There’s more to riding than dirt trails & jumps, especially when trading petro for calories during a commute. Behind the scenes there is a lot of action affecting the quality of your ride through the streets of the city in which you live and believe it or not, the people making the decisions determining in a large part that experience welcome the public’s participation with arms open as wide as they can be within the confines of a bureaucracy. OK, that’s a bit of a low-blow but what can I say? “The system” has its limitations.
Yesterday evening we attended the monthly BPAC (Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee) meeting in Reno, NV to get a feel for the city’s approach to accommodating bicycle traffic through infrastructure development. Without being too biased, we present the following observations:
- Seating was limited and although there was ample space for all attendees, early arrival is recommended.
- By nature, those passionate enough to attend such meetings are often the squeaky wheels while those with a less verbal dispositions are not present. That is often the case for government meetings allowing public input. However, even if one does not want to speak there is much to be learned by listening.
- Great input was offered by those in attendance but attendance was low. Only a small handful of us bike junkies were there.
- The BPAC committee members/city staff were more welcoming & concerned with public opinions than might be expected. There are some approachable people on board.
- Back to the bureaucracy: These people are bound by a million constraints with every decision and while they are our connection to infrastructure design, they may or may not themselves be as passionate or knowledgeable about the riding experience as we are. Regardless, they deserve to be treated in a professional manner which can require damping our passion a bit i.e. NOT interrupting, NOT being disruptive, etc.
Some of these observations stem from experience in bureaucratic settings and are so partially inferred, but I am suspecting not far off the mark. Time will tell as more of these meetings are attended in our efforts to provide advocacy for the bicycle community. If you’re in the Reno area and would like to attend, see the link above or contact us at: info@project-freeride.org and we’ll be happy to steer you that way. If you reside anywhere else there is likely a similar committee in your town so get involved!
project: freeride 