My letter to the Editor of our local weekly, The Weekly Planet is below. I sent it today and the new week's paper came out today so I
doubt it will get published but here it is for your review.
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My heart jumped as I shoved the latest Weekly Planet into my
girlfriend's face with excitement about the cover article. Bicycling! They get it!
Sadly and frustratingly, you did not get it. Similar articles have become commonplace around the country. Gas is expensive; I will ride my bike everywhere instead of driving! Ending, predictably, with a defeated writer and a forgotten bicycle. A fresh approach to the topic might be: Hey! Gas is expensive, the planet is dying and riding a bike once in a while might be a step in the right direction.
Personally, I don't ride my bike everywhere. I still use my car many days and for many trips. But I ride my bike for utility, too. I go to dinner with my girlfriend on my bike. I occasionally ride to work on my bike. I ride to the grocery to pick up a few things. Of course I could ride more, but I don't see this as an all or none issue. Consider that, by riding to work one day a week, I have cut both fuel cost to me and emmisions to our atmosphere by one fifth for the week.
So, in direct response to the defeated last thoughts of Bill Gifford's article: I have never passed a gas station and mused that the gas wasn't that costly, but I often watch with envy as a bicyclist passes my idling car as I wait in traffic.
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Eh, made me feel better to write it either way.
2 comments:
well said.
It's a fine letter. I did not get weekly planet last week. I got to Xtreme Juice too late and they were all already gone. Oh, the pain.
I will most definitely keep an eye out for the next several isues in case you are published.
I don't ride my bike. Anywhere. I don't even HAVE a bike. I did, but I gave it to the neighbor kid because her parents couldn't afford a new one for her, and mine was just sitting in the shed taking up room.
Every time I tried to ride with the dogs, a peacock would inevitably shoo by and Splash would go stark raving insane and I would be airborne.
But if we had a nicer area to ride, and my girlfriend would ride with me, I would love to ride.
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