The "Bikelash" Phenomenon (and Why It Shouldn't Scare Local Leaders)

 

Special guest hosts Rachel Quednau, Strong Towns Program Director, and John Reuter, Strong Towns Board Member.

You may have noticed that bike lane projects tend to draw ire from neighborhood residents, but once they’re actually in place, residents realize they like their community when it’s more people centered and less car centered. Moreover, they tend to vote to reelect local leaders who implemented the bike projects in the first place.

A recent article from The Guardian examines this pattern in different international cities, where new bike infrastructure is first created, and, subsequently, the local leader (usually a mayor) who led the project gets reelected. This, in spite of the backlash (or, if you like, “bikelash”) that such bike projects get in angry tweets and article headlines.

The reasons behind this phenomenon are the subject of this week’s episode of Upzoned—hosted by special guests Strong Towns Program Director Rachel Quednau (who also hosts The Bottom-Up Revolution) and Strong Towns Board Member John Reuter.

By the way, it’s also Member Week at Strong Towns, and podcasts like Upzoned wouldn’t be possible without the support of our members! So join today to support the movement and help get this message out to more people who, like you, believe in making our places stronger and more financially resilient.

 
 
You May Also Like
3 Ways National Bike To Work Day Can Miss the Mark
Tiffany Owens Reed
3 Ways National Bike To Work Day Can Miss the Mark
Tiffany Owens Reed

An initiative that encourages people to use a bike instead of a car seems like a good thing, but does National Bike to Work Day actually encourage bikeability?

Tiffany Owens Reed
Cincinnati Pledges $200K in Funding for Popular Bikeshare Service
Strong Towns
Cincinnati Pledges $200K in Funding for Popular Bikeshare Service
Strong Towns

The city of Cincinnati has pledged $200k to keep the popular bikeshare program Red Bike alive for another year. Joining us to talk about bikeshare programs and Red Bike’s financial difficulties is Bryce Mortera, a member of Civic Cincinnati. Are these programs really beneficial for residents? And if so, is there a more sustainable way to fund them than relying on sponsors?

Strong Towns
Boo! DC Reverses Plan To Add Bike Lanes to Major City Street
Ben Abramson
Boo! DC Reverses Plan To Add Bike Lanes to Major City Street
Ben Abramson

In a frustrating move for road safety advocates, Washington, DC’s, Department of Transportation has canceled its plans to add bike lanes to a major city street. The decision comes after years of delays and despite the approval of all affected advisory commissions.

Ben Abramson
 
 
Featured
Rachel Quednau
Rachel Quednau

Rachel Quednau serves as Program Director at Strong Towns. Trained in dialogue facilitation and mediation, she is devoted to building understanding across lines of difference. Previously, Rachel worked for several organizations fighting to end homelessness and promote safe, affordable housing at the federal and local levels. Rachel also served as Content Manager for Strong Towns from 2015-2018. A native Minnesotan and honorary Wisconsinite, Rachel received a Masters in Religion, Ethics, and Politics from Harvard Divinity School and a Certificate in Conflict Transformation from the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium, both in 2020. She currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband and young son. One of her favorite ways to get to know a new city is by going for a walk in it.

Featured
John T. Reuter
John T. Reuter

John Reuter has spent much of his life working and living in the West. Born into a Greek sheep ranching family, he grew up in a small logging town in Oregon, went to school at the College of Idaho, and now lives in Boston. While in college, he co-founded the Sandpoint Reader, a weekly arts and entertainment newspaper and later freelanced for regional and national publications, including the Washington Post. He continues to write a monthly column for the Spokane Inlander. In 2007, he was appointed and then elected to be the youngest city council member in Sandpoint, Idaho’s history and then selected by his peers to be Council President. John serves on the Board of Directors for Strong Towns and is a Strong Towns Fellow. He's particularly drawn to the notion that economic development is a community endeavor not just belonging to the planners.

 
Podcast, Top StoryStrong Townspodcast, bikeability, bikes, bike lanes, local government, upzoned, member week