Cargo bike documentary on Kickstarter

...At once I understood all the stories I was reading of regular folk--some who hadn’t been on a bike in years, getting on a cargo bike and instantly becoming fanatic evangelical advocates, reaching out and befriending every cargo bike lover they could find. They can’t contain their excitement and neither could I. I felt duty-bound to make the cargo bike experience accessible, to show people how easily it can be done, how much sense it makes, how completely ALIVE it makes you feel. 

It was obvious that the rapidly growing network of cargo bike users heard the same call; what if I helped them connect and we tackled this project as a team? I had to try it. Given my knowledge and love of filmmaking, we had to make a film.

I know, I know, everybody and his brother's got a Kickstarter project that's absolutely deserving of your money. I'm sure you've seen plenty of them by now and the last thing you need is one more pitch. Well, this isn't a pitch, necessarily. I just wanna share my thoughts on this particular Kickstarter project - a documentary called Less Car More Go.

As some of you may know, when I lived in Ohio, I got around on a bicycle, though it wasn't a cargo bike. I hadn't planned on doing it; I simply needed a better way to get around than waiting on a bus system that isn't 24-7 and runs sporadically. (I don't drive.) It was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you've never ridden a bike, I don't think I can properly convey the sense of liberation you get from being able to travel in this fashion. It's efficient, yes, but unlike a car, you feel connected to your environment in a much more direct way. You're not surrounded by a great big hunk of metal that has the potential to maim or kill someone if you're not careful.

I don't see that many cargo bikes on a daily basis in New York, but I know there are people here who use them, and frankly, they make sense. They're good for lots of activities from grocery shopping to taking little kids to school to doing laundry - all those little tasks that many people use the car for without even thinking about it. 

When you take the car, though, you gotta worry about parking, about traffic, about gas, etc. I'm not saying ditch the car completely, but why not save it for longer trips instead and avoid all the hassle? And yeah, there are all the environment and health-related reasons to switch to a cargo bike, too, but bottom line, it has the potential to make daily living a little bit easier.

So I wanna see this doc do well. If it interests you at all, click on the link at the top and read all about it. Needless to say, I'll keep an eye on its progress.