Why should I
join the VVCC?
That's a good question. Depending on who you are, what you're
concerned about, where you ride, the answer is going to be different.
Here are nine common concerns, and some honest answers:
1) Q: "Why do we need a bike
coalition in the first place?"
A: Suppose you wanted a bikeway built in your area. You
could write a letter to the editor. Maybe go to a city council meeting. You
could say, "I want the City of (Cottonwood, Sedona, Cornville,
Jerome, Camp Verde, whatever) to construct a bikeway." And the
council members would all stand and applaud and the bikeway would be
finished in a couple of weeks.... right? Unless you're hopelessly naive, you
know that isn't how it works. But when a group of hundreds of taxpaying
citizens asks for action, there's a good chance they can get it to happen.
2) Q: "I'm not really that
serious. I just got a bike and I want to ride it around. I'm not a pro or
anything. Why should I join?"
A: If you're anything like the average person, then the
first time you take that new bike for a ride, you may realize that there
aren't that many places to ride. Most new riders are afraid of traffic. If
you've ever wished that the roads were a little more bicycle-friendly, then
you want exactly what we're working for. Most of our members
are just regular folks who like to ride their bikes.
3) Q: "I'm not a beginner or a
road rider, I'm a hardcore mountain biker. Why should I join?"
A: Our club's founder and chairman, Randy Victory, is a
former mountain bike racer and is originally from Marin County. He's seen
firsthand how trail access can be taken away, and is committed to forging
productive relationships with other user groups. Our organization's primary
trail advocate, Ian Wickson, was appalled on a recent visit to the Rocky
Ridge Trail up in Flagstaff - the rocks had been removed and the trail had
been turned into something he could take his Grandmother down. Our leaders
understand the value of technically challenging trails. And they know that
sometimes you use the road to ride to those trails.
4) Q: "How do I know that I'm
not joining some nutcake organization loaded with bleeding-heart liberals or
gun-totin' conservatives?"
A: Actually, our members come from every part of
the human spectrum. Male, female, old, young, Republican, Democrat,
Libertarian, conservative, liberal, vegetarian, carnivorous, armed,
unarmed, roadie, mountain biker, recumbent rider, beginner, expert, big,
skinny, tall, short, loud, quiet..... you name it. The one thing we have in
common is that we like to ride. The only thing we work for is better
conditions for bikes and pedestrians.
5) Q: "I don't even own a bike.
I drive my car everywhere. Why should I join?"
A: Uh, so we can talk you into buying a bike!! Okay...
just kidding. If you've ever driven down a street with bikes on it and
wished that they'd get out of the way, then you may be pleased to know that
we are working to create bike-friendly roads with the width and construction
that makes sharing the road easy for motorists. Or if you've ever been
surprised by a bike suddenly coming towards you at night (wrong way, no
lights) or running a stop sign right in front of you, then you might find it
encouraging that we're committed to educating cyclists. Most bicyclists
don't break the rules because they're scofflaws, heck, they don't even know
what the rules are in the first place! And for you busy parents, imagine a
bike/pedestrian-friendly community that would free you from your daily role
as chauffeur! About 6% of our membership are motorists who do not ride at
all!
6) Q: "I'd join but it will
take up lots of time."
A: No, it really won't. Most members just join and that's
it. About 20% are really, really active. The rest simply add their
collective voices to everyone else's, so that progress can be made.
7) Q: "If I join, you will send
me lots of junk mail, telephone me endlessly, and put me on every spam
e-mail list in the country."
A: No, not really. We don't send out much snail mail,
it's too expensive. And no one in this Coalition has the time to make
hundreds of calls. OK, we DO send out about 20 e-mail updates a year, mostly
to let folks know if there are rides happening or stuff like that, but your
e-mail address is kept confidential. In fact, all information is kept
confidential. Our leaders, it turns out, are even more afraid of
telemarketers and the Government than they are of heavily trafficked
roads or rock-strewn trails.
8) Q: "You know, I'm an
experienced road-biker who's been riding around here for years. This sounds
okay, but it's not for me."
A: If you're 'an experienced road-biker who's been
riding around here for years' then when was the last time someone
yelled "Get Off The Road", or threw a cup of ice at you (except for last
July... that would've been okay). An infrastructure that accommodates bikes
can reduce the amount of friction between road users. A simple stripe down
the road tells motorists that we have a place here, and reminds them to be a
little more aware.
9) Q: "I'm not a joiner."
A: Actually, by default, you've already joined
the huge numbers of Americans who don't really care. Here's a chance to
reverse that, and at a local level to boot! As has often been said, "If you
choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
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