Messy Roadways

As we walked and rode home from a mom and kids bike ride the other day with cars speeding past us, I wondered how different the roadways would be if more people walked or rode bikes. There was trash all along our route, and the safety of walking or riding was questionable with all the speeding cars.

As walkers/riders, we were going slow enough for me to notice what was around us. Broken plastic toys, fast food wrappings, pieces of paper all littered the roadside. The sidewalks and bike lanes near our house are totally inadequate. We often end up walking the bikes through the dirt and weeds to be safe. I always pick my bike routes based on a drive in the car. Once we get going, I realize how inadequate my review from the car is. The route is never as easy or safe as I think it looks when speeding by in a car. The small stretch of no sidewalk turns out to be a quarter mile of dirt, thorny thistles, and toddler treasure--dangerous trash.

If people would just get out of their cars and walk, they would probably care about all the trash they saw. They would probably slow down so they didn't hit a human being or animal. But, we all just speed by without a care, on to the next destination, because of course our society forces the destination rather than embracing the journey.