You don’t often hear the phrase “Renaissance man” these days, but it’s a pretty fair description of Marcos Netto, TNO‘s Southern Hemisphere Correspondent. His is an enviable CV: corporate executive — he’s a director of Itati, a Brazilian mineral water company — linguist, professional photographer, and Rotarian. But Marcos is also an avid cyclist who regularly saddles up to commute to work. In fact, he’s become a sort of evangelist for cycling, never missing a chance to draw attention to the bicycle’s role in reducing urban pollution, easing traffic congestion, and promoting public health.

Here’s an example: Not long ago, Marcos was asked to take part in a television program on cycling. I could try to summarize what he had to say, but it’s Marcos’ story, so why not let him tell it in his own words?

I was invited by TV Unisinos for a live interview on the Conexão Unisinos 12 O’Clock News to discuss the topic “Bicycling for a Less Polluted World.” The other guest was Professor Felipe Brum de Brito Sousa. Both of us are “regular people” who use bicycles in our everyday lives.

We had a wide-ranging conversation. Felipe and I described how we’d started cycling, talked about the bike tours we’ve taken, and discussed the difficulties we’ve had to overcome in bike commuting. We also suggested steps that city officials could take in order to encourage cycling in the community — incentives they could offer to persuade more people to choose this environmentally friendly form of transportation.

A case in point: Eight-hundred-year-old Paris, France. It has a historical monument on almost every street corner, but it also does a lot to promote cycling, without moving mountains in the process. The result? One of Europe’s largest and oldest cities is now one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, and this was done with very few alterations to the urban landscape. It’s a good example for other city administrators around the world.

The program also highlighted the danger to other riders posed by scofflaw cyclists, particularly those who ride against the flow of traffic on busy streets — the so-called “salmon cyclists.” Many of these wrong-way riders think they’re safer because they can see cars coming toward them. But the truth of the matter is very different, and there’s research to back it up: Cyclists who go with the flow are less likely to be hit by cars. I’ve written about this on Itati’s blog, in a post entitled “Pedalar na contramão: muito mais perigoso!” That’s “Salmon Cycling is Dangerous!” in English. (You can find a “Google English” translation of my article here.)

And wrong-way cyclists aren’t just putting themselves at risk. They endanger other cyclists, too. I used to leave for work at 5:00 a.m., but after two close calls with salmon cyclists, both of whom were wearing dark clothing and riding bikes without lights and reflectors, I decided to limit my commutes to the daylight hours. I didn’t want to risk a head-on collision with an invisible cyclist. I no longer take early morning solo rides around town for the same reason.

The bottom line? Making cycling safer isn’t a job for city governments alone. We cyclists have to do our part, too. And putting a stop to wrong-way riding is a good first step.

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