Over the past few months during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have read numerous articles about the surge in sales of bicycles within the US. With headlines such as What do Bikes and Toilet Paper Have in Common... or Thinking of Buying a Bike, Get Ready for a Very Long Wait, among others. All of it got me to thinking, why has biking become so popular?  It is a strange phenomenon when you consider the situation. Cars are suddenly not illegal to use. In the few times I have driven during this pandemic traffic is easier to navigate.​

My theory is that the virus has precipitated a fundamental rethinking of what it means to get around. Let’s start with destinations that accompany most journeys. For me, commuting to/from work was a regular part of most of my days. Ironically, I did that mostly by bicycle. And as I am now working from home, I am actually riding less miles. There were also visits to the YMCA and meeting up with the running group on the weekends.  Add in worship services and volunteer meetings, etc. and almost every destination that was important to me in the past, has suddenly become off-limits.

• Yesterday, I actually met face to face (safe distancing of course) with a co-worker who I had not seen in months.  After exchanging pleasantries, she mentioned with relief, “it’s nice to have a destination.”  And it hit me: there is a SHIFT in our daily destinations – and a realization that we can get there on a bike, not a car.

This need to get out and get somewhere with purpose. What are the destinations we have right now? Grocery, pharmacy, take-out, maybe the hardware – practical things that are hopefully close to home and all of which are accessible by foot or by bicycle. In fact, the number of times I have driven over the past few months have been a fraction of the pre-COVID era.  Given this change in end points, my sense is that individuals are reevaluating what can they reach under their own power and questioning, “how do I actually get around?”

There is another dimension to the health issue. After being cooped-up for hours on virtual calls and online activities, I personally feel a need to get outside for some sort of exercise or at least motion. Riding a bicycle is an incredible sense of freedom and it appears many people are starting to discover or rediscover that joy. I hope that you are among them!

As some of you know, during the past two years, I have taken a break from writing articles on bicycle commuting and relevant trends. Instead, I have been working with a dedicated team on an innovative product based on my personal frustration with finding an easy and quiet way to carry a u-lock and other items on a bicycle. I'll share more about the back story in a future article. If you really cannot wait, please click the link in the nearby picture for more details.

​Safe riding!

If you like the article, please give it a share on Facebook or Twitter to help spread the word!  ​

Hello bike commuters,
I wanted to inform you that I am now living in Lilongwe, Malawi and continuing my work with the Peace Corps. It is an exciting position and an exciting place to be in the world. I intend to write a series of posts about Lilongwe in regards to bicycle community and bike culture. My first article is meant to give you a sense of Lilongwe's layout and the bicycle community that has developed around it. Through this series, I hope to promote bicycle awareness in Lilongwe as well as relate the bicycle experience here to you, wherever you are located.
-Paul

The picture above is of the largest city in Malawi, Lilongwe. Despite the deceptive corn field foreground, Lilongwe is a city of 1 million people and every year it grows. Lilongwe's design initially began in the 1970s. The new Life President, Hastings Kamuzu Banda decided to move the capital from Zomba, an old colony city, to Lilongwe. Before he did, Lilongwe was a town of around 20,000 people in 1966. It was the perfect clean slate to build Malawi's new great capital.​ Roads and infrastructure could be designed to fit the needs of the soon-to-be booming city. That is to say designed with the automobile in mind and the bicycle in the rear view mirror.

By Lauren Spatafore

Lauren is a lifelong rider and guest contributor to ZappaWheels.

Bicycle commuting isn’t just for urban dwellers.  With an open mindset and a bit of pre-planning, anyone can do it! I started bike commuting to work in September almost two years ago. It's a quick, easy ride for me, less than 10 miles round-trip. Now, regardless of what the day will bring, I begin each day with the satisfaction of knowing I've already exercised.  

