The Illinois Bicycle Comeback - by J. D. Ashworth

THE ILLINOIS BICYCLE COMEBACK

WHY THE BICYCLE IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN ILLINOIS AND THE SOLUTION TO A CAR-CENTRIC SOCIETY

BY JOHN DAVID ASHWORTH

THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Human Services Administration in the Division of Professional Studies of Judson University 02/10/2023

Elgin, Illinois

Adviser: DR. KAREN LOVE DR. KAREN LOVE

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Bicycle culture has had a literal resurgence in Illinois and across the greater Midwest in recent years. Many riders have been out riding for hobby or pleasure, but there is an increasing trend to use it for practical commuting instead of the car as the typical choice for the region.

Especially since the global pandemic, research has shown how people are searching for more ways to stay healthy, protect our planet, ensure safety for travelers, and get outside. This thesis paper provides an overview of current research on this change, how it can impact the changing communities of Illinois and the world beyond.

Keywords: Alternative Transportation, Bicycle, Commute, Illinois, Sustainability

THE ILLINOIS BICYCLE COMEBACK Table of Contents

Introduction ....................................................................................................................pg. 1 Review of the Current Literature ...................................................................................pg. 7 In the United States ...........................................................................................pg. 7 In Illinois ...........................................................................................................pg. 9 In Chicagoland ................................................................................................pg. 10 Will County & Joliet .......................................................................................pg. 11 Illinois’ 2022 Report Card ..............................................................................pg. 12 The Rise of Car Culture ..................................................................................pg. 12 Vehicular Danger ............................................................................................pg. 14 Bicycle Fatalities .............................................................................................pg. 14 My Way is the Highway ..................................................................................pg. 15 Stay on the Driveway ......................................................................................pg. 16 The Wealthier You Are ...................................................................................pg. 17 MAOL meets the Judson Bike Shop................................................................pg. 18 Lead As Your True Self ..................................................................................pg. 18 Kotter’s 8 Steps ...............................................................................................pg. 19 Steps 1-8 ..........................................................................................................pg. 19 The United States of Bikes .............................................................................pg. 26 Electric Vehicles .............................................................................................pg. 27 The Car and Bicycle Should Be Friends .........................................................pg. 28

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THE ILLINOIS BICYCLE COMEBACK Policy of the Future .........................................................................................pg. 29 How Europe Does It ........................................................................................pg. 29 Mental Health and Transit ..............................................................................pg. 31 Summation: The Bicycle Comeback is Here ...............................................................pg. 32 References ...................................................................................................................pg. 34 Appendix A: Used Imagery .........................................................................................pg. 40

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Introduction With the Allied Forces victory of World War II in 1945, economic production in the United States increased along with its cultural influence around the world. The popularization of the automobile was a big part of this, as Americans realized they wanted to travel across the entire country without depending on others. Illinois, for example, was at the start of Route 66 in Chicago where Midwesterners began a journey to the California coast just to get away for a bit.

In areas surrounding the Fox River and Chicagoland, the bicycle was a popular mode of transportation, but became increasingly dangerous to ride because of an increase in vehicular traffic. The bicycle is making a comeback in Illinois as a revolutionary response to the historic ills of a car-centric society. Historically, bicycles have been excluded from the decisions of policymakers nationwide, including Illinois. Now, the pendulum is shifting, and policy must reflect this.

The Rise of the Automobile Let’s go back in time to the year of 1895, when the city of Chicago was busy preparing for the nation’s very first auto race. It was to be held on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, and was entitled the “Chicago Times-Herald Race” (Gill, 2004). It was planned to run between Chicago and Milwaukee, but poor roads close to Racine (Wisconsin) meant it was “a 54-mile course from Chicago to Evanston and back” (Gill, 2004). The start and finish line was near the current Museum of Science and Industry, which was only built in 1933. Although 80 vehicle builders and inventors had promised to appear, only six made it to the starting line due to six fresh inches of snow. This cold Thanksgiving race was reportedly won by J. Frank Duryea, averaging a speed of 7 mph on 3.5 gallons of gas. This race would live on to inspire many

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inventors and fanatics about the so-called “Moto Cycle” automobile to this day (Gill, 2004).

Some, however, would take the inspiration to another level of craziness, being labeled as “auto madness”. It’s as if the vehicle wasn’t crazy, but rather another vessel through which human insanity was able to see the light of day in a new jacket. A Chicago Tribune headline asked: "Is the Automobile Mania a Form of Insanity?" Mayor Carter Harrison Jr. remarked, “The natural tendency of a man operating an automobile is to run it at high speed” (Loerzel, 2019). This would mark the beginning of the dark side of America’s much-beloved car culture.

The First Bicycle Boom In retrospection, the first car race, and shortly thereafter the Wright brothers’ invention of powered flight in 1903, also marked a gradual end to the golden era of bicycling in Chicagoland and the Midwest. But first, the 1890’s “cycling craze” had taken the nation by surprise. This machine went across multiple barriers of gender, class, and race in a single bound, and caused quite the stir among Christian folk in particular (Velo, 2022). The Victorian social norms implied that women typically stayed at home, and the invention of the bicycle encouraged quite the opposite—along with new radical fashion to complement it. The Protestants and Presbyterians did not like it one bit (Gershon, 2019). What’s more, is that “Chicagoans gathered at the Chicago Coliseum to watch six-day endurance races held on indoor tracks, and spectators lined the streets […] to watch this race. By the late 1890’s, 54 clubs boasted more than 10,000 members”. Some of these clubs (see fig. 1) even built their own gymnasiums to encourage members to cycle during the frigid winter (Hobbs, 2004). This era would last from the late 19th century through 1914, when the first world war erupted (Velo, 2022). But never again in the United States would the movement have so much life and momentum behind it as it did back then…

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fig. 1

Chicago Bikes Until relatively recently when Chicago’s mayor Richard J. Daley unveiled a 34-mile bicycle route in 1971 which drew widespread attention. This was in part due to the “soaring gas prices and heightened concern about energy and air pollution” (Hobbs, 2004). In the following decades, all kinds of initiatives started popping up, with “over one hundred miles of bikeways […] constructed or improved and almost eight thousand bicycle racks” that were installed across Chicago (Hobbs, 2004). Then, to bring the 1895 car race full circle, an annual event called “Bike the Drive”, was first organized for tens of thousands of participants. Ever since 2002, it has taken place almost every year between the destinations of the Museum of Science and Industry and the Kathy Osterman Beach, roughly 5 miles from Evanston (Hagen, 2022).

