After the past four years, it makes a nice change to be able to report on some positive political news from across the pond…Joe Biden’s secretary for transportation Pete Buttigieg was speaking at the National Bike Summit this week and had plenty of nice things to say about his plans for the future of cycling in the States. Notably, emphasising that he wants to “build a culture of cycling”.
“I come from an auto-making part of the country, and we’re proud of it,” said Buttigieg. “But we can definitely be more of a bicycling country. If you just get to a certain tipping point, and it’s not much — about 2% in terms of the rate of people who commute to work by bike — you tend to see step changes in terms of safety probably because motorists are more conscious and aware of people on bicycles as a matter of routine. So it’s building up that culture of cycling.”
“What I can say is that whether it’s hard resources or whether it’s moral support, you’re going to see a lot of energy coming from my office and my team to help move things along. We’re going to be a better safer, cleaner, and greener country the more people have safe options to get around on two wheels.”
Buttigieg also recalled how a 2014 trip to Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Oslo tilted his perspective towards the possibility of a greener future for the US, with cycling at its heart. “We came back from that really inspired,” Buttigieg explained. “How great infrastructure and bike culture and conscious and intentional choices in countries that used to be as car-dependent as we are in many ways can keep people moving through winters.”
