University of Virginia Library

Bicycling Towns

"A lot of people are coming
down here to school from
bicycling towns like
Philadelphia and Washington,
and they want a good bike
shop around," Charley
concludes.

So far, the picture is rosy.
Relations between the owners
of the competing shops are
good – friendly telephone
calls are not unheard of and
often one mechanic will refer a
customer to one of the other
shops for parts that may not be
in stock. It may be too early to
tell, but now the customer's
demand equals the
overwhelming supply.

***

Charlottesville's growing
interest in bicycling is not
unique. Nationally, thousands
of cyclists are getting off their
bikes and getting into politics,
writing letters, calling
Congressmen and cajoling state
legislatures to improve
conditions.

Diverse politicians from Los
Banos,Calif., to Poughkeepsie,
N. Y., are making headlines by
constructing bike paths that
will soon allow 100 million
cycling Americans to glide
through beautiful scenery,
unmolested by smog-producing
cars and their drivers.

However, not enough is
being done to keep up with the
crushing demand of America's
teeming bicyclists. Trails are
needed that cater not only to
the cyclists who ride for
recreation on Sunday
afternoons, but also for those
who shun engines and rely on
their spoked machines every
day for transportation. We're
working on it.