Examples abound, as LAB proclaims in its contant award of new bicycle friendly cities. Other than its new bikeshare program being literally under water a couple weeks ago (the storage facility flooded), NYC is moving through a major overhaul of its transportation paradigm to include bicycling explicitly and its mayor is the latest convert to the idea that we can’t drill our way out of our problems. Over 50% of the public lives in coastal watersheds. More sea level rise and stronger storms ain’t a good idea.

Where cities lead, the nation will eventually follow.

The author here is pretty obviously GOP, as well, something of an oxymoron, IMO. The “drillbabydrill” squad comes almost ENTIRELY from the conservatives, who would take “subdue the earth” literally, ignoring the true meaning of the phrase as originally written: “be responsible for the earth”.

Federal support of bicycling would take a serious change in national attitude to survive; I, for one, am largely indifferent, as long as anything that smacks of John Forester’s philosophy is allowed in the debate. I WILL RIDE IF I HAVE TO TRESPASS IN PEOPLE’S BACK YARDS TO DO SO!

Its certainly important for cyclists to travel to D.C. for the upcoming Bike Summit (or simply ride as far as the local office of your Congressman/woman) and remind this next Congress that we exist, but let’s not put our fates entirely into their fickle hands.

Just ride.