Although bicycle commuting and transportation is on the rise here in the USA, the bicycle is still commonly associated with pleasure, fitness, recreation and sport. That, I believe, is why cyclists incur resentment and antagonism from drivers: Most Americans drive because their communities and lifestyles all but require it. Even in my hometown of New York City, there are “transportation deserts,” defined as places more than a 15-minute walk from a subway or bus station. Truth be told, many of us who ride to work, school or wherever have other options.
In other parts of the world, the situation is different: People pedal because they don’t have other options. In fact, many associate bicycles with poverty and hard times. Irina Echarry describes this in her article published in today’s Havana Times.
She also draws a very interesting connection: whenever the economy takes a turn for the worse in Cuba, “two things flourish: fields and bikes.” People “turn to planting their own crops so they don’t die of hunger,” she explains, and “turn to bikes so they can keep moving.”
When she draws that comparison between planting a vegetable garden and riding a bike, she is saying that both are means to self-sufficiency, and even survival.
