I'm not a huge fan of so-called Bike Week.  As someone who bikes everywhere all year round more out of practical necessity than principle, yet more bike traffic on roads already fairly inadequate to handle any in the first place is not encouraging, and riding in it is certainly not my idea of fun. 

The conundrum for bicycle advocacy groups is that in order to get bike lanes built in this town you have to show that there's a real need for them, that people are using the roads to cycle to work even without them.  The necessity can never be assumed, as it is in cities with a real mixed-traffic infrastructure (my personal favorite being Strasbourg — a city a third of the size of Boston with over 130,000 cyclists and over 300 miles of cycling paths).  Unfortunately, when you don't have the proper infrastructure to accommodate them, the roads are dangerous for cyclists, and encouraging more of them onto the roads makes it that much more dangerous for everyone.

Still, the common, if not particularly common-sense, approach to Boston's still abysmal commuter bike culture is, in a reversal of the "build it and they will come" philosophy, "come and they will build it.  Someday.  Maybe."  And we're not talking traffic-calming measures, signal and junction alterations, or any of the things that make mixed traffic safer.  All we're really talking about here is painting lanes.  It's not infrastructure, it's aesthetics.

And how's that lane-painting thing working out for Boston?  Well, there's been a lot of hoopla (or "hooplar" as the locals say) but the bottom line is 15 miles of bike lanes over two years, with 20 more promised.  It's probably not fair to compare it to New York's three-year 200-mile achievement, but I will anyway. The truth is, Mayor-For-Life Menino loves the hooplar, and if he can get it on the cheap, so much the better.

That's sort of the idea behind the MassCommuter Challenge, sponsored by MassDOT and MassBike, in which cyclists are encouraged to venture out onto inadequate and unsafe roads en masse at rush hour:

MassCommuter Challenge is a friendly competition amongst Massachusetts businesses, educational institutions and municipalities in which employees, students and residents support their “teams” –this is tied to where you might work, go to school or live– by pledging to bike for all or part of trips.This year we have upped the competition and are challenging all participants to incorporate bicycling into your trips to work or school,for running errands and for social activities. If work, school or the grocery store seem a little farther than you’re willing to pedal, those trips to your local mass transit station or boarding location count too!!Let us know how much you will be biking by registering for the Challenge and pledging your miles!! Last year, Bay State folks collectively hit 125,000 miles; and that is within just one week! With your help, and the support of your coworkers, friends and family, we aim to do even better. What are you waiting for? Hop to it, it’s time to pull that trusty steed out of the garage and begin incorporating a fun, healthy, non-polluting and sustainable commute into your routine!

"Fun, healthy, non-polluting and sustainable," but you'll notice they don't mention "safe."  Truth in advertising.

It's the first thing a casual urban cyclist will notice.  Bike lanes appear, disappear, and reappear.  Drivers and other cyclists more geared up than you can be hostile, pedestrians oblivious.  Motorists in the core routinely double park, blocking bike lanes.  Fellow-cyclists pass on the left, ride on the wrong side of the road, or blow through intersections right in front of you.  It's a fun, healthy, non-polluting and sustainable war of all against all.

Which is one reason (lousy weather a good part of the year and lack of indoor parking are a couple of others) you have to be a little hardcore to keep it up for more than a week. 

Now that the edge of my little world is a ten minute bike ride in any direction, I don't consider riding to work, the gym, the supermarket, to random hook-ups, whatever, hardcore.  It's by far the easiest way to get around if you live right in the heart of the city like I do, and do a little homework to find your own little off-the-beaten bike paths.  But I don't know of any urban cyclist who really wants more traffic on the roads we have — we have to fight tooth and nail for any little bit of space on the road we can get, without having to worry about getting elbowed off the road by other cyclists. 

I'm all for cycling for health and recreation — in safe places.  Off-street dedicated bike paths, where you can find them.  Rails-to-trails like the Minuteman, or off-street recreation trails like the Charles River Bike Path.  Fun and healthy!  From Porter to Dudley via Mass Ave.?  Um, not so much.

Want a safe commute?  How about next year we have a Great Massachusetts Telecommuting Challenge?