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May 17, 2010 in City
As Bike to Work Week begins, cycling advocate weighs in
Spokane cycling advocate John Speare relaxes near his office on East Sprague Avenue in Spokane on May 10.
(Full-size photo)
A blogger once called John Speare “the czar of Spokane bicycle riding.” It’s not a claim he would make himself. That’s not how he rolls. He likes team efforts. But you will find the 38-year-old Microsoft technical writer at the center of many conversations about bike riding in the Lilac City.
A member of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Board, the quietly energetic South Hill resident is also the man behind the popular Cycling Spokane blog, a co-founder of the Pedals2People outreach and the author of a regular cycling column for Out There Monthly. He’s also the guy whose invitation to take part in 2008’s Bike to Work Week unexpectedly turned me into a bike commuter. It’s Bike to Work Week again, and Speare sat down to talk.
Q. Has cycling in Spokane gained any traction since I met you in 2007?
A. I think there’s actually been a big uptick in support and participation in that time, for lots of reasons. Things are happening. Sometimes I wish it could be faster.
Q. How do you avoid being impatient and angry about the pace of change?
A. I’m just tired of Angry White Liberal Guy. You just see it so much, and I don’t want to be that guy – always bitching and moaning. Not that I never bitch and moan.
Q. Where does Bike to Work Week fit in the greater scheme?
A. The hope is that someone who is on the fence will be encouraged to try it. The list of potential barriers is long. And everyone is different as to what they see as barriers. But if you can plant the seed and get people to try it, good things can happen.
Q. What’s the magic that turns a newbie into a convert?
A. I think it’s some form of fun, whatever that looks like to different people.
Q. How many bikes have you had in the last five years?
A. Um, that’s hard to answer. My wife reads the paper, you know. I can’t answer. It’s many.
Q. Why do you think bicycling is taken more seriously as a mode of transportation by Europeans?
A. I don’t have a good answer. Flat cities that are pretty compact. And there’s a different perspective on “the greater good.” Europeans don’t hear that and automatically assume that their freedoms are being threatened.
Q. How do you deal with motorists confusing the traffic pattern by inappropriately yielding the right of way to you when you are on your bike?
A. Well, I could get angry about their failure to recognize bicycles as a viable means of transportation. But ultimately, they’re just nice Spokane people. And that’s what nice Spokane people do. So I practice my patience techniques.
Q. Why should someone ride a bike?
A. To me, there’s the well-being thing that could help everyone. In our society, we’re too cut off from other people and the car is one of the reasons why. When you take things at a different pace you discover that you have prioritized your life in a different way.
The Slice: Salvage a thumbs-up, please 
Marksman on May 17 at 8:40 a.m.
Bicycles as a viable means of transportation? As long as your not carpooling kids to and from school or hauling a cartload of groceries home. I want to see someone carry their home improvement project materials from Home Depot or Ziggys home on a bicycle! I do find bicyclists entertaining to watch as they struggle to ride through a foot or more of snow though!
spokanada on May 17 at 9:19 a.m.
@ Miss the Marksman, I guess you could make the same argument about using the bus, or the subway.
soccermomsusie on May 17 at 10:07 a.m.
Marksman, I am with you! They say that bikers don’t pollute. Have you smelled some of them?
Incidentally, why do we want to go backwards? Our cars have gotten bigger and bigger just like us. This is called Yankee Ingenuity. My husband can barely squeeze in behind the steering wheel of our Hummer. So guess what, he is patenting something he calls steering wheel lube! You rub it on your belly and then you won’t chafe anymore when making U-turns! From the sound of some of your previous posts, it sounds like you may be a good future customer!
Remember all those commie Chinese riding their bikes years ago? Well they are all driving cars now! And making all of our stuff too. Who would’ve thought that the commie Chinese would be our suppliers for everything? All we have to do is sit back, eat, visit WalMart (the best), eat some more and DRIVE! Thanks Chinese suckers! At least you are smart enough to ditch your bikes for cars.
See you at the next Tea Party!!
HEAR OUR VOICE!
crossfire on May 17 at 11:40 a.m.
I support people who enjoy bike riding as a way of transportation. However just like religion, please don’t try to force your influence on me. I don’t think we should become a nation of cyclists pedaling to work for the greater good.
Since the topic is up. There’s one thing about people on bikes in Spokane that really ticks me off. Around the Gonzaga campus and many crosswalks through this city, cyclists using the streets to ride on ask us to see them as a motor vehicle. However, many when coming to an intersection, instead of stopping at their red light/stop sign like a car would hop up on the crosswalk and ride across it. You don’t know how many times I’ve come close to taking one of these idiots out.
MrNatural on May 17 at 11:57 a.m.
The commute today is in some disarray
As Spokane commuters all freak
To share the road with a cyclist load
This decree they call bike to work week
To cycle they say is a healthier way
To cut pounds and emitted pollution
The problem it seems is compatible dreams
On this road toward a bike-car solution.
We espouse the merits or fuss up like ferrets
The nuisance t’ween pedal and drive
Take patience my nation and accommodation
And we’ll all get to work alive
We ponder the rules see oblivious fools
Weaving in and out sidewalks and lanes
As the cars try to pass it’s a pain in the ass
And harmonious idealism wanes
From shore to shore here’s a metaphor
For how we as a society meld
Drive car or ride bike whatever you like
We resolve to be equally held.
spokanada on May 17 at 2:27 p.m.
Soccer Mom, that was classic. Thank you! Keep up the good work.
lewis8457 on May 17 at 11:47 p.m.
I was behind a guy the other day riding his bike right in the car lane.
Where is his license plate? Where is the tax for riding his bike on the street. I get to pay insurance, license fees, and gas tax. Maybe if they want to ride in the car lane they should license their bikes and buy insurance. Tax the heck out of them like cars and it wouldn’t be so economical any more.
bartm on May 18 at 11:35 a.m.
From the Seattle Times: “Every cyclist has been terrified by a close call with a car, and every driver has been scared and aggravated by an irresponsible cyclist who put them in a dangerous situation.
“Ultimately, it’s a two-way street, and greater education and consideration is needed on both sides.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/bumpertobumper/2011883003_bumper17m.html?syndication=rss