I think we just went on a bike vacation…

Hi All!

My goodness, we’ve been biking up a storm! While it’s been absolutely beautiful, after about 80 miles over 4 days, many of us are absolutely toasted. Being exhausted and sore while traveling with a big group is a tragically funny combo! We started this bike tour out on the Danish isles, and it was absolutely gorgeous to bike along turquoise waters and farm land. 

We took a ferry out to Ærø Island, which in and of itself was so fun. For all of you in the PNW, it reminded me of the San Juan's. Riding out in the country has been so much more enjoyable than any of the country riding I’ve done in the states. The smaller roads felt very calm; cars barely passed and slowed way down and pulled all the way over. On the larger roads, there were protected two way cycle tracks. We biked in a loop around the island, stringing together cycle paths, smaller roads, and even some gravel paths. During our ride on the island, it felt like everything was set up for us. There were free toilets and some picnic tables at picturesque spots. Another amazing part about biking in the Danish countryside are the unmanned stands selling things outside of peoples homes. They sell fruits, vegetables, and little crafts. Stopping in the shade for fresh strawberries was such a delight.

After our ride on Ærø Island, we biked from Svendborg to Korinth. While this felt pretty similar to biking on the island, we had a few less courteous drivers. For a couple of miles we had to bike along the highway with a pretty small shoulder. This really established how impactful feeling safe on the road was to an enjoyable biking experience.

During our time in Svendborg, we did a professional panel with Susan (ODOT) and Shane (City of Eugene). I’ve been so grateful to get this chance to learn from industry professionals about their experiences working in this field and their impressions from the trip. Susan mentioned how impressed she was with the focus on simple design that is centered around what people need. This is seen everywhere from having bathrooms at good spots on trails to curb mountable cycle tracks (which means you hardly ever have to get off your bike!). This principle of people centered design creates spaces that are lovely and comfortable to be in. Concentrating on simplicity creates a system that is easy and intuitive to use.

Communicating in a way that will resonate with people is extremely important, and Shane loved how the Danes work to inspire people through personal experience. Something we’ve all learned while here is that a cycling culture is easiest to cultivate in children. With that in mind, the American model of designing for 8-80 is too limiting. Including those who are 0-8 is critical to the development of culture that supports safe access. Let's design for truly everyone. 

Both Susan and Shane talked about how to be effective within our current system. They reminded us how important it is to cultivate allies within the field and that advocacy is really critical to shaping policy and design. Within this sphere, the dissenters are so much more likely to speak out than those who agree with changes. Thus, it becomes imperative that advocacy organizations and us as regular citizens participate and communicate our support of projects. The best way to do this is through speaking to the city council. As young people who see many battles ahead, we’re all interested to hear how these professionals keep going without burning out. Shane says that it's so important to celebrate when good things happen! This keeps everyone motivated. 

Well I won’t lie all, it’s been a tough couple of days! We have the next two days off and I’m so excited to take introvert time. Today, I got to pet the fluffiest lil baby cat and it made me so ridiculously happy. I miss you all! See you soon!