More than ever, May is for bikes

Is this just a moment for bikes? Or will we permanently change how we design transportation systems in this country?

For the past 64 years, the country has celebrated National Bike Month in May. And if you look at this week’s weather forecast, it’s obvious why advocates picked this month. It’s a lot easier to sell someone on the idea of biking when temperatures are warming and the optimism of a new season is in the air.

Typically, in Northwest Arkansas, we see a springtime surge in bike events with social rides and festivals crammed onto every cyclist’s calendar: the Joe Martin Stage Race, the Square-to-Square Bike Ride on the Razorback Greenway, the Ozark Mountain Bike Festival and others.

But this year, bike month will be different. Amid the covid-19 crisis, there will be no big group rides, no festivals, no national bike-to-work day. Most of these group events have been postponed or scotched altogether.

Yet data show that this spring, individuals are taking to two wheels more than ever. Fayetteville’s overall trail traffic is up 55%, and some trails in Northwest Arkansas have seen increases of 200%. With many people stuck at home and/or out of work, the bicycle more than ever represents freedom on the cheap and a safe alternative to shuttered gyms. People need an outlet.

During my last ride around Lake Fayetteville, I was completely blown away by the number of people I saw using the trails. The increased trail use has even prompted local cities to install hundreds of markers on the trails advising people to maintain proper social distancing.

So despite there being no events, May 2020 is still very much Bike Month. We may look back in another 64 years and mark this as a powerful moment in the history of bicycles in America. Automobile traffic has plunged, making street rides more pleasant and more safe. It’s now clear cars are less important than many of us thought, while the bicycle has been underrated as a mode of transport for millions of Americans. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our bike-friendly corner of Arkansas.

Is this just a moment for bikes? Or will we permanently change how we design transportation systems in this country? We won’t know for years, of course, but we’re living through a strange low-car experiment right now. What we’re seeing so far is heartening: less pollution, healthier travel and more personal resiliency.

This pandemic season has shown us that driving is optional. But more than ever, taking care of our health is not.

Dane Eifling is mobility coordinator for the city of Fayetteville.