Charleston Cycle Chic

[W]hen more women begin riding, that will signal a big change in attitude, which will prompt further changes in the direction of safety and elegance. I can ride till my legs are sore and it won’t make riding any cooler, but when attractive women are seen sitting upright going about their city business on bikes day and night, the crowds will surely follow.--David Byrne

Yessir:



(Hat-tip: Andrew

(Be sure to have a look at their images of vintage cycling posters.)

Imagine, if you will, a revitalized downtown or Delano District that looks like this, not just on weekends and not just in Old Town . . . There's clearly an obvious aesthetic appeal here, but the not-so-obvious but just-as-aesthetic appeal is of an urban core in which, in such an environment, the streets become, yes, a little slower-moving, but a whole lot safer for everyone.

The "Cycle Chic" blogs are beginning to pop up on this side of the Pond--yet another sort of Critical Mass that serves to emphasize cycling's practical value. I'll soon be posting links to them over in the right gutter.