expectations

I’ve not been back in Flint for that long. I’ve probably only been here about five or six weeks, but already many of my expectations for my return to Flint have been proved wrong.

I’ve been cycling from my current home (with the parents) in Fenton up to Flint for a few weeks now. I don't ride every day, but when necessary. It’s a long ride (approximately 28 miles round trip), so I’ve been trying to take it easy as I get back into riding after a pretty long break while I was making my way across the Atlantic. I'm moving to Flint in around a week, so the long rides are just a temporary thing.

One of the things that has surprised me most is how bike-friendly Flint is slowly becoming. Cycle lanes have recently been added to most of the downtown streets. Even my rides on some of the busier roads on the outskirts of the city aren’t as scary as I imagined them to be. Perhaps I should knock on some wood before I write this next thought, but I have to say that for the most part mid-Michigan drivers have shown me courtesy and shared the road with me in a rather polite manner. I often see other cyclists (especially downtown), but many of them ride mostly on the sidewalks and no one except me seems particularly fond of helmets.

The ride from Fenton to Flint is tough but I do enjoy it. I’m not loving all the road-kill and potholes I have to dodge, but the dead animals are a gentle yet often smelly reminder of why it’s important to be careful on the road. One especially hot days when my destination seems incredibly far and I start to doubt my plan to live without a car, I try to think of the oil spill and images of other animals who given the choice, might rather have been a victim of the road and not the oil ridden ocean that was once their home.

I’ve been able to have a few short conversations with people about why I do not plan to buy a car, and even though I often sense a little cynicism I hope some aspect of my story might cause them to look at their own lives and see if even simple changes can be made.

Another thing that has somewhat surprised me upon my return is how busy I am suddenly becoming. In a community where unemployment is rife, I am very much blessed to have several work opportunities coming my way all in my chosen profession. (Take that those who say a degree in the arts is a wasted degree!)

Just a few days ago I rode up to Flint to meet a few folks at the Glenwood Cemetery who are part of an awesome project I'm now working on called “Restoration of Spirit.” It’s a site-specific piece of theatre, meaning the play takes place in a location other than a traditional theatre. In this case, it’s a cemetery. The play will explore the history of Flint and the stories of the people who built this city, but also explore the concept of how places such as this cemetery have (and can) serve as a place to restore both our spirit and our city. The sexton and caretaker of the cemetery gave us a tour and one of the first things he discussed was how the industries in Flint changed significantly over time. In the very early days Flint was a lumber town. Soon the lumber was used to build carriages, which eventually gave way to the automobile. Walking around this magical place, I couldn’t help but think how the timing of this piece seems to fit so well. Here we are with a wonderful opportunity with acres of space and jobless people who could become a part of another new industry. One that puts the planet and people first. I know I’m a bit of an idealist, but as one of my favorite blur songs goes “it really, really, really could happen.”

Riding home in the heavy heat later that day, I couldn’t help but smile thinking of what the future of this fine city might be.

It begins with a bike

Flint, Michigan is a place that owes both its boom and decline to the automobile. I’m told that once upon a time it was a bustling little city, where everyone owed his or her happiness to America’s love affair with the car. Like many love affairs, it didn’t last.

Buick City, once the flagship factory of General Motors is no more and the land where this giant once stood is now one of the largest brownfields in the US. It’s said that at it’s highest in the late 1970’s GM once employed approximately 80,000 local people. That number is now below 8,000.

I’ve heard that Flint’s nickname “the Vehicle City” is actually not a reference to the many cars that have been produced in the city over the years, but actually to when Flint’s main industry was making horse drawn carriage vehicles.

So what’s this blog all about then?

I have recently returned to Flint after an absence of six years. In that period, Flint and I have both changed a lot. Many of the city’s problems remain, but there are also visible changes to this place and hope feels much more tangible than before.

As for me, well after living in a community house in London and attempting to pursue an ethical and simple way of life, I knew a return to Flint would not be easy. You might say I left as a child and have returned as a man, but I don’t really know what that means. I do know that I have returned to Flint with a much greater awareness of who I am, and how my life and my choices impact the world and the people I share it with.

I gave up eating meat, and after six years of living life with no car I decided to keep things the way they are. I am now the proud owner of a beautiful red Schwinn road bike that is my main method of transportation and exploration of the streets and roads of mid-Michigan. As a cyclist, sharing the roads of with big SUVs and bigger trucks isn’t much fun, but I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon.

I should state quite clearly from the beginning that I realize the name of my blog is not entirely correct. Officially a vehicle is defined as a device or structure for transporting persons or things, so that means my bike is most definitely a vehicle. However, I just like the title plain and simple. I know what it means to me, and the challenge of living without a car in a city whose entire identity has been formed around the car is something I take seriously.

So here’s hoping I can traverse these roads free from collisions with other larger, smellier vehicles. Stick around to hear more of my adventures.