The things you read in adolescence never really leave you, even if you stop believing whatever they teach you.
For some people, the things they read passionately during their teen years include the Bible or other holy books. Some people continue to immerse themselves in such texts. But even if you convert to another religion or become an atheist, whatever holy text you read (or were fed) when you were young continues to influence your thinking.
For other people, those literary works might include Atlas Shrugged. I have to admit, it (and The Fountainhead) had a hold on me for a time in my life. As John Rogers has pointed out, AS or The Lord of the Rings "can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life. Of those books, he says, "one is "a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with unbelievable heroes," which leads "to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood" in which one is "unable to deal with the real world." The other of those two books, he says, "involves orcs."
My mind was also seized, at various times, by Les Miserables, Fathers and Sons and A Tale of Two Cities, as well as poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Hilda Doolittle. And, since my "formative years" as a person also just happened to be the years I was born, if you will, as a cyclist, I was--and continue to be--influenced by three cycling books in particular. One is Eugene Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling because it was the first comprehensive book about cycling I read--or even saw. Before I encountered it, I didn't even know that books about bicycling existed.
Next came Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book, from which I began to teach myself how to fix my bike. It also taught me about writing and teaching, even though I really wasn't thinking about becoming an educator or writer. He had a "light touch": He took his information seriously, but could convey it in a friendly, even humorous, style.
Later, another cyclist would introduce me to what might be one of the most controversial cycling books of all time. What made it controversial is that it wasn't just a cycling book: It was also a critique of the way urban planners were treating cyclists--and of the way cyclists saw, not only traffic, but themselves.
That book is Effective Cycling. When its first edition was published in the late 1970s, some cities were building bike lanes and even installing separate signs and signals for cyclists. The thesis of EC was that all such efforts were misguided or wrongheaded. In order to become viable options for transportation, planners and cyclists themselves had to treat the bicyclists as vehicle operators rather than as faster pedestrians.
Its author, John Forester, was a lifelong cyclist who became an activist and advocate. That avocation began in the early 1970s, when he was ticketed for cycling on a street rather than the adjacent bike lane. He fought--and beat--the ticket because, as an engineer and planner, he was able to demonstrate that cycling in the bike lane was indeed more dangerous than cycling in the street.
Although his arguments had merit, they gained little traction among planners who, for the most part, perpetuated the mistakes he railed against. One reason why those ideas weren't more widely implemented is that they were (and are) radical and therefore a threat to established notions about automotive and bicycle traffic. Another reason might have been his style, which--in contrast to Sloane's earnestness and Cuthbertson's humor and relatability--was often called "preachy" or even "abrasive".
Whatever you think of his idea of the "bicycle as vehicle," his critiques of bike lanes and policies were spot-on. Unfortunately, four decades after EC's initial publication, I make some of the very same criticisms in this blog.
His long career--and his cycling--continued almost until the end of his life, which came last Tuesday. He was 90 years old.
For some people, the things they read passionately during their teen years include the Bible or other holy books. Some people continue to immerse themselves in such texts. But even if you convert to another religion or become an atheist, whatever holy text you read (or were fed) when you were young continues to influence your thinking.
For other people, those literary works might include Atlas Shrugged. I have to admit, it (and The Fountainhead) had a hold on me for a time in my life. As John Rogers has pointed out, AS or The Lord of the Rings "can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life. Of those books, he says, "one is "a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with unbelievable heroes," which leads "to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood" in which one is "unable to deal with the real world." The other of those two books, he says, "involves orcs."
My mind was also seized, at various times, by Les Miserables, Fathers and Sons and A Tale of Two Cities, as well as poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Hilda Doolittle. And, since my "formative years" as a person also just happened to be the years I was born, if you will, as a cyclist, I was--and continue to be--influenced by three cycling books in particular. One is Eugene Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling because it was the first comprehensive book about cycling I read--or even saw. Before I encountered it, I didn't even know that books about bicycling existed.
Next came Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book, from which I began to teach myself how to fix my bike. It also taught me about writing and teaching, even though I really wasn't thinking about becoming an educator or writer. He had a "light touch": He took his information seriously, but could convey it in a friendly, even humorous, style.
Later, another cyclist would introduce me to what might be one of the most controversial cycling books of all time. What made it controversial is that it wasn't just a cycling book: It was also a critique of the way urban planners were treating cyclists--and of the way cyclists saw, not only traffic, but themselves.
That book is Effective Cycling. When its first edition was published in the late 1970s, some cities were building bike lanes and even installing separate signs and signals for cyclists. The thesis of EC was that all such efforts were misguided or wrongheaded. In order to become viable options for transportation, planners and cyclists themselves had to treat the bicyclists as vehicle operators rather than as faster pedestrians.
Its author, John Forester, was a lifelong cyclist who became an activist and advocate. That avocation began in the early 1970s, when he was ticketed for cycling on a street rather than the adjacent bike lane. He fought--and beat--the ticket because, as an engineer and planner, he was able to demonstrate that cycling in the bike lane was indeed more dangerous than cycling in the street.
Although his arguments had merit, they gained little traction among planners who, for the most part, perpetuated the mistakes he railed against. One reason why those ideas weren't more widely implemented is that they were (and are) radical and therefore a threat to established notions about automotive and bicycle traffic. Another reason might have been his style, which--in contrast to Sloane's earnestness and Cuthbertson's humor and relatability--was often called "preachy" or even "abrasive".
Whatever you think of his idea of the "bicycle as vehicle," his critiques of bike lanes and policies were spot-on. Unfortunately, four decades after EC's initial publication, I make some of the very same criticisms in this blog.
His long career--and his cycling--continued almost until the end of his life, which came last Tuesday. He was 90 years old.
Actually, the thesis of EC is that cyclists fare best when they act as operators of vehicles. That is FAR different than the discussion about the advisablity of bike lanes and other infrastructure. That advisability is a main thesis in his OTHER seminal book - "Bicycle Transportation." EC principles provide "the best way" to operate a bike in various circumstances, whether one is on a separated path, a regular street, or a major highway. Unfortunately, in some circumstances, cyclists are prosecuted for acting as operators of vehicles and some well-intended bike facilities discourage such operation. And, to your credit, you have not been shy of criticisms when they are deserved.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, "preachy" and "abrasive" understate things.
ReplyDeleteSteve—It’s been a while since I’ve looked at “Effective Cycling” or “Bicycle Transportation,” which is why I conflated them. Thank you for pointing out my error.
ReplyDelete