Bike lanes are for white bros

Andy Thornley

A letter to the editor in today's SF Chronicle:

Grateful for cyclists

Is there a point of “S.F. bike lanes filled by wealthy white men”? (Phil Matier, Bay Area, Feb. 26). We shouldn’t invest in bike lanes because they are used by wealthy white men? 

This female bike rider has probably never been counted, as I do not work in a downtown office, but as an itinerant teacher, I pedal all over the city. 

Perhaps there are more men who work downtown than women, so the statistics may not reflect the whole picture. Thus, unexpectedly, I, for one, am grateful to these wealthy white men for riding bikes to work, rather than driving.

They do not pollute the air that I and other living beings breathe, they contribute far less to global warming, take up less space, create less noise and cause far fewer serious accidents.

Alice Mosley

San Francisco

Rob's comment:

Matier's point is that riding a bike in San Francisco is mostly for an elite, not for people of color, not for poor men, and not for most women. The "whole picture" shows that men have always by far out numbered women on bikes in San Francisco. 

I've blogged about this issue a number of times (Why aren't women joining the bike revolution? and Women and bikes).

Matier quotes supporters of the anti-car bike movement, including white Cheryl Brinkman and the very white Jeffry Tumlin and Brian Wiedenmeier.

Matier cites some questionable numbers about bike commuting in the city. The reality is that even for white guys bike commuting is stagnating in San Francisco.