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Car Culture With these events in mind, it is pertinent to define what is meant by ‘car culture’ and ‘bicycle culture’, as these are the two main concepts being compared. Car culture has been defined as “the shared beliefs, values, customs, language, arts, institutions, achievements, purpose, and goals of a group or society of people that have an affinity for the automobile” (Wilder, 2020). According to some (Urban Dictionary, 2015), the term was coined in the 1950’s, although others might claim it to have truly taken off once Groucho Marx starts talking about America’s “love affair” with the automobile in 1961 (Sparrow, 2019). This is an ever-present community of enthusiasts and casual consumers alike, who engage in the automobile as both an obsession and a daily routine. This culture expresses itself not only in the functional use of the car as a dominant means of American transportation, but also in its influence on the arts, architecture, language (e.g. idioms), cultural habits and beliefs, to name a few. This cultural identity can also describe bicycle culture—but simply by changing the primary subject of desire.

Bicycle Culture Bicycle culture “refers to a mainstream culture that supports the use of bicycles or to a subculture” (Snob, 2009). Again, this emphasizes both the regular cultural habits that encourage mainstream culture, as well as the obsessive nature that is responsible for its further subcultures.

Inside the U.S. it is harder to find a bicycle culture than in other countries around the world, many of which are located in Europe & Asia. However, a couple American cities are starting to head in that direction. Portland (OR), Madison (WI), Boston (MA), and Washington D.C. are just some of the cities that are embracing “utility cycling” as a normal way of life (The League of American Bicyclists, 2012). Now, to allow a bicycle culture to exist, it needs decent infra-

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structure as a minimum. A total of 31 American states plus D.C. boast at least 17,734 miles of bicycle routes combined, which averages down to about 555 miles per state (Adventure Cycling Association, 2021). In comparison, the country of the Netherlands (which is roughly the size of Maryland) has about 22.000 miles across the entire country (Euronews, 2022). This is the equivalent of comparing apples to oranges, but that’s exactly what a good example is for.

The 8 Steps With the terms of bicycle and car culture in our back pockets, it should make it easier to engage in this topic from a literary standpoint. It has been said that only two things in life are certain – God and change. Change is inevitable for the communities we live in, the country of the United States, and for the world. Towards the end of this review, the analysis will take on cultural comparisons of bicycle culture in those same three tiers, though slightly more localized: Chicagoland, the Fox Valley, and the bike shop culture in Elgin. As for the rest of the paper’s layout, it will be using Kotter’s methodology of “8 Steps for Leading Change”, in which he describes eight so-called accelerators that will “produce lasting change” (Kotter, 2022). In his famous Harvard Business Review article, he mentions that “strategy should be viewed as a dynamic force that constantly seeks opportunities, identifies initiatives that will capitalize on them, and completes those initiatives swiftly and efficiently” (Kotter, 2012). With this model for change in mind, the “8 Steps” process will help us narrow down how to tackle car cultures from a literary & bicycle-driven standpoint.

When it comes to the bicycle culture that the Judson Bike Shop is creating from the ground up, we need to take this message to heart and look for opportunities on the go. Kotter’s 8

THE ILLINOIS BICYCLE COMEBACK steps include – “create a sense of urgency (1), build a coalition of committed people (2), form a strategic vision (3), enlist a volunteer army (4), enable action by removing barriers (5), generate short-term wins (6), sustain acceleration (7), and last but not least, institute change (8)”. These principles will be applied towards this analysis, mainly geared at the Judson Bike Shop in its revolutionary and countercultural position in modern-day American society.

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Review of the Current Literature Most bicycles around the world are manufactured in China or Taiwan (Goozee, 2023).

Companies across the United States and Europe have outsourced their labor there, and that’s why Asia has the biggest factories in most of these markets, including the bicycle. Every day, “manufacturers across the globe produce a daily amount of 364.000 models” (EO-Magazine, 2022), and this is to accommodate the constantly increasing demand. Humanity is wrestling with the capitalist world being accessible to all nations willing to participate in free trade, which can lead to some rather gruesome effects for the globe’s environment. The bicycle is aiming to bring about cultural change that can spur on healthy economies, healthy bodies, and a healthy environment—all at the same time.

In the United States Throughout the USA, there are many states slowly improving their livelihood when it comes to bicycles. One could say this country is changing gears. When judged by bicycle friendliness, Arkansas scores the lowest of all fifty states at a mere 0.08% of its population commuting by bike, while Oregon stands proud at the top with a mere 2.5%. This, within the American context—is seen as the most bike-friendly state, which still doesn’t seem that friendly.

Illinois takes 18th place at 0.69%, which simply means there’s a lot of work left to be done (The League of American Bicyclists, 2013). From this national perspective, it’s crucial to dive into some of the recent developments that have been happening on American soil.

During the presidency of Barack Obama, there was a large emphasis placed on the effects of climate change and how that pertains to the average American. The people were told that

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emissions and greenhouse gases would cause potential future global issues, which potentially could be pushed back or even resolved if the people work together. According to the White House Archives, 2013 announced the beginning of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and August of 2015 established the Clean Power Plan, aimed at both power plants and reducing U.S. carbon pollution by 2030—by 32 percent (The White House, 2015). This series of developments, is in light of a generation of young Americans who seem to have a “reduced interest in driving” when compared to former generations, and leaders in China claiming that over there, “personal car ownership is growing by more than 10 percent annually” (Rosenthal, 2013). This change— Rosenthal mentions, is evident in New York’s bike-sharing programs and skyrocketing bridge and tunnel tolls. This is not just the case for New York, but happening across the nation.

