Monday, January 03, 2011

Cyclists in SF: Young, white, and transient

From the Controller's 2009 City Survey:

Bicycle usage is highest among white residents, college graduates, those under 30 and those likely to move out of the City. (page 27, emphasis added)

81% of city residents take public transportation, drive alone, or carpool to work. Only 4% ride a bike to work (page 28).

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14 Comments:

At 11:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Once again, getting to work is the only true time travel mode counts.

 
At 12:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your point? Young white people are the only ones that matter anyway.

 
At 1:19 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

I meant to emphasize the "likely to move out of the city" part of the sentence. This is an apt description of the elitist cyclists demograhic: They move to the city, act out on our streets, push for changes to our streets---like the Bicycle Plan---that benefit them at the expense of everyone else, and then move to the suburbs.

 
At 2:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Those under age 30 are also more likely to rely on public transportation than those aged 30 to 59."

Missed that though.

And where did they get the statement "likely to move out of the city"? I didn't see that as a question anywhere. Or is that just a broad generalization?

 
At 3:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

and then move to the suburbs - and are replaced by more young white people who then benefit from the bike lanes. Your point is pointless.

 
At 9:46 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

A small minority of obnoxious young white people create a street system to benefit themselves at the expense of the overwhelming majority of people who use city streets. You really think you're doing it for future generations?

 
At 10:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

what about the old and white, of which I am both?

 
At 8:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rob, you never answered where they got "likely to move out of the city" from. I read the report and didn't see a question asking if the participant planned on moving out of the city.

I just seems like a comment like that isn't doing anyone any favors, except maybe you.

 
At 9:27 AM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

You should direct your question to the Controller's office where the report originated, as the link I provided shows.

 
At 9:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I will, you just quote it like it is gospel so I figured you had insider knowledge.

 
At 10:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Young white people are the engine of the economy, and should be catered to over older people who pinch their pennies like they would fly away if they didn't.

 
At 5:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rob was never young, he was born in sweat pants with knowledge beyond all our comprehension.

 
At 10:54 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

Yes, I was a young rad in SF in the Sixties. We had better things to demonstrate against---the war in Vietnam, and Civil Rights. The racism and the homophobia common even in SF at the time was shocking. Willie Mays, the greatest baseball player of all time, had trouble buying a house in SF when the Giants moved to SF from New York. The late, great Lenny Bruce was arrested in SF several times on bogus drug charges and just for doing his act.

It never occurred to us, however, to redesign city streets, but in days of yore we didn't understand the great historical significance of the lowly bicycle or understand the true wickedness of motor vehicles.

 
At 4:17 PM, Blogger Vitaly Gashpar said...

You need to go back a bit further in history, like to the 1880s and then you will realize that the roads are the way they are today (asphalted) because the League of American Wheelmen (a coalition of cyclists) petitioned local governments to asphalt the roads to make transportation by bicycle easier. The first traffic laws were designed to apply to bicyclists. It all began with the bicycle.
Of course, thanks in part to Mr. Ford, cars became abundant and bikes were pushed out of the roads, but it's time to share the road because if it wasn't for bikes in the first place, perhaps Mr. Ford wouldn't have had the roads to test his ingenious inventions.

P.S. I don't believe in posting anonymously.

 

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