Why doesn't everyone ride one?

On my commute home yesterday, there was a huge back up on Market Street. All the buses and streetcars throughout the Financial District were stopped for some reason, which meant all the cars were stuck. And the mobs of Muni commuters were quickly multiplying on the sidewalks.

Do you know what problems this causes for bicyclists like me?

Absolutely none. Never have I felt happier on my two-wheeled freedom-mobile. San Francisco’s other bicyclists and I sped past the lines of angry cars and pedestrians, laughing to each other (with no glass or steel to block our conversation) about how glad we were to be on bikes. With all the cars stuck blocks behind us, we had every lane to ourselves.

I took my favorite detour down Grove Street, past City Hall with its Christmas tree, in and out of the lit trees in the square, past the symphony and the Opera House, past the ballet with its colorful nutcrackers, while I thought about I lucky I am to be on a bike in San Francisco.