Rethinking Lifestyle

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a promoter of cycling. I have contended that travelling by bike between any two points in Steinbach is not a hardship for any healthy person. In the past I have made this assertion as a healthy person. Today I am no longer a healthy person, nevertheless I still want to make the case for using a cycle.

Just over a year ago my doctor advised me that I have amyloidosis, a blood cancer. I have benefited from chemotherapy, and am now in remission. The disease affects my ability to cycle in two ways. I have much less energy and strength, and I no longer have a good sense of balance.

So what have I done? I have acquired an adult tricycle. This has dealt with the balance issue most effectively. A trike handles differently than a bike, but it has not been hard to get used to that. Then I have added electric assist to the trike. This has helped me with my lack energy and strength. All parts of Steinbach are again within cycling distance.

So why cycle when I could use my car? The reasons for using a trike or a bike are the same. The rewards for cycling accrue to the the rider, the city and the planet. Here are the rewards:

Cycling is fun and healthy! This can be a leisurely cruise to work or around town, or a hard cycle on the weekend. We all know we are not getting enough exercise. Cycling, instead of taking the car, can give us much of the exercise our bodies need. Cyclists are healthier and more fit than people for whom the default transportation is the car. This is true of both, adults and children.

Cycling and walking promote community. If you are riding in your car and you see a friend or neighbour, the best you will do is give a little wave behind the glass, which the friend or neighbour is unlikely to see. If you encounter that friend or neighbour while cycling or walking, the encounter is likely to result in some conversation.

Think of what Steinbach would be like if the default for getting around town were the bicycle. Think of how much less tarmac we would have. Think of how much of the current tarmac would be green space. Or, if not more green space, how about a denser community. Our tax bill would be significantly lower. More land would be left for food production.

And, of course, there is the planet! We have long known that we need to temper our plunder of the planet that makes life possible. But recent wildfires in BC, California and Greece have dramatized the need to change the way we are treating the planet. Business as usual will not do if we want our planet to continue to be life-supporting. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, while not as dramatic as a wildfire, underlines that we need to find ways of dealing with our addiction to consumption and extraction if we want the planet to be habitable.

We need government action if we are to make the necessary changes, but we need individual action to. A shift from the car to a cycle is one thing we all can do.

And all of the above applies to winter cycling as well. The Manitoba saying that “There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing,” applies.