In recent years, the global pandemic allowed many countries to reset their way of doing things. The bicycle has been reinstated as an essential tool for commuter travel, even though cars have dominated American transportation since the 1950’s. Covid strangely encouraged bicycle ridership to go up by 300%, if not more, across various American trails as compared to the year before (Bernhard, 2020). In this past year during the Biden administration, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published a proposed rule that heavily encourages states to invest in new and existing projects such as “trails and active transportation networks” (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2022). If implemented, this could help decrease America’s carbon footprint while still allowing for growth in the transportation sector. DOTs and MPOs are not always the biggest fans of these limitations, but tend to be more generous in building car infrastructure as opposed to alternatives. The recent administration changes in the United States, even when it comes to large-scale budgets—have been extremely encouraging towards forms of transportation other

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than the automobile. Even in President Biden’s State of the Union address from February 7th, 2023, it was mentioned that the United States is slacking at #13 globally when it comes to modern infrastructure. This needs to be fixed. The President mentioned that the recent bipartisan infrastructure law was “the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s interstate highway system” (The White House, 2023). It seems we are indeed at a turning point, and America is about to get back to work again. This series of events shows just some of the national demand for infrastructure that goes beyond Eisenhower’s cars, but how about the need for bikes? Well, the need is there – in each and every state, including this one.

In Illinois It may seem small for Illinois to be number 18th in the U.S. ranking of bicycle friendliness, but it can hold its own when 2-wheel ridership calculates out at 87.630 people. As local, state, and national support grows, this number will be at 100.000 in no time. In local news and media companies, both organizations and individuals are sounding the alarm. The movement is growing and the media is noticing it. People are speaking up against Governor Pritzker’s decision to add more car lanes to major expressways (Greenfield & Cobbs, 2022), and standing behind organizations like Active Trans Alliance in its fight to help Chicago become a place where people can get around with alternative modes of transportation–safely. It is no longer reasonable to assume that all people within a society that spreads itself across long distances can sustain itself with the car at the center of its economy. Any city with multiple high-density apartment complexes either needs to have an equal number of parking spots buried underground, or some other solution for its parking crisis. Every person in America being able to own a car on a 1:1 basis simply is an outdated and impractical concept, especially in the cities. Illinois is

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slowly waking up to this fact and embracing alternative modes of transportation as viable, if not – crucial – options for moving forward. In 2016, state bill HB5912 was passed, calling for “every driver of a vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any person operating a bicycle” (Garcia, 2016). This has taken far too long to be included in local policy, and this is just getting started. Now, whether the culture will follow this law or not is another question. It’s going to take many more years before recent policy can make its way into the fabric of common Midwestern society.

In Chicagoland Across Chicagoland, from Evanston to Joliet, projects to improve bicycle infrastructure have been happening and are being funded. Back in 2014, a $1.5 million grant was given to help change infrastructure in Evanston. This project would include signaling for bicyclists and a bike path throughout the city (Smith, 2022). That sounds alright, but what about downtown? Well – one may have recently noticed - all throughout Chicago, the cultural norm of light signals is creating a bicycle-friendly environment, and this has only been happening in the last 5 years.

Take Logan Boulevard as an example, where it took the deaths of “two young men on bikes struck by drivers” to get the city to finally install bicycle infrastructure from Logan Boulevard all the way until Diversey Parkway. Pictured in fig. 2, you’ll notice how the sightlines are not the best around this bend due to the Kennedy Expressway and UP-NW Metra train tracks overhead.

According to the Chicago Streets Blog, the project “eliminated one of the four travel lanes to make room for bike lanes delineated with flexible plastic posts” (Hoyer, 2022). The segregation of pedestrians, bicycles, and motorized vehicles is absolutely crucial for maintaining safety in between high speeds and millions of Chicagoans trying to get around every day.

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fig. 2

Will County & Joliet Looking towards cities in the areas surrounding Chicago, it’s worth noting Will County.

Joliet is its capital and the 3rd most populated city in Illinois. Being a forward-looking, innovative county, Will County and Joliet are collaborating to create at least “three different routes” and multiple enhancements to already existing trail networks that would connect everything from parks and lakes to neighborhoods, jobs, and grocery stores (Forest Preserve District Will County, 2022). One of these projects, the Rock Run Greenway Trail, situated partially in a beautiful nature preserve, is scheduled to have parts of its sidewalks widened to 10 feet, removing the remaining gap between two connecting trails. Furthermore, construction will begin in 2023 on a “a 500-foot section of the path as well as ADA concerns”. This is just one of

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many outdoor, trail-based projects that are finding their way to the light of day, and yet very few Americans understand its long-term importance.

Illinois’ 2022 Report Card Remember the Illinois 18th place ranking from 2012? Well, 10 years later – that ranking has already come to the 15th spot, thanks to the League’s 2022 series of state report cards (The League, 2022). That’s 3 places up across 10 years! At that rate, Illinois will be ranked number 12 by 2032, or perhaps number 5 by 2050! Regardless of the number, what’s important to note is the progress that is being made and who is making it. The biggest advocacy group for Illinois is called “Ride Illinois”. Of all the various categories, Illinois does extremely well (grade A) at traffic laws and practices, which includes HB270, HB5912, the Safe Passing Law, Complete Streets Policy, and others. Where the state finds itself lacking the most on the whole is in areas of infrastructure funding (that isn’t for cars), evaluation, and planning of things such as bicycle routes, public engagement, and data collection. It is precisely reports like these, from an organization based way out in Missoula, Montana – that can help average people in remote and urban areas of Illinois alike – get a leg up in this car-centric world.