​It wasn’t always this way. Before 2015, I worked at a school across town, about a 25 minute commute by car. There was not a direct or safe route for me to travel by bicycle.  Often, I would take my bike with me so I could get in a ride after work, while it was still daylight and still before rush hour. However, I wasn’t getting in the miles that I wanted. So, when a position opened up at a school closer to home, I jumped at the opportunity for less travel time and the ability to ride to work.

The Divvy bike sharing system in Chicago has been a phenomenal success supporting over 10 million rides since its launch in 2013. For those of us that have used Divvy the impact to our streets has been nothing sort of amazing. What you may not know however is the positive impact that Divvy has on the underserved and underemployed in our society. ​​

Over the past four years, an experiment in changing transportation behavior within local neighborhoods has been playing out in Chicago. The purpose is to get people out of their cars and introduce them to new forms of transportation such as biking, walking and public transit. And ideally to make a small change in transportation behavior. 

Dubbed the "Go" Campaigns, the effort has impacted five local Chicago communities over the past four summers including Pilsen, Bronzeville, Albany Park, Edgewater, and most recently Garfield Park. ​The campaigns are a comprehensive effort at building awareness for local engagement with transportation options besides driving alone. Most impressively, they are getting results. 

Before retiring, Carl Zvanut was an active bike commuter although admittedly he had some restrictions. These included only riding during good weather and days with no activities after work. His commute was 30 miles round-trip mostly along hilly, rural roads. At work he had access to decent facilities including showers and bike parking. It was a manageable setup for him.

Today, Carl pursues a different kind of biking. Each week, along with fellow retirees who are members of the Lehigh Wheelmen Association, he rides to different locations in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania, culminating in a group lunch. Typically the rides are 40 miles long. It's a way for Carl to stay connected and active while exploring the beauty of the countryside. 

What is the role of the car within urban areas in the United States? It such a basic question that the answer may seem obvious. But the accepted primacy of the car on our streets belies the congestion, pollution, and fatalities which extract an exorbitant cost on society. The National Safety Council estimates 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015; the largest increase in 50 years. 

For Chicago entrepreneur Josh London, it's not so obvious that the car should be the dominant form of transportation within an urban environment. From his perspective, cities are not working as well and he asks "why can't we have car-free streets?" It's a unconventional view yet one informed by his own personal health journey.

When I first met Jared Marchiando last summer he had just started bike commuting a few weeks earlier. He was still establishing a regular route and routine. When I asked him why he was riding he said that a friend who had been bike commuting for two years, told him it was time to "man-up". 
What Jared did not tell me at the time was that he was a former motorcycle rider. In effect, a former biker that turned, well biker. 

Elizabeth lives in Rogers Park and bikes to the Quigley Center - a distance of 10 miles one-way mostly along the lakefront bike path. Her goal is to ride 3-5 days/week, year-round. The bike is her go-to form of transportation ​and she integrates it into daily side trips, whether meeting friends for dinner or going to a doctor's appointment. On many days the route varies significantly and she has the opportunity to explore different neighborhoods. 

What would make a mid-career executive at the Archdiocese of Chicago bike to work every day throughout the year? Meet Elizabeth Moriarty, a self-assured, articulate professional who bikes 20 miles a day to her job as Operations Manager for the Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia and COO, Archdiocese of Chicago. 

She is a great example of an individual making an ambitious daily ride and developing her own commuting style to fit the situation - all without the benefit of a background in biking,  Elizabeth recently shared her perspective and lessons learned on the journey from novice bike commuter to experienced rider. Today, she describes herself as a bike ambassador wanting to help and encourage other riders. 

Located a few blocks from what was once the notorious Cabrini Green housing development lies Yojimbo's Garage. The bike shop has been there for 19 years and has witnessed the transformation of the neighborhood with upscale housing, trendy shops and restaurants nearby. Step inside the shop however and you immediately feel that you have walked into the past. Perhaps it's the hardwood floors, or posters of bicycle history in Chicago, but mainly it's the calm and serene presence of founder and owner Marcus Moore.