Velosophe

“It’s Not Like Riding a Bike Will Change Anything”

April 7, 2016 by Bernhard

I suspect a recurring theme on this blog will be: what’s the point? My inaugural post starts by facing this existential question. In a world where free-will seems dubious, or at least impotent in the face of powers beyond one’s control, and where one’s actions appear so insignificant and futile, what of ethics? I’ve routinely encountered detractors who, while seemingly not in the midst of existential crises, have expressed doubt, if not disdain, of the personal ethical decisions of others […]

Categories: Bicycles, Environment, Ethics, Philosophy • Tags: bikes, ethics, moral philosophy

Etiquette and Infrastructure

March 24, 2016 by Bernhard

In Toronto, where I do most of my biking, bike ridership is growing, but a fully-fledged bike culture has yet to emerge. I mean this in as broad a sense as possible. There are certainly cyclists, and bike scenes, and various cycling-subcultures. But cycling has yet to become fully integrated into the fabric of the city. A large percentage of the cyclists on the road are relatively new cyclists, and are fairly inexperienced at cycling amongst others. As such, one […]

Categories: Bicycles

Why do People Make Fun of Spandex Bike Clothes?

March 16, 2016 by Bernhard

Steven Herrick at the Guardian wonders: Why do people make fun of spandex bike clothing? It is a peculiar phenomenon for cyclists. When people find out that I’m “a cyclist” (which is often how I get introduced in social settings by friends), I routinely get asked, “You’re not one of those people who wears tight bike shorts, are you?” When I reply in the affirmative, I get variations on perplexed or even disgusted looks. I’ll answer the question with a […]

Categories: Bicycles, Ethics • Tags: gender, homophobia, masculinity, sexism

On Bicycles and Philosophy, or, Why I Write

March 15, 2016 by Bernhard

After struggling for years to come up with a relatively focused topic to write about, I’ve finally stumbled upon one. It was actually pretty easy, I just combined my two favourite things: bicycles and philosophy. So, yeah bicycles are cool, but what’s the point of philosophy? I return to this question periodically at times of heightened cynicism. The question could be phrased even more broadly and more cynically: what’s the point? For a (ersatz) philosopher I am rather sceptical about […]

Categories: Bicycles, Ethics, Philosophy

The Conference Board of Canada Greatly Overestimates the Degree to which Drivers Cover Road Costs

November 19, 2013 by Bernhard

Recently the Conference Board of Canada released a study that claims that upwards to 90% of Ontario road costs are covered by drivers. The purported findings of the study were gleefully touted by all major news sources, and if one was careless enough to read appending user-comments, one could expect that they were rife with remarks of smug self-satisfaction and entitlement, and perhaps claims of moral superiority in the horrific “war on cars.” I was immediately sceptical of the findings […]

Categories: Economy, Transportation • Tags: cars, Conference Board of Canada, road costs, transportation

The Publicly-Funded Convenience of Cars

September 27, 2013 by Bernhard

Like most issues, people engage with transportation mainly in an individualistic way. Hence most “debate” about transportation infrastructure, as in this predictable piece, merely amounts to recounting a set of personal anecdotes such as seeing cyclists riding on sidewalks, without extrapolating any broader insights beyond expressing one’s peevishness. Maybe this is just systemic – people are “inherently” selfish (or encouraged to be so), and have great difficulty considering some issue beyond their immediately personal wants and experiences – say on a […]

Categories: Environment, Politics, Toronto, Transportation • Tags: cars, cycling, public transit, transportation infrastructure

Do Cyclists Pay for Drivers’ Use of Toronto Roads?

March 12, 2013 by Bernhard

The insinuation that cyclists do not pay for roads (with the further implication that motorists are paying for cyclists’ use of roads) is a well-worn refrain from motorists who are unenthusiastic, to say the least, about sharing road space with people on bicycles. The main thrust of the cyclists-are-freeloaders argument stems from the notion that roads are chiefly paid for by revenue schemes that are dependent on the production, sale, and operation of cars. Motorists pay licensing fees, fuel-taxes, and […]

Categories: Economy, Toronto • Tags: Bicycles, cost of roads, cycling, road infrastructure, road subsidies, Toronto, war on bikes, war on cars

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