Battling the Bike Bros

Who they tend to be and what they're really after

What’s going on with the bikers? Not motorcycle aficionados, but a radical band of bicyclists. They seem to wield an unusual amount of influence. Of course its lovely to ride around, if that’s your sort of thing, but the hardcore activists are more than just pro-bike. They are decidedly anti-car. Or anti-personal property. Or pro-public property. They’re a funny bunch. 

My brief online interaction with bike activists was strange. In a tweet, I wrote that I personally loathe bikes and don’t get the fascination or passion for them. Although I don’t own a car and walk or take public transportation nearly everywhere, I was immediately bombarded with hostile messages. It was odd enough for me to want to explore the matter further.

So who are the bike bros and what do they want to accomplish?  I had a chat with Adam Schaffer, a resident of Washington D.C. who has covered the situation extensively on Fight Bike Lanes to find out.

Erica Sandberg: In San Francisco, where I live, radical bike activists appear to be mainly white men in their 20s to 40s. Typical? 

Adam Schaffer: In any city when you look at the makeup of the most vocal people it is almost exclusively white men. In D.C. it's more 30s and 40s. In New York City and Seattle, it skews a little younger. They also tend to be single and childless.

These aren’t your weekend warrior types who enjoy exercise. These are people who are in it for other reasons.

ES: What do you think is their primary objective?

AS: It’s a war on cars. They take cities hostage. Many believe that cars are worse than murderers or a person who robs a convenience store. Cars are the most dangerous thing in the neighborhood. If you have one, they want to make your life more difficult. Some really believe it, but there’s a disconnect because 90 percent of them have cars themselves.

These are the same people who talk about housing, though. If you live in the suburbs and have your own house or are in the country and are a farmer, you are a NIMBY; a piece of garbage. Their whole mission in life is to steamroll average people, to change the way most everyone lives. 

The ultimate intent is to change infrastructure by shutting down roads to cars, and adding bike lanes. But when they do, it increases the odds of an accident. So they get it changed again, and make more money by putting new infrastructure in.

ES: What about politics- where do they tend to stand?  

AS: Many are progressive to the point of being socialists. Their religion is urbanism. They use the word “normies” to describe people unlike them. Their job is to make normies uncomfortable. If you want space, they want you to suffer. The happiness regular people get from being able to bring their kids on vacation or go to the store in a car is evil to them. 

They will lie and cheat to get what they want without any care. If you show them the litany of ways that they are wrong or aren’t telling the truth, they shrug. Facts don’t matter. Getting what they want matters. 

ES: In San Francisco there was a recent incident outside an elementary school. An elderly woman drove into a car, which then hit and killed a teacher. It was a horrible tragedy but the bike activists (and groups like WalkSF) twisted the accident into “vehicle violence.” The word violence hinges on intention, yet this was clearly not intentional. It was so opportunistic. What’s that all about? 

AS: It’s very effective messaging. What they’re saying isn’t true, of course, but people are afraid to stand up against the message.

The number one way they succeed is by padding the stats about how often these deaths occur. They lump in all kinds of pedestrian accidents and even accidents where only cars are involved to bolster their case for bike lanes.

When taking about bicycle deaths in a major city, the monthly average is less than one. We’ll never fully eliminate them because they are accidents and accidents unfortunately just happen, no matter how hard you game plan. Vision Zero started about a decade ago, when the number of car accident deaths was going down. Then the activists got their hands on things and the numbers started rising. They are literally making things worse while blaming us for it!

ES: How did the bike activists gain such a foothold?

AS: The seed was planted in city planning. Many are hired to work in transportation departments, then they use their power to hire consultants. They bankroll lobbying firms so they can get more stuff done by creating 10, 20 salaried positions. All to do things that 90 percent of the public doesn’t want. 

Others will relentlessly call into neighborhood meetings even if they live in a different state. They try to appeal to the people who simply like biking and don’t see what they are really doing. When I first started getting into this I was shocked to see how far they will do whatever it takes. They lie, constantly and to your face.

ES: What do they do when they’re questioned?

AS: If you ask them directly, “Do you hate cars?” they may say, “No I don’t hate cars.” But look online and that’s exactly what they say. I’ve printed out tweets the activists wrote, proving it. But it hasn’t mattered because at the end of the day, they think they can bend the city to their will anyway. 

It’s important to point out that there really aren’t that many of them. There are probably 50 in D.C. who carry the banner and maybe another 200 who support them. Well under 500 in total, for a city with a population of over 700,000. That’s all it takes to get the city to rip out a car lane and make it into a bike lane. 

ES: I look around San Francisco and see some people on bikes but not that many. I’ve lived here nearly all my life and it seems to be roughly the same number as always. If they’re trying to make biking a universal method of transportation it doesn’t appear to be working. Now we have slow streets, limiting cars on residential and business district streets. Thoughts? 

AS: I think that a misunderstanding of the opponent will allow the activists to have many more of these victories until the tide turns. They will keep getting these ridiculous car barriers, get the city to slow traffic to 15 MPH when there is no need for it, and get parking-free housing built until people understand their real motives and aren’t afraid to speak up and oppose them. 

ES: You imply that most people object to these changes. So what should they do? 

AS: Regular people need to go to meetings in their city and be prepared for attacks when they question what’s going on. The insane bike people will treat them like they are against climate change. It’s just a shaming technique used to get good people to back off. I’m done with that. I’m exposing them. I know who the players are. 

In your city, ask the activists about their driving. If they have cars, expose them. Go into it knowing how hypocritical they are. They will attend the meetings and try to drown you out, so don’t let them. Don’t back down. That’s the way we win.