The Rise of Car Culture Going back to the early 1900’s, the Midwestern car culture has been around for over 125 years and is still alive and well today. That being said, there are some very good reasons why that still is the case – especially in the north where winters get below freezing. But even for stateof-the-art vehicles, the winter can get challenging. So, what keeps America traveling in this dangerous vehicle? Well, in order for car manufacturers to sell a vehicle to the average

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American, there need to be good roads to get people from A to B in the first place. This is the same issue we’re seeing with the lack of bicycles: no infrastructure. So, during FDR’s presidency and the Great Depression of the 1930’s, a plan was put forth—heavily marketed by General Motors, to criss-cross America with so-called “super highways” that would connect the entire nation. Following the end of the Second World War, this project was bumped to the top of the White House priority list to help provide jobs for all those returning G.I. Joes (Hardy, 2017).

Then in 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways Act, in which it was proposed that 41,000 miles of road would be built across the face of America, making it the “largest peacetime public works project in the history of the world” (Hardy, 2017). Today, its length spans over 47,000 miles and counting, and we’ve officially surpassed the American dream of Eisenhower and the American 1950’s (Federal Highway Administration, n.d.). Technically, the roads being built by states today can still fall under Eisenhower’s Act of 1956, including one connection that is soon to be closing an I-95 gap north of Philadelphia. America’s roads have made a tremendous difference to life across the country as a whole, and will always continue to do so. The mobility and freedom that this highway network currently affords Americans is unprecedented in its scope and how fast it has been built, turning only 70 this upcoming 2026. American journalist and author Dan McNichol described it this way: “As long as the Interstate is the highway supporting our society, economy, and national security, it will forever need to be the beneficiary of our attention and investment” (McNichol, 2006). The car as a literal vehicle to freedom across a country the size of a continent has been undeniable over the last century. However, with the rise of this nation’s mobility and its fast-paced business, the dangers also increased.

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Vehicular Danger With Americans moving to the exurbs and suburbia in the 1970’s and 80’s, the demand for a vehicle as the main mode of transportation went up significantly. Sadly, every day in the United States as of 2021, about 118 people die from motor vehicle related accidents (NHTSA, 2022). This total amounts to 42,915 deaths in the year of 2021, which has been a steep increase over the last 3 years, even though the trend at large since the 1960’s seems to have been going down. This takes population growth into account (NHTSA Media, 2022). This piece is a strong part of the larger discussion of how car culture presents itself in a negative light towards America’s daily life, and Judson University experienced this first-hand in 2021. Car-related accidents, crashes, fatalities, and scary stories seem all too common within friend groups, news, and social culture. The norm has become for people to commute up to an hour or more each day, to and from work (not including social events), and it makes for extremely dangerous situations when people doze off behind the wheel, let alone drive under the influence with some serious horsepower under their feet.

Bicycle Fatalities When it comes to bicycle deaths in America, there is obviously less ridership, but still data to pull from. According to the CDC, roughly 800 bicyclists die on roads in the U.S. every year. Even though bicyclists only make for 1% of trips across America, they account for 2% of all travel-related fatalities (CDC, 2019). These numbers are far less than the consistent annual 1,000 fatalities per year in the 1970’s and 80’s, but still too high for a country that hardly engages in the activity on a regular basis (Wikipedia, 2022). Many, it seems, are deaths that occur in urban areas where safe bicycle infrastructure is lacking. When looking to the events of

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the aforementioned Logan Boulevard and other bicyclists’ deaths on a case-by-case basis, there doesn’t seem to be a shocking trend going on – or is there? From what we can tell, it doesn’t look like a shocking trend as much as it is a consistent occurrence in urban areas where people are unable to afford parking, housing costs, and a car as a means of commute.

My Way is the Highway When speaking with Americans in daily life, it is not only normal to bring up cars and driving in conversation – it is often even expected. This is normal behavior considering the frequent impact of any motorized vehicle on daily life. A child grows up going to school by a giant, yellow vehicle. The mom or dad picks the child up, sitting in line at school in a different vehicle, perhaps some fast-food, a drive-by prescription and a coffee on her way home, and that marks the end of that school day. The car bookends it, and then there’s dinner, chores, homework, free time, and the rest of the evening. But for daily life, alternative modes of transit are hardly considered because many parents don’t trust their children to try them out. This paper is not a psychological review of helicopter parenting, but at some point – this field overlaps with a lack of trust in other transit modes that don’t involve the car. Personally, I have heard many stories from young women in particular, who have been kept at home by their parents, threatening them that they “won’t be driven to that friend’s house” unless they obey—or something of the like. Teenagers getting their hands on a vehicle can feel like getting a ticket to freedom, since the parent(s) hold control over their mobility. This needs to be discussed as an issue, even if parents might not want to acknowledge it in the short-term. The long-term effects are already visible. According to research from Odenweller et al. on helicopter parenting amongst millennials, the wide body of research claims that “too much involvement is detrimental

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to children's development” (2014). I have noticed the stunting of (teenage) growth all over the United States, and the results aren’t pretty for our current maturity or communal awareness.

Stay on the Driveway Even in the confines of one’s own neighborhood, where neighbors used to greet each other and welcome people into their homes for dinner – bicycle culture is being crushed by car culture. Teenagers grow up believing that owning a personal vehicle is the natural upgrade from the bicycle mom & dad bought when they were 12. The infant grows up being shuttled around by adults everywhere until legal age to drive, and is constantly dreaming from the backseat about sitting behind that steering wheel instead of being decided for where to turn left or right. The American childhood experience, in my experience, has a reduced sense of autonomy and built self-confidence compared to the Dutch culture that I personally grew up in. As independent as the United States may seem, it definitely doesn’t imply that for the young ones in their growth.

