bike paths are control devices

A bike path tries to create a new bahaviour in the human species: "ride your bike inside these lines."

Here's an interesting blog on the subject of controlling behaviour with design. Click here to go to the Architecture of Control in Design blog.

The built environment is what we hamans have built for out existence. It's everything that's not nature, and by this point in the human experience, that's almost everything we interact with in our daily lives.

I don't use any bike path on my commute to work, yet there are people who wouldn't dare ride outside of a bike path. I'm a fan of integrating bikes into the regular traffic flow on all streets. It happens anyway so it may as well be part of the traffic design and infrastructure. Bike paths are part of the traffic infrastructure, but bikes shoud not be restricted only to the bike path infrastructure. There are those for whom keeping bikes only on the bike paths is the goal! Believe it. Designers, trafic anal-izers, and other life-is-rules types, unfortunately those who run things fit this description. Happily give a person a bike and you have created a little kernel of pure mobility freedom.

Woohoo!

Did I have a point to make? Yes, time for supper, and to fix my flat tire on the mtn bike. Sitting in front of the computer is toxic: Get out and ride!