I’d like to begin by thanking you all for attending “The Power of Transport,” my one-day workshop/seminar created specifically for politicians and pundits. By being here, you are telling me that you recognize the incredible potential that lies in issues related to commuting, transit and mobility. Not all politicians and pundits share this opinion. Some see transport simply as a matter of moving people and goods.
Folks, it is so much more.
What if I told you that you could harness the “Power of Transport” to drive voter engagement? What if I told you that you could use the Power of Transport to change public opinion and move the attention of the electorate, like a chess piece, from topic to topic of your choosing? Pundits, what if I told you I could guarantee countless clicks, eyeballs and social media maelstroms? What if I told you that you could have all that and so much more simply by uttering a few words?
Words like:
- “Bike lane”
- “Toll road”
- “Congestion fee”
- “Pedestrian Only”
- “Streetcar”
- “Highway”
Now, some politicians and pundits will tell you that a bike lane “is a division of a road marked off with painted lines, for use by cyclists.”
Sure, and the Atlantic Ocean is just a “large body of water.”
People, a bike lane is more than just a “division of road marked off with painted lines,” it is a gaping chasm that if used correctly can separate the public as dramatically as Moses parted the Red Sea. On the one side you’ll find “cyclists.” On the other “drivers.” Both groups are passionate about transportation, especially bike lanes. They are foaming-at-the-mouth passionate about “divisions of roads marked off with painted lines.”
Why are they so passionate? Because we told them they were. We told them that they were either cyclists or drivers and then we got them mad at each other. That’s the Power of Transport. It’s not just about moving people; it’s about dividing them. Friends, once you have mastered the Power of Transport you will be dividing and conquering more furiously than a cat trying to bury its feces in a marble floor.
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Let me walk you through the elements that make transport such an effective tool.
Our modern society is beset with challenges, what folks who lack vision call “problems.” The trouble is that these problems do not always affect everyone in the same way. For instance, the wealthy are concerned about inflation because it can hurt their profits, but they don’t worry about the price of bread. If you are poor, inflation has you choosing between filling the gas tank or having dinner. Inflation destroys the poor. It concerns the rich.
Transportation issues, however, are like the weather. They hit everyone pretty much the same. We all get stuck in the same traffic jam, no matter how rich or how poor. And it makes us all very, very angry.
Right now, you’re thinking, “Okay Mister Thought Leader, what else you got?”
I’ll tell you. The key to unlocking the Power of Transport can be found by convincing everyone stuck in that traffic jam that the other guy caused it. You label someone a driver and convince them traffic doesn’t move because of the war on cars. You label someone a cyclist and convince them traffic doesn’t move because of the war on bicycles.
Here’s one example. Edmonton residents were recently rocked by a proposed property tax increase of 8.7 per cent. On Tuesday evening, Edmonton city council unanimously agreed on an 8.9-per-cent increase. There are many reasons why property taxes might be increased.
Or are there?
Almost immediately after the proposal, The Edmonton Sun ran the headline, “Numbers don’t justify Edmonton spending millions to install streetlights on bike lanes.” To which the Edmonton Journal replied, “Don’t blame bike lanes for Edmonton’s property tax hike.”
At this point, you might be asking, doesn’t much of the population use both forms of travel? Can’t someone who drives a car also ride a bike? Can’t someone who rides a bike also own a car? Can’t, for that matter, someone who owns a car or rides a bike also take public transit?
No. Not unless you want to lose the next election.
That’s a trap I call “Solution Pollution.”
Don’t muddy the water with the truth. The truth about bike lanes is that if they are connected to other forms of transportation, they can be an effective way to move commuters. The fact that Canadian cities tossed them around their downtown cores without connecting them to public transit means they are convenient ways to travel short distances. Where are the bike lanes in the suburbs that connect commuters to public transit? They’re right there in aisle three next to the “Affordable Housing.”
You want to admit to the public that an utter lack of vision in the past is responsible for a total lack of workable future now?
I didn’t think so.
Repeat after me: “Bike Lanes.”
Andrew Clark