Training Wheels
Modern cities—particularly in North America—are fundamentally structured around automobiles. Montreal, despite being recognized as a leading bike-friendly city, is no exception. Its infrastructure still reflects a strong bias toward cars, with disproportionate space allocated to vehicles compared to the actual volume of trips made by cyclists (Valenzuela).
This imbalance reflects broader historical processes described in B+F's discussions of the Thermocene, including suburbanization, industrialization, and global economic expansion. These developments contributed to rising carbon emissions while embedding car dependency into everyday life.
At the same time, dominant measures of progress—such as GDP—prioritize consumption over efficiency. For example, in B+F's "History of Inefficiency," purchasing a larger, less fuel-efficient vehicle may be valued more highly than choosing a smaller, more efficient one, simply because it generates more economic activity. In this way, “progress” often produces outcomes that are environmentally and socially counterproductive.
The rise of automobile culture also illustrates this contradiction. Early public transit systems, such as streetcars, were efficient and widely used such that individual transport "seemed absurd to many contemporaries" (B+F 100). However, a combination of political pressure, economic incentives, and infrastructural changes led to their decline and the rise of private vehicles. In fact, the streetcars had to pay to maintain the roads that Ford cars overtook, leading the streetcar to actually subsidize the automobile (B+F 101).
This chapter also references Jevon's paradox which relates heavily to this topic of automobiles versus cars and their 'efficiency' and 'progress.' The establishment of car culture is largely explained by Jevons Paradox which states how increased efficiency does not decrease total energy consumption, but actually increases it. Looking at the automobile, one may think that by owning a car with higher fuel efficiency, you would save money on gas because the car could go further more efficiently, however, only the latter aspect of this statement proves true. In reality, by owning a higher efficiency car, you can indeed travel further for cheaper, but this only inspires people to drive MORE because each mile is still cheaper. Overall, the increased efficiency in cars has only contributed to an increase in total energy consumption (Yoo).
Overall, what B+F provide through this chapter is how the history of energy is entangled with "political, military, and ideological" histories that serve particular groups and their interests, rather than the genuine benefits they would bring (B+F 96).
All of this sets up how 'progress' is really a myth, and biking—though far from being a new innovation—emerges as a longstanding, efficient, and practical alternative that challenges dominant narratives of progress.
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- Feeling the Breeze Tess Ertel
- Some Flat Tires Tess Ertel
- Training Wheels Tess Ertel
- Training Wheels Tess Ertel
- Training Wheels Tess Ertel
- Training Wheels Tess Ertel
- Training Wheels Tess Ertel
- Overview Tess Ertel