President's Blog: BikePartisanship

One of the things I love about bike/ped advocacy is that it is a bipartisan issue. Everybody likes biking and walking! It's healthy and environmental so it appeals to Democrats. It's independent and free so it appeals to Republicans. What is NOT bipartisan is the attacks on bike/ped which typically come from Republicans. Sometimes that leads to the perception that bike/ped issues are a Democrat thing, but that is just not true.

However, it often does seem like bike/ped issues are a Democrat thing so one day I had the opportunity to listen to an online conversation of my friends about how bicycling and walking resonates with conservatives and libertarians.

From Kirksville, MO: "Self reliance. If you can walk 1 mile you can bike 10. Cycling can help with fitness. Someone said, "If you don't have time for exercise then you don't have time to be sick." If one incorporates cycling for transportation they kill 2 birds with one stone. There must be an understanding that this isn't always practical though. Also, it's fun. Today's bikes are so much better than the ones most grew up riding."

From Tennessee: "I believe in small government and personal generosity and personal responsibility. Indiana University determined that 4500 staff/students relied on bike/ped as primary transport. 4,500 car commuters would have required 14 ACRES of expensive and impossible to provide surface parking! Bicycling and walking is an alternative to ObamaCare. Personal responsibility for healthy lifestyle and healthy body reduces reliance on healthcare!"

From Columbia, MO: "Being libertarian is about personal responsibility and personal reliance. It means doing the things yourself and in your community that you don't want the government to do for you. It requires making personal and community decisions that fit the lifestyle that you want. If a community (local or state) wants to leave opportunity and choice to the individual and let neighbors work out the details of their relationships then allow them the means to do so.

Multimodal transportation expands the ability to explore and experience in a free and unencumbered way. Provide opportunities for freedom and let people take the responsibility for their own health and life. Give people more opportunities to choose their own lifestyle and activities."

I enjoyed these perspectives and this conversation encouraged me. Even more encouraging is that a Republican, Representative Nate Walker from District 3 (includes Kirksville), is sponsoring our Bicycle Bill this year to update the Missouri code!

How do bicycling and walking resonate with YOUR politics and philosophy?

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