The past few years, I've had this vague sense that bicycling has a greater significance than most of us realize. I'm mostly an urban walker and I commute by foot, not bike, but I've seen more and more people riding in Seattle, especially in recent months. This gives me a good feeling, but I haven't really been able to articulate the deeper meaning of the biking resurgence. Then the other day, when I was browsing at Seattle's downtown public library, I came across a book called, "Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life." Published in early 2008 and written by J. Harry Wray, a political science professor at DePaul University in Chicago, this book crystallizes those vague thoughts I've had by really delving into the social, environmental and political implications of biking.

 

Wray, an avid cyclist himself, actually teaches a class at DePaul called "Biking and Politics." As part of the class, his students take rides all over Chicago. In his book, and probably in his class as well, he skillfully explains the role the bicycle is playing in cultural and political changes in America.

 

I read this 220-page book in about a week, and I got a lot out of it. Beginning with a description of a bike trip he took across the U.S. in the 70s, he then provides a long and fascinating account of the biking culture in Amsterdam. Then he comes back to America and does a nice job showing why interest in biking languished here for so long. "The cultural struts of individualism and materialism," he points out, "are distinctively American and... shed light on why bike friendliness has lagged in the United States."  

 

But things are changing, and most of the book is devoted to a lively account of these positive developments. Wray gives examples from around the country of how bicycle groups, activists and biking-supportive politicians are pointing our country in a new direction. Not surprisingly, bike-mecca Portland gets a lot of ink, with the Portland-based bike advocacy groups SHIFT and Bicycle Transportation Alliance both featured prominently. Wray also profiles U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer from Portland (although the heading for this section unfortunately misspells his name), who bikes to his office in Washington D.C. and has been an outspoken leader on bicycling and mass transit issues.

 

This book isn't perfect. It loses steam at the end, and the photos used are mostly amateurish and poorly-chosen. But Wray is a good writer, and he makes a strong case for the power of people on two wheels. I believe many folks would be inspired by this book, as I was. You can find it for under $12 (a used copy, including shipping) on Amazon.com, or look for it at your local library.