What doesn’t help the situation, much like the drinking age debate, is that one can only start driving upon completion of the long-awaited DMV driver’s license. People put the shiny end goal of a license, being able to go to the bar, or perhaps a college degree, as the end-all, be-all of an American teenager’s existence, and that’s what they naturally long to pursue during those formative years. With the bicycle, this lofty goal doesn’t have to be the case. It’s a platform open to all ages, all backgrounds, even all body types with given technology, and doesn’t require expensive examination or testing. Just use common sense, put a helmet on if it’s dangerous and keep peddling forward using your own amazing body strength.

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The Wealthier You Are… Furthermore, there’s an aspect of social status involved in each mode of transit. In other words: even though America loves the idea that “all men are created equal” (National Archives, 2023), there seems to be a separation of classes in terms of transportation. Who would have thought? Why, sure. The rich have horse-drawn carriages and Lamborghini’s, while the poor ride donkeys and rusty, ancient bicycles–supposedly. Society has evolved to present itself in this manner within the Midwest and it shows. Forget about pollution. The fancier the cars you can fit into your 4-door garage, the more you can boast about your wealth and apparent success in life.

Same goes for the status associated with those traveling by foot or by bicycle. When there are no sidewalks or bike lanes to traverse, the people left without a car or driver’s license are left walking along dangerous roads and don’t seem to receive any empathy for it. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Car culture is deeply connected to pride and the idea of being able to control the speed of a beast like a Ford F-150. To take whatever you want, wherever you want, and at almost any speed you want. Those who choose to bicycle can only do so on the side as a hobby, or on a trainer in the comfort of their home. It’s a hobby, not a daily lifestyle part of the commute to work or other mundane activities. Normalization of this form of commuting would also remove its negative stigma from everyday American life. Thankfully, the Judson Bike Shop and Elgin Community Bikes are some of many groups trying to do something about the current toxic culture.

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MAOL Meets the Judson Bike Shop Since the Judson Bike Shop is situated slightly to the north of Elgin, Illinois – it’s up to us to create the culture within our establishment before it can set a precedent and be a leader for others in the area and beyond. Over the course of the MAOL program at Judson, the literature, if anything, has pointed out that people follow someone who leads by example, not by words. The Bible emphasizes this idea in the book of Titus: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good” (Bible Gateway, 2011). For it is when people observe others doing something a certain way, it implies that there is probably a reason behind doing it like that. Increasingly, people who lead by example in a comparable manner can (subconsciously) exercise a certain level of social peer pressure, and this induces people to change their behavior as a community, or even an entire society.

Lead As Your True Self In the Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner it points this same idea out clearly in a number of great ways. Each of these ways points towards the specific ways in which communication can best be used for organizations, and what that means when they do so.

According to Posner & Kouzes (2017), you have to “freely and honestly choose the principles you will use to guide your decisions and actions. Then you have to genuinely express yourself.”

Being in charge of the decision making process means that you must take ownership over the outcome, for this generates an ongoing loop of self-confidence and trust in one’s own decisions.

Hopefully it will produce better and better results over time. Furthermore, it’s important to “authentically communicate your beliefs in ways that uniquely represent who you are” (Posner

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& Kouzes, 2017). Each person is given a unique voice and gift–that, when used at the right time, can be extremely effective in bringing across an intended message or talent.

Kotter’s 8-Step Model Not only is the identity and mindset of each person of high importance - the motive and intent behind someone’s delivery are also of equal value. Posner & Kouzes mention that when a leader expresses a commitment to a certain value or belief that their organization holds in high regard, that leader isn’t just saying “I believe in this.” They’re also making a commitment for an entire organization. They’re saying, “We all believe in this” (Posner & Kouzes, 2017). These types of public claims and notions imply that not only the leadership, but the entire team should be, and hopefully is already on board with what’s being communicated. From the second the words leave the leader’s lips, they should metaphorically become the thoughts and dreams of the employees, who are eager to follow the leader’s command. This–of course, is in a perfect world where employees and leadership trust each other 100% of the time. Since that isn’t the case in reality, it’s always important to leave energy for what some might call the ‘residual risk’: the law that if something might go wrong, it will. With this in mind, the Judson Bike Shop turns towards Kotter’s 8-Step Change model for guidance (besides Christ’s words).

1) A Sense of Urgency In Kotter’s model, it is suitable to approach any problem or issue that an organization is facing by creating a sense of urgency to said problem. Should seem pretty logical. If you want to rally a crowd to do something, tell them why it’s absolutely pertinent and crucial to do said thing. However, it’s not just about communicating that to the team. Again–there needs to be a

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collective sense of urgency. The need for this solution or effort should be so strong that a visitor can smell it in the air, put a chunk of it in their pocket and cut it like slices of bread. The world revolving around said organization needs to be dripping in the same language and culture that it’s aiming to direct itself towards. In the case of the Judson Bike Shop, our facility needs to act, feel, and operate like a non-profit, grassroots, lively and young yet skilled bike shop. There needs to be art and creativity in every direction–bikes and alternative modes of transportation visible throughout. It should represent young people having a good time, feel like it’s alive and be slightly non-conforming. When someone enters, it must feel revolutionary and ready to explode with all of its ideas on how to problem-solve car culture in the Midwest. This is what is meant by creating a sense of urgency. The problem needs to feel urgent in how people are currently treating it.

The fact remains that 118 people died on average each day in the year of 2021 due to motor vehicle accidents (Shepardson, 2022). This is one of the pieces of evidence that should spark some healthy anger, and a desire to change it. This rate is in an annual upward trend and I do not hope to see it go up any further than it already is. Commuting or traveling from A to B shouldn’t have to come with a price tag of someone’s life. Sadly for Judson, two of our students were 2 of the 118 on the 20th of April 2021, whose lives were taken too early, and instead included in that annual body count. Better infrastructure, planning, and a norm of healthy driving culture could’ve been in place, but it apparently wasn’t enough. Three individuals were found street racing right past the campus when they hit 4 oncoming students, of which two died (WGNTV, 2021). The obesity rate, deaths due to circulatory system failures, and the collective

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correlation to a lack of exercise–all these pieces help provide a sense of urgency to the exercise epidemic that the United States is, was, and will be facing. It’s bigger than just bikes.

