advantage of their long range emergency roadside assistance plan–distances between cities are often measured in hours and hundreds of miles and being stuck halfway between Elephant Butte Lake and Silver City in the Black Range can be difficult.

   Last time I checked, my emergency assistance plan for long bike rides means calling my long-suffering wife, assuming I get cell phone reception in the mountains!

4. Erik Says:
   April 25th, 2012 at 6:28 pm

   Let’s hope that Mr. Gaffney can gain control over AAA Mid-Atlantic who recently came out against safer speed limits in urban neighborhoods “because elephants can run faster.”

5. Link roundup: August 26 | Tucson Velo Says:
   April 26th, 2012 at 10:16 am

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   April 27th, 2012 at 12:20 pm

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