Ika Makimaki
So tired of our media farming outrage clicks by stoking a pointless culture war against bicycles, that in the end hurts everyone.
Cyclists are worse off, children are worse off, the environment is worse off, public finances are worse off, and even motorists are worse off.
The only ones who benefit from the anti bike rhetoric are car companies and the fossil fuel industry.
(*looks at the ads*.... ohhhh that's right)
Ika Makimaki
They pretend to not see the irony of saying that riding a bike is elitist.
The bike you can get cheap and ride free forever, with maintenance you can do or get done for little, that doesn't require license or insurance, and that anyone any age can use.
But it's not elitist to require everyone to own a much more expensive car, with yearly insurance and maintenance costs, that you pay heaps to run and that may kill you and those around you if you ever make a mistake.
Ika Makimaki
They'll title their piece something like "Council just spent 1 bajillion dollars on a bike rack" and when you actually read the article they're talking about a project that demolished and rebuilt an entire street, upgraded pipes, power, traffic, got new signage, added all kinds of upgrades and yes, included a bike rack (that by itself cost maybe a couple of thousand dollars).
😩
Ika Makimaki
Often the same columnists who frequently criticise younger generations for being "sensitive snowflakes" and complain about how people these days need to 'harden up' and be tough, will be the ones writing about how it's impossible to ride a bicycle anyway because sometimes it might rain, or perhaps there'll be a hill on the way.
Or you know, maybe once a decade you'll buy a new refrigerator. Touche, can't ever ride a bike because of that one trip you might do with a piano or a bed.
Ika Makimaki
The same media outlets that one day say:
"Climate change is a serious issue and action is necessary" and "Cost of living is rising, working families need alternatives to help their budgets",
Will be the same ones clutching their pearls and writing about "Elite cyclists coming to take your carparks" every time a community may get 100 metres for kids to to ride to school without being run over by a maniac in a 2 ton ute.
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