2) Build a Coalition Once the urgency of the problem has been assessed, it’s time to “build a coalition of committed people” (Kotter, 2022). This proposition is trickier than it looks, because anyone can get a random group of people together. Bringing together people who are dedicated and committed to the urgent cause described in the first point – now that’s the challenge. People have different schedules, different priorities, and even different interpretations of the task at hand.

When the raw passion and drive to problem solve isn’t enough, other methods need to be introduced into the cultural dynamics of the group in order to keep the ship sailing. Sufficient payment, fun people, and perhaps team outings and meals could be part of this. Whatever it is, the team can’t solely rely on these back-ups. There has to be enough willingness within the team members themselves to push on, even when the going gets tough. Thankfully, the Judson Bike Shop’s current team has some truly committed members, who will work on the bicycle, kayak, and snowboard projects even if there wasn’t a payment attached. They love what they do and are genuinely proud to serve the community they’re in. As the manager, I get the impression that the people I work with truly enjoy coming in, and that means the world to me.

3) Strategic Vision People are all over the place these days, both geographically and mentally. It’s for this reason, that this group of people on the team of the Judson Bike Shop needs to form a collective strategy for accomplishing the goals ahead of them. Depending on those involved in the team,

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the strategy could obviously be different. In our case, it’s about impacting the campus and the broader region to get into the great outdoors as much as we possibly can. The vision, in part, is seeing a new generation develop a longing for the world outside their four walls, embracing what the world has to offer instead of shying away from it and relying on our screens. The strategy would come alongside this, through our partnership with Judson’s Spirit Store, the facilities in which we store the equipment, the creativity we bring to solving problems and producing new approaches for outdoor activity around campus. Regardless of what it is exactly, what’s important is that it’s the team as a whole coming up with and committing to it.

4) Enlist a Volunteer Army When executing said strategic vision, there will be some mountains in need of moving.

According to the 8-step plan, the best way to do so is by using step 4: “enlist a volunteer army” (Kotter, 2022). This approach implies that the community needs to rally around the cause so much to the point that people will join the initiative as volunteers. The ‘army’ terminology of it helps emphasize that this mountain is most definitely going to move, because of its dedication and unified mindset under the cause. What’s interesting about Kotter’s 8 steps, is that steps 4 and 5 used to be “communicate the vision” and “empower others” (EPM, 2022). These steps seem to be more focused on encouraging others to adopt your vision, whereas the current terminology is more impactful by calling for volunteer action & the removal of real barriers for those helpers.

This seems like a terrific shift because it really gets deeper to the heart of what changemaking is all about: people. If we keep our conversations lofty and abstract, talking about ideals, visions, and non-actionable empowerment, it’s destined to fail. The current 8-step wording, however, is setting organizations like Judson’s bike shop up for long-term success.

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5) Remove Barriers With people, vision, and a collective drive in place–life is still full of delightful challenges. When possible, leaders should be trained and equipped to remove barriers for their employees, so that their help isn’t in vain. This is the fifth step in Kotter’s mind, to enable action by removing barriers (Kotter, 2022). The more employees encounter barriers, the more employers encounter the same. Likewise, the more employers encounter barriers, the more the organization as a whole gets put under pressure and at risk of losing control over the situation it’s trying to address. This is exactly why removing certain barriers allows for action to happen, organizations to be more productive, and in turn entire societies can become alleviated of needless pain due to wise barrier removal. What this looks like in practice, is preparing for the worst before it happens, and being aware enough to predict potential challenges. According to Kotter’s website, it also means that the roadblocks need clearing to allow people the space to innovate. If you’re constantly riding on the coattails of life as opposed to designing the coat, there might be a problem having to do with step number 5.

6) Generate Short-term Wins From what modern-day society is telling us about attention spans and 21st century behavior, everyone seems to really like short-term wins, often to the demise of long-term success, but more about that in steps 7 and 8. Short-term wins, trendy as they might seem – do have a very strong role to play in instituting long-term positive change. This piece represents the first fruits, the first signs of a product or idea being able to do well. Our culture often celebrates the persistent inventor-figure who slaved away hundreds of sleepless nights of failed designs, ultimately to create something that would change the world forever. This bell might ring true

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sometimes, but in majority of cases it’s important to see some successful feedback relatively quickly. Short-term wins need to be recognized when they happen just like dopamine bursts in the brain, and then communicated with those involved so it can continuously motivate and encourage the idea that the team’s labor is truly paying off and leading to good outcomes. Along with this so-called “energizing” comes the factual truth of an organization’s progress. How are we doing? What needs help and what needs to be rewarded even more? Short-term success is the molecular matter that can reveal hidden secrets about macro-sized wins in the long run.

7) Sustain Acceleration Speaking of the long run, here we have a step that emphasizes the maintenance of said short-term wins, and it makes perfect sense. If one adds up enough different small moments of triumph and accomplishment, it should lead towards a collective amount of positive accomplishment. This, together, and sustained over consistent periods of time, is what sustaining acceleration is about. John Ham, former lead strategist for COTY’s global manufacturing & engineering department, mentions along these lines that guaranteed success comes by “not skipping any of the steps or the learnings” (Kotter, 2022). A different quote attributed to Chicago-based architect Mies van der Rohe is that “God is in the details” (Google Arts & Culture, n.d.). Each of these speak of how a magnitude often finds itself in the smaller pieces and consistent actions in between. This is exactly what the Judson Bike Shop also aims to replicate, by showing up every day, even if there’s nothing to be worked on–just being together in an innovative and productive space–allows ideas and the organization as a whole to flourish.

