Donald Trump and bicycles

A message, below in italics, from Dave Snyder at the California Bicycle Coalition made me laugh:

What does the election of Trump mean for our mission to enable more people to ride bicycles? The key to that question lies in the word people. Because our work is truly on behalf of people, not the machines, wonderful as they are, that we want more people to ride.

Right. Never mind global warming and the Supreme Court. Whither the bike revolution under President Trump?

Doesn't look very promising, Dave, according to the video above.

Typical that Trump mangles the facts: he can't get Kerry's age right and Kerry wasn't actually in a race when he had the accident.

Also typical: Trump sponsored a bike race in 1989, which was called---wait for it---Tour de Trump, which of course was a failure.

Rob,

What does the election of Trump mean for our mission to enable more people to ride bicycles? The key to that question lies in the word people. Because our work is truly on behalf of people, not the machines, wonderful as they are, that we want more people to ride.

This election has filled most of California’s people with fear. A proven racist and misogynist man was elected President, in part by stoking hatred of and encouraging violence against people of color, women, immigrants, the disabled… in other words, most Californians. But it’s important to understand that he only took advantage of deep divisions already present. His election is more a symptom than a cause.

We all need to work to overcome racism and sexism, no matter who is in the White House. It’s work we have to do from the ground up, community by community. As bike advocates, we can’t be successful outside of the context of the lives of the people riding bikes—and the people we want to join us, on more bikes.

Our mission is to enable more Californians to ride bicycles to create healthier, safer, and more prosperous communities for all. That last phrase, for all is essential. Every last one of us on the staff and board is committed to the project of ensuring that our work reaches all our communities. After this election, and before it, too, we ride together for a better California.

Together, we can find a path to social justice, including transportation justice. That path will help to lift people out of poverty, giving everyone opportunities to live in healthy and safe communities where bicycling, among other things, is easier. The new national government will likely make the path more difficult, but in California the election provided new opportunities. In next week’s CalBike Report, we will report more on the implications of California’s election, with some good news.

In the meantime, take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors.