EcoVelo posted today about an article in the NY Times fantasizing about the economically depressed city of Detroit as a new bike haven. Check it out here.
I grew up about a mile from Detroit, and I would love to see the city as a cycling utopia. The article talks about how with the people (and therefore the people's cars) moving out of the city, bike commuters and bike shops are beginning to thrive. Maybe a change in economic focus - from auto to velo - is just what the doctor ordered! As the author of the New York Times article, Toby Barlow, says:
"Maybe it sounds far-fetched, but then again maybe it’s just destiny. Look at a map and you’ll see that Detroit is designed in the shape of a wheel, with streets emanating like spokes from the downtown hub. It looks like a premonition, a city uniquely designed to alter transportation forever.
"So, who knows, maybe the bike will follow the car. After all, it’s happened before. In 1896, when Charles B. King steered Detroit’s first automobile across its cobbled streets, following King’s progress with a keen and intelligent interest was Henry Ford, riding on a bicycle."
No comments:
Post a Comment