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8) Institute Change Then, last but not least: institute change. A system that works well and runs like a welloiled machine needs to keep itself maintained for it to stay productive. There is always the risk of its systems becoming outdated, irrelevant, and non-competitive if it doesn’t stay up to date. This is the risk of relying too much on institutionalized practices. However, this permanent, documented change is simply the change that needs to be embedded into the skin or fabric of a company on a large scale, just like humans need to create permanent habits in order to automate it. Automated tasks have the risk of becoming dull over many years of use, but they also have the major benefit of being a solid ‘default’ when things go south or roadblocks get in the way. For the Judson Bike Shop, there are only few documented practices set in stone, but it’s definitely something in the works for when management changes leaders inevitably. Drawing back from the earlier short-term wins, John Kotter describes that one must “articulate the connections between new behaviors and organizational success” ensuring that the small wins are indeed leading to the big wins, and producing that continuous growth that the organization desires. The on-campus bike shop will continue to operate with a desire to seek change in a one-on-one level, seeking out the small impact, trusting that this matriculates into a larger change over time.

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The United States of Bikes As we reflect on where America has come from, where it is now, and what the future holds–it’s plain to see how trail infrastructure and healthy commuting are part of that future. The dreams that once found their desires fulfilled in fast cars, hot rods, and Harley Davidsons, are now finding the light of day in a lifestyle that emphasizes individual, communal, and even societal growth. The bicycle is sweeping the nation faster than an election cycle, and is soon even going to be ridable from coast to coast! A dream nothing short of a megaproject is taking place in the form of the “Great American Rail-Trail” as named by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (2023). This trail, going through 12 states (plus D.C.) from Washington D.C. to Seattle will capture hearts, minds, and legs of many Americans for years to come. According to Headwater Economics (in partnership with RTC), a recent study estimated that this futuristic trail could “generate more than 229.4 million in annual spendings and 25.6 million annual trips for people all over the world”, flocking to the areas surrounding the trail. Another coast-to-coast trail is also underway, overlapping for a third or so with the former, and it is called the “American Discovery Trail”. This set of routes and regions goes through an additional 7 states that the Great American one doesn’t traverse, with a final destination in San Francisco, California (American Discovery Trail, 2022). With these two forces combined, it’s not hard to imagine how America is starting to change for the better when it comes to accessibility across state lines and in multiple ways of connectedness. Not to mention–the number of businesses, jobs, and tax revenue that will be brought to communities as they bring their wallets to the various routes. As the trails keep getting built and find their way to local news, more and more people will inevitably make their way out to get a taste of the outdoor American life, once again.

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fig. 3

Electric Vehicles Furthermore, even car companies have gotten back into the idea of making bikes– e-bikes in particular. This would bring many of them back to their roots, back where it all started: slightly more simple machinery. As early as 2000, the Electric Bike Project held in Quebec, Canada, held multiple initiatives to encourage legislation and companies to think about more sustainable transportation methods. Companies like “Honda, Ford, Yamaha, Peugeot, Renault” (Transport Canada, 2001) and others displayed their products for the first time and allowed widespread interest for this topic to grow. This type of Canadian mindset is yet to reach mainstream United States, where Ford was surprisingly intrigued and caught up a little. As of 2015 at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain, Ford Motor Company showed off its new electric bike to attendees of the conference. In the published comments about the feat, Ford said that it’s part of “Henry Ford’s vision to offer freedom of movement for all of mankind, despite the fact that cities are becoming more and more populous, there is a lot more traffic and a

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lot more journeys being in the city” (Associated Press, 2015). Vehicle companies realize how much cities are becoming congested and might have to start switching to alternate technologies to help accommodate this type of small-sized, urban demand. To expound even further on this, Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, laid out a business plan for a world in which personal vehicle ownership is impractical or undesirable. He proposed partnering with the telecommunications industry to create cities in which “pedestrian, bicycle, private cars, commercial and public transportation traffic are woven into a connected network to save time, conserve resources, lower emissions and improve safety” (Associated Press, 2015). With that being said, the American roots still grow heavily within the car industry, and shall continue to need its own natural gas resources for many years to come. President Biden has assured us all again of that fact in an unconvincing manner in February’s SOTU (The White House, 2023).

The Car and Bicycle Should Be Friends The electric vehicle industry is booming more than ever. This is important to this discussion, since the car can reinvent itself as a sustainable transportation mode without the added baggage of the oil industry getting rich off of our fuel-dependent vehicles. According to Baringer for the SIU Law Journal, “autonomous vehicles are being developed by nearly every major automobile manufacturer and have been the subject of recent legislative enactments” all across the United States (Baringer, 2013). Illinois, in the case of this particular publication, was not as quick to enact legislation as the states of California, Nevada, and Florida, which could be both bad and good. Bad, because the author claims that the citizens of Illinois would benefit more from a quick implementation. It however could be good to wait, so legislation can be altered and adjusted upon learning from the mistakes in the former three states. Regardless, as of

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2023, electric and driverless cars have taken to the streets all across the United States and will undoubtedly become part of the future of our cities. How this will be designed in conjunction with other sustainable modes of transit is simply the next question down the line. E-bikes and e-vehicles will need to learn to be long-term friends.

Policy of the Future With policy’s pendulum shifting towards the bicyclist’s side, it seems like the winds are changing. And this wind isn’t going to keep blowing unless the public engages the rudder, and steers it in that direction. PhD, author, and Chicana activist Adonia Lugo mentions in her book “Bicycle / Race” how her strategy for bicycle advocacy in Southern California’s car culture changed over time. “Changing the public’s mind”, she says, “would follow from changing road design” from within places of elected officials and public employees, as opposed to trying to organize public, cultural support (Lugo, 2018). She realized and understood that the people pushing the buttons and allocating funds need to change their mindset about bikes as opposed to the outsiders who seem like crazy bicycle enthusiasts on the sidelines. It is people like this, who too often get labeled all sorts of negative things by those with the historic, majority voice. But if one pushes through to hear the underlying message that research shows, regardless of its lack of media coverage, it seems like the truth and good people will still make it to the light of day–or at least some of them. And this is a win for everyone’s future.

