I’m sipping coffee and browsing the Internet when a young man wearing a BMX helmet enters the coffee shop. He walks to the counter, his messenger bag slung across his back and starts chatting with the barista.

Tom Birks

I don’t hear the beginning of the conversation but my ears prick up when I hear the guy say, “I don’t care if it alienates me from the biking community, I want a car.” Glancing out the window toward the snow and ice and abnormally cold weather I empathize with his frustration. It’s hasn’t been easy riding a bike this winter. My curiosity is stronger than this empathy though. I can’t help but wonder if buying a car really would estrange him from his bike-riding friends. Most of the cyclists I know own cars, but this guy appears to be a least ten years my junior.

Maybe his friends, those hip kids with their fixed-gear bikes don’t own cars. Perhaps buying a car would be considered un-cool amongst his group. It’s something to think about.

Another thought enters and soon occupies my mind. Would a car be any better than a bike for dealing with the conditions that this winter has dealt Denver? It doesn’t seem that motorists are having an easy time with the roads. Sure, all the snow and ice makes it difficult to ride a bike, but it doesn’t appear to be a picnic for drivers either. I’ve watched my neighbors as they shovel out their cars after each snowfall. They get up early and start the engine so the interior will be warm and the windows will thaw. They scrape ice off the windows and brush snow off the rest of the car. After finally getting out of the parking spot they can begin the treacherous trip to work. On the other hand, I simply grab my bike from its resting place and guide it out the front door.

When the tires hit the ice and snow staying in control can be difficult. It’s not easy but riding a bike in these conditions does have its advantages. For one it’s not really possible to get stuck. When your two-ton four-wheeled vehicle loses traction its tires spin and grapple for grip and chances are there’s none to be had. Before you know it you’re stranded in the middle of the road praying for someone to rescue you. On a bike if it’s too slippery for your tires to move you forward you just get off and walk the bike. If it’s impossible for your bike to continue the trip you can put it on the rack of the nearest RTD bus or if your destination is nearby you can finish the trip on foot.

Slippery road conditions encourage accidents. That’s as true for riding a bike as it is for driving a car. This winter has given many of Denver’s automobiles smashed headlights, dented sheet metal and other unwanted gifts. On my bike I’ve had several incidents due to icy streets. If you lose your balance on the ice you can go down quickly but I’ve encountered no insurance claims or notable damage to my bike or body. Maybe I’m just lucky. Or could it be that losing control of a 25-pound bicycle is less dangerous for everyone involved than losing control of a vehicle that weighs hundreds of times more? Might it be than a bicycle can’t go much faster than the conditions will allow while a car needs to be constantly restrained to maintain safety in bad weather?

So while I understand the young man’s frustration I also can also predict that buying a car won’t eliminate it. This winter has made it hard to get around. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been biking or driving or walking or taking public transit. Everyone has had to deal with the challenges that this winter’s weather has presented.

Weeks go by. The sun comes out and temperatures warm. The ice recedes from the streets. I’m eating a vegetarian burrito and talking with my brother when the same young man wearing the same BMX helmet enters the burrito shop. Maybe he’s purchased a car. Maybe he hasn’t. Today he’s riding his bike.

by Tom Birks, BikeDenver Volunteer

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