I’ve done a lot of bicycling here. I do a certain amount of biking in California, but this is one of the most bike-friendly places I’ve ever lived. (Not having a car also makes a difference.)

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The bikes are ubiquitous, and they go everywhere, it seems.

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Part of the improvisational quality of biking comes from the fact that it’s not always clear here what’s a single-lane road, and what isn’t. Some of the roads are very old, and expanding them isn’t really an option.

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It all reminds me of sociologist Harry Collins’ explanation of the different kinds of knowledge: riding a bicycle involves embodied and tacit knowledge, while successfully riding a bicycle in traffic is a form of local knowledge. The former involves learning how to operate a piece of machinery; the latter requires learning how others behave, and how they’ll treat you if you act in certain ways.