There's a helpful op-ed today on The SunBreak that raises important points about the need for the city to make biking easier and more manageable for larger numbers of people — not just highly fit males. In urging the city to think much more broadly, Michael van Baker writes about surveys showing the percentage of women bicycling downtown has barely budged from 20 percent in the early 1990s:

In a city with as many outdoorsy women as Seattle boasts — trust me, REI membership is not 22 percent female — that’s not an accident. It’s a discriminatory by-product [of city transportation thinking].His larger point:

In-city cycling doesn’t need to exceed 12 or 15 mph to get everyone where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time. It’s safer for all concerned, lets cyclists of all ages and experiential-stripes mingle, and everyone can arrive at their destination without trailing rivers of sweat if they don’t want to.Van Baker goes on to suggest the city needs a lobby more dedicated to bicycling moms with kids and the like, rather than one overwhelmingly identified with the annual Seattle-to-Portland bike race (yes, he's taking a bit of a shot at the Cascade Bicycle Club here but also notes the value of much of their advocacy). Seattle Bike Blog is also covering the update.So, here's to a fall weekend where it looks like recreational bicycling by average folks could be in order. Have a good weekend.