I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Mark Evans
LOCATION: Shanghai, China
OCCUPATION: Digital Media Director for an environmental non-profit
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
Shanghai might be the most dangerous city for bikes and pedestrians—drivers (especially cab drivers) exercise willful ignorance of other vehicles on the road in an effort to force other vehicles to react to where they are going. Most of the time, they don’t see you. Also, traffic laws don’t really exist, which means you can do whatever you want, but so can anyone else.
Beyond that, this city is nearly perfectly flat, fucking polluted and crowded as hell.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
I miss Portland, OR—real hills, good beer, drivers who are scared to get within 6 ft of you (most of the time) and great bike culture.
Why do you love riding in the city?
In the modern world it’s totally possible to live a completely safe existence. City riding adds thrills, danger, problem solving, social interactions, and adrenaline into my day. Better than coffee and goes well with beer.
Check out www.tastingandcomplaining.com
