Wednesday, December 13, 2017

The 2 to 3% rule in action

Yesterday as I biked home I thought, "I gotta contact the Parks and Rec department and ask them to create an entrance onto the bike path."  Right where 51st intersects the parkway there should be an easement or simple ramp onto the bike path.


As you can see from these photos bicyclists already enter and exit the parkway here (no those are not my tracks).
Amending this spot would create a nicer and smoother rider experience.

Now imagine a small change like this happening all over the city.  Now imagine a small change like a ramp onto a bike path happening in your life, or in your work for social change and social justice.  It may not be a headline grabbing change but multiplied by the number of people doing similar work in one city or area and all of sudden real long-term change took place in a number of lives.

I found out about Dongo Chang the other day in a feature in Traffic Lab,the city of Seattle's chief traffic engineer.  The more I read about Mr. Chang the more I realized how important it is to, sometimes, focus on the micro level in order to effect the macro.  I feel more inspired and buoyed by this article than any other I've read this year.