He returns home exhausted. He gets out of his car parked in front of his apartment building, or even better, outside his house outside the city. He's a director, an engineer, a soldier, a police officer, an activist, or a politician. In any case, he's doing something extremely important and has every right to be exhausted after a long day of work. Dinner is waiting on the table. Although it's more dinner time, it's more of a family "dinner." Polish food, nutritious, and delicious. Meat, potatoes, salad. One question for the children: "How are your grades at school?" Then a well-deserved break, meaning the newspaper, and probably more often television, and even more often the internet. Although ideally, if there's a match and "our team" is playing. There might also be some news. Ideally, that Poland is winning. Or at least better than others. Even if it's in the number of people infected with the coronavirus. Ultimately, that the seeds of revolution have been stifled. Let those on the Vistula River not think that leftism, gender, or other deviations from Catholic tradition will find a hearing...
Why doesn't the right wing like bicycles?
I don't know how many men there are in Poland who would recognize themselves in the above description. I don't know how many Polish women there are who would find satisfaction in such a world. But such an exaggerated, hypothetical image seems to be the dream of a significant portion of our country's citizens. And until this changes, we will continue to live in cities dominated by cars. And with them, we are guaranteed traffic jams, noise, and air pollution. Not to mention accidents and road rage. A few years ago, shortly after the narrowing of Świętokrzyska Street in Warsaw opened, I read a longer piece by Rafał Ziemkiewicz. He was frustrated by the fact that he had to drive slowly around the TVP office several times, looking for a parking space. This, of course, gave him an excuse to complain about the stupidity of city planners. After all, anyone can say that reducing the number of lanes will result in traffic congestion. Those who don't understand this have been brainwashed. With EU funding, of course. In recent years, there have been countless articles, broadcasts, and statements along these lines. Suffice it to mention the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who filmed cyclists and vegetarians on the Vistula River for the German newspaper Bild.Anti-scientific but emotional
The opinions, analyses, and statements of right-wing journalists, commentators, and politicians often share common threads. They are based on individual experiences and often fueled by personal frustrations. Somewhere in the distance, an enemy looms, lurking to take away our lifestyle and denigrate our values. Gender, leftism, the European Union, Germany, and so on. There's no room for scientific facts and analyses. And if they are available, you can always use the fail-safe tactic of "financed with EU or German money." Because trying to confront the facts is doomed to failure. I won't claim that cycling is a panacea for all the ailments of the modern world. But there are reliable statistics showing that cities like Vienna, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam regularly top rankings for the best places to live. And citizens of Scandinavian countries, Germany, and the Benelux are among the happiest in the world. Of course, many factors contribute to this. But transportation policy also plays a role. Who doesn't appreciate green space stripped from wide streets? Who will protest against banning cars (or slowing traffic to a maximum of 30 km /h) if, as a result, more people walk, ride bikes, or sit in the gardens of cafés and restaurants? I'm not naive, and I realize that these are often the same places that experience high and unaffordable housing prices. And also that if you don't find yourself in the world of " Hygge " or " Gemütlichkeit , " alcohol and psychotropic drugs might be your saving grace. But the direction of the desired changes is relatively clear. Wherever common sense and pragmatism prevail, no one fundamentally disputes that cars cannot dominate the city.
Gendered cyclists
Why does the right wing despise bicycles? It would be easy to dismiss this question by pointing out that such a worldview is often anti-scientific, fueled by superstition and conspiracy theories. But in my opinion, the love of cars and the simultaneous aversion to cycling reveal a pervasive longing for stability, order, and tradition. This, in my opinion, explains the popularity of such views in Poland. The last hundred years of our history have been a period of constant change. We've changed the country's borders, political system, and the ethnic mix of our citizens several times. The temptation to finally be "normal," meaning to make it clear what's right and what's wrong, who's good and who's bad, is bound to be strong. Of course, there are still cynical politicians who exploit all this, but that's a separate issue. It certainly doesn't help that for years, bicycles were a means of transportation for the poor. Until recently, they were the common, and often the only, means of transportation for people in rural areas. Because while we differ in our views on so-called important issues, the pursuit of improving the economic situation unites voters of virtually all parties in Poland. Now, how do we return this prize, a comfortable Western car? It's no coincidence that the egalitarian Netherlands rides bicycles. But even there, the Protestant north pedals more often than the Catholic south...
Optimism
I've been involved in cycling for years. I'd like to say it's for the money. But for now, it looks like we'll be a not-for-profit organization. It pains me only moderately. What bothers me more is that I'm increasingly resembling Don Quixote. The real one was delusional and wanted to tilt at windmills. I thought I saw Polish cities where relaxed, smiling people waved at each other as they rode their bikes.
Odnosząc się do głębszego kontekstu który tutaj chciałeś “przemycić” to muszę to jasno zaznaczyć- to nie jest prawica. Wiele o tym świadczy, choćby socjal – nie tu jest miejsca na dyskusje o tym, rzecz jasna. Ale fakt – władza nie myśli w ten sposób którego byśmy sobie życzyli. Władza gra spektakl na igrzyskach, czy to lewica czy prawica czy cokolwiek innego gdzieś po środku. Ale świadomość ludzi rośnie – tu jest nadzieja. Może te koronazatrzesienie wniesie ten szerszy kontekst postrzegania świata do naszego myślenia? Wielu powie – pobożne życzenia – i racja, ale ja jestem z tych co nadal widzą te miasta w których zwrócono przestrzeń publiczną mieszkańcom. Ten przekaz jest ważny- nie traćmy go i optymizmu. A Don Kichot na końcu przecież odzyskuje światłość umysłu… (w oryginale Cervantesa)
Jak byłem w Berlinie to tam zatrzęsienie rowerzystów i rzeczywiście, nawet jak się spieszą to jakoś tak z uśmiechem na ustach potrafią to zrobić. U nas w Polsce jeszcze do tego daleko, ale chociaż coraz więcej ścieżek jest :)
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