How Europe Does It One of the of the biggest reasons (Ho, 2022) why North America hasn’t shifted towards commuter biking, is that it doesn’t seem safe: riding along on two narrow wheels. This, added to

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the fact that American roads have been designed entirely for cars, doesn’t help our fear for the unknown territory of communal bicycling. As Calvin College philosophy professor Lee Hardy mentions, “we might have something to learn from our northern European counter parts. They’ve devoted a good deal of thought and effort to making way for bikes in cities with the advanced design of an urban bicycle infrastructure” (Hardy, 2018). This is the route that seems most beneficial for American cities to be studying as population densities across America rise. Europe has been able to develop this infrastructure in less than one hundred years, as narrow as its streets may be sometimes–and the proof is in the pudding. Even with less space, cities like Amsterdam (my hometown, in fig. 4) and Copenhagen seem to be doing more. Parents are taking their children to local schools, adults are going to work, the prime-minister is found traveling on his e-bike to the parliament; at least half of these cities, according to national data, are reported to commute each day by bicycle (Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat, 2019). These are terrific examples of places that are highly interconnected, vibrant, and easily walkable for your average human being with a desire to get somewhere. The illusion of having lots of space across North America, is that we think we should use it to spread out. Europe’s density and maneuverability are an argument towards the contrary. It’s up to us to do such across the pond as well, especially now that we have the space, financial backing, and brains to put one and one together for future generations.

fig. 4

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Mental Health and Transit On a completely different note, it is finally time to talk about the health aspect of this entire discussion. Even though it very well might be safe to assume the battle for health benefits is won by the bicycle instead of the car – it still deserves to be analyzed from both sides. Some of the dangers on both sides of the aisle have previously been discussed in terms of fatality rates, emissions, and obesity to a certain degree – what about factors like stress, mental health, and wellbeing? According to the National Park and Recreation Association, “36% of Americans use a trail for hiking, running or walking”, and just about “58% of Americans manage their daily stress by going for a walk or run around their neighborhood” (National Park and Recreation Association, 2018). Sadly, the percentage of Americans out bicycling according to this research was only 11%. Seemingly, Americans find many ways to deal with daily stress, but perhaps just not enough in the form of exercise. The exciting side to this is that at least half already finds its daily stress outlet by being outside, exercising in their local neighborhood, trail, or park. What’s more is that researchers from the Huainan Normal University in China have further confirmed what we already know. Their collective research and analyses amongst college students showed that “the gap in mental health between male and female college students is attributable to the disparity in physical activity” (Huang et al., 2022). They simply concluded for their campus that women exercised less and might have experienced a worse mental health because of that. In general, it would be odd for someone to claim to have exercised after driving hours on end. The car doesn’t provide the same type of physical movement for its driver, and therefore could cause health problems for those who choose to drive without additional exercise. The bicycle, however, is a great method for keeping spirits high, stress levels low, and our bodies in better balance with themselves.

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The Bicycle Comeback is Here In a world in which time is ticking faster than our eyes can blink and natural resources are being turned to piles of junk at the click of a button, it’s crucial for us to recognize the timeless invention of the bicycle. It propelled us forward into the industrial revolution of the 1900’s, and ever since the automobile has stolen its spotlight. And though this spotlight is bright – it cannot last long. Car culture is being turned on its head across North America and the Midwest, being replaced by electric equivalents, public transit, the bicycle and personal transportation machines in all their innovative forms. Though America’s health crisis continues to pour people into the hospitals and cemeteries, an increasing number of people will make these cities more livable for the societies of the 21st century. Illinois is ranked 15th across all 50 states for its bicycle friendliness as of 2022, and that friendliness towards the peculiar invention of the velocipede is trending upwards in the future (The League, 2022).

Being post-covid, it’s important for us to encourage all the exercise we can get. “By engaging in physical activity, you can decrease the sensitivity of adrenaline receptors, refresh people, and eliminate problems. During physical activity, sweat is expelled and the human metabolism is accelerated” (Huang et al., 2022). With exercise and activity in mind, the Judson Bike Shop is enabling its community, targeting attainable goals, and proactively using Dr. John Kotter’s 8 steps in order to sustain long-term change for its organization and the surrounding culture (Kotter, 2022). Its team is eager and excited to see the Judson campus transform into a place where student, staff and the public can get around safely, effectively, and with Christ’s abundant hope at the center of it all.

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At the end of the day, it’s exciting to build towards a future where bike lanes will be as prevalent as President Eisenhower’s highways, and traffic deaths as scarce as the wheels on a unicycle.

Thank you for helping make your community a better place.

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Appendix A: Used Imagery Figure 1 A Chicago bicycle club from the 1890’s

Note. Hobbs, A. (2004). Bicycling. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/136.html

Figure 2 Logan Square Boulevard with its new bicycle infrastructure

Note. Hoyer, S., Vance, S., Lopez, L. & Greenfield, J. (2022). Eyes on the Street: Curb protection on Logan Boulevard makes a scary stretch feel safer. Streetsblog Chicago. https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/09/06/eyes-on-the-street-curb-protection-on-logan-boulevardmakes-a-scary-stretch-feel-much-safer/

THE ILLINOIS BICYCLE COMEBACK Figure 3 The Great American Rail-Trail

Note. Rails-to-Trails. (2022). The Great American Rail-Trail. https://www.railstotrails.org/greatamericanrailtrail/route/

Figure 4 The bicycle culture in the city of Amsterdam

Note. Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat. (2019). Mobiliteitsbeeld 2019. KiMnet. https://www.kimnet.nl/mobiliteitsbeeld#personenvervoer-article1

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