Riding together

Riding through the suburbs

Another of the reasons why it's so good to have a comprehensive network of very high quality cycle paths is that they also are good for people with disabilities to travel by bike.

A few minutes later in the city centre

In this case, two people are riding on an electric assist trike carrying a wheelchair across the back. I saw them first on the way into town, and a few minutes later I saw them again travelling in the opposite direction.

The bike's great, allowing a couple to ride together in this way, side-by-side and sociable. But the people are the important part of this picture. The bike, together with the cycling infrastructure, give this couple freedom that they would otherwise have.

Uninterrupted and unobstructed infrastructure are necessary from their home in the suburbs all the way to the city centre to make it possible for them to use it in this way in comfort, with no problems due to fighting through traffic. It is a legal requirement that all cycling infrastructure has to be accessible to machines like this.

In countries where there isn't such infrastructure, lobbyists for people with disabilities ought to be asking for it. Infrastructure like this is not just for "cyclists". It improves everyone's life.