Vicious Cycle III
It is then evident here than cycling represents more than just a way of getting around, as an entire culture has been built up around it. Already, the act of cycling and its environmental friendliness, its more personal involvement, is in stark defiance to modern times of petrol-intensive locomotion, where lazy people who couldn't give a hoot about global-warming lounge in their cars at the lights, emanating from their exhausts insidious molecules that ascend to the atmosphere and ravenously devour the ozone layer (a bit of an exaggeration really). Carefree, wind-in-the-hair cyclists leisurely pedaling their minimalist dynamos under a brilliant sun untainted by the smog of a thousand cars; that is the much romanticised image of cycling as an environmentally conscious, and suggestively better lifestyle choice.
There are also other connotations to cycling, and one of those is that it is a very socialist institution. Almost everyone can afford a bicycle, be it a rusting, one-gear gentlemen's model (quite a misnomer really, as it looks crass and unrefined) or an aluminium racing bike lighter than most anatomy textbooks. Hence cyclists come from all races, backgrounds and income brackets, and as such it is impossible to pigeon-hole cyclists into a particular demographic, leaving no room for discrimination and unfair generalizations. Of course, the socialist bit of this is that it reduces perceived social inequality, but only as far as the middle classes as we would scarcely expect anyone richer to cycle (or do anything on their own, for that matter). Ignoring that bit of a call to class warfare, this means that there is a mutual sense of belonging to the set of cyclists (as long as you don't cut in front of me) and also, inevitably, the contribution to the bit of siege mentality against pedestrians and motorists.
Most people, then, are inherently proud to be cycling even if they don't think of it that way, to be the voice of reason and common sense to use the cheapest, most efficient means of commuting, and sometimes they think that motorists hate them for that (though usually it is because of reckless cycling). Most of the time though, it's just "the only way", public transport being the laughing stock that it is here, showing how deeply entrenched the culture is.
However, bicycle population numbers are reaching alarming levels (so much so that there is, unthinkably, bicycle gridlock sometimes). Then, the whole vehicle culture is being replaced with bicycles for vehicles. It is not difficult to imagine that in this situation some people, sometimes ludicrously, begin to treat their bicycles as though they were cheaper, more efficient cars. People paint their bicycles with streaks on their side (as though there was much to paint on bicycles. When was the last time, when a bicycle went past, you noticed what colour it was? Turning back to look doesn't count) ostensibly to give the impression of speed and to, it is often joked, to make it go faster. Also, in the way a car radio is indispensable, some people just can't do without their daily bout of R&B in those precious minutes commuting to work. So they mount radios on their bikes (this is actually more common than people think it is, like toothpaste-related fatalities) and hop to the beat. This is useful in warning pedestrians of oncoming stupidity, as often these bikes are the "gentlemen's models" (already, any phrase with the word gentlemen in it is going to sound mildly erotic) that are some un-punky, un-ghetto colours, like alpine green, or apple red.
But to talk too much about such a culture is already excessive, for in the end, if it gets you somewhere, relatively quickly, relatively painlessly, then why not? This is why some people still insist on walking a few miles to lectures everyday.
