We've Done It

With your help we've successfully completed our first round of fund-raising for the film. We started our Indiegogo campaign not knowing what to expect. No one on our team had ever raised money that way before and we weren't really sure how to proceed. It's one thing to get people to view your trailer, to draw traffic to your website, and another thing entirely to get people to open up their wallets and donate their hard earned cash.

We had a feeling that The Bicycle City would resonate with people, especially today when so many cities around the United States and elsewhere are beginning to seriously integrate bicycles into their transportation systems. But we didn't know that our idea would strike such an emotional core in so many people around the globe. So much so that people from all over the world were willing to contribute their ideas, their money, their time translating footage, their energy spreading the The Bicycle City on their social networks.

And as we gear up for another round of fund-raising, we hope that all of you who have supported us over the last few months continue to do so. If you have any ideas you want to share about anything, do not hesitate to drop us a note at info@thebicyclecityfilm.com.

As always, we are grateful for your support, and your spreading the word about our film.

Much Ado About Some Green Paint

The bike lane controversy in New York City is puzzling to me. For those of you not familiar with the brouhaha, here is a quick summary: the city Transportation Commissioner is a huge proponent of bicycles as an alternative mode of transpiration. As such, she has pushed through the installation of bike lanes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, leaving behind a trail of vociferous unhappy New Yorkers. Some people are against them because they think they are ugly; others don’t like the reduced street parking, and yet others think they are not safe for pedestrians.

Proponents of the bike lanes argue that bicycles are environmentally friendly addition to our smog chocked streets and that bike lanes makes biking safer for everyone. The controversy has left the City government trying to convince people bike lanes are good for them (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/nyregion/30bike.html).

Sometimes I think people just like to argue. Regardless which side of the issue you are, I think it’s amazing that we can even have such a conversation. Ultimately, whether we have access to bikes and bike lanes really makes no difference: life will go on. We are blessed with a good public transportation system and we live in a rich country where car ownership is accessible and gas is relatively cheap. Ours is a lifestyle of multiple choices.

By contrast, for millions of people in developing countries having access to reliable transpiration can mean the difference between a life of abject poverty and the ability to earn one’s sustenance. For New Yorkers, bikes are a nice way to get around; maybe a cause or a lifestyle. But for someone in a town like Rivas, a bicycle is an absolute necessity.

There, bikes provide cheap and reliable transportation that doesn’t require paved roads or fuel. They are a simple, affordable solution to the complex problem of providing people mobility so that they can get to school or to work.

As we sit here in our corner of the developed world and argue whether bike lanes are aesthetically pleasing and whether the bicycle speed limit in Central Park should be enforced, many more people on this planet struggle to get their hands on a bike for their survival. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and reflect how lucky we are.

By Fe

The Humble Bicycle

When I was first introduced to Pedals for Progress about a decade ago I knew I had to find a way to share their story with the world. It was enlightening to me that a device as simple as the bicycle could have such a dramatic effect on someones life. But it makes perfect sense. Mobility is a prerequisite to participation in almost all sectors of society, from health-care, to politics, to education, to business. And the bicycle is perhaps the perfect tool to enable people to get the mobility they need, especially in the developing world.

Bikes are affordable, they are easy to maintain, they are environmentally friendly, they promote the health of the people riding them, and when used by a vast majority of the people, they can bring a community closer together. When you ride a bike you are out in the world, not secluded from it. You can wave and speak to your neighbors as you pedal by to your destination. 

Not only is our film the story of how the bicycle has allowed people a new sense of personal responsibility and dignity, by allowing them the opportunities to provide for themselves, but it is very much a story of a community struggling to find the best way forward after a very difficult period in its history.

Perhaps we in the developed world can learn a lesson or two from the people of Rivas. We are also entering a very difficult period. Our economies are singularly focused on the consumption of fossil fuels which are not only, as you know, environmentally damaging, but are also running out. Our reliance on the automobile has spurred an unsustainable suburban sprawl across the landscape. And our population, at least here in the United States, is becoming increasingly unhealthy.

Maybe the bicycle isn't the solution for every one of the monumental challenges we face, but maybe the lesson we can take from the example set by the people of Rivas is that solutions come in many ways, and that the simplest solutions to our problems are often overlooked.

To the Bloggers

We really appreciate all the bloggers out there who have posted our trailer. That's awesome. We've already gotten a lot of great exposure thanks to you.

If you get a chance check out some of the blogs that posted our trailer below:

http://bikerumor.com
http://gomeansgo.org
http://freerider.ro
http://prollyisnotprobably.com
http://councilofdoombc.blogspot.com
http://thrashbike.com
http://bikelanediary.blogspot.com
http://cyclotomy.com