on biking

They may be onto something. For the most part, this state has an amazing quantity of places to bike (lots of dedicated trails). That even trickles down to Milwaukee, where there are tons of bike lanes, and two bike trails that can get you through a good chunk of the city with minimal car contact.

The two main negatives (I won't mention the lack of bike racks on buses, which is just insanely regressive) I encounter on my commute are:

1. Freaked out drivers. When I commuted in Chicago, the drivers were aggressive, but predictably so. You knew that they were going to do whatever they could to get the upper hand. Here, it's the opposite. Drivers are dangerously passive. They lag behind and try to wave you through stop signs even if they get there before you. It all amounts to a lot of confusion, which could lead to accidents. Thankfully, I've yet to be in one myself. But in a nutshell, while there's a good cycling infrastructure, there isn't much familiarity with cyclists. Mainly because most people don't bike; they don't take advantage of everything that's been set up for bikers. Most people drive everywhere allthetime. Drivers would be better equipped to deal with cyclists if they took the time to be cyclists themselves.

2. First Street. This is potentially the most dangerous, bike-unfriendly stretch of the city. There aren't bike lanes. Cars barrel down it, and there are turn offs for the highway, so cars are always racing to pass you so they can turn to get to the highway posthaste. Then there's the whole junction of KK/Clement/Mitchell. If you are trying to go toward KK (which most Bay Viewers are), it's insanely perilous move through the lanes of traffic to get to the proper lane that'll take you straight. I fear this part of the city every day.

Two things I like best about cycling here (as of today) are:

1. The guy who couldn't wait. He was urinating while waiting for the bus on 1st Street during rush hour, not entirely facing away from traffic. He looked like Curly Howard in a dirty, white, over-sized winter coat.

2. At 7:30 this morning, a guy waxing his car in Humboldt Park. As his right hand worked the rag, he braced himself with his left hand, which had only four fingers.