Glimpses

The title of this blog is "I Dream of Bicycling." I was struggling to capture many concepts in one short phrase... Urban transport cycling, the infancy of cycling in Atlanta, the isolation of being a bicycle commuter here, and finally, the spirit of Atlanta (expressed, for instance, in Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech) which will face insurmountable odds in order to promote justice, equality, and people's rights to basic things like safety, mobility, health, and opportunity.

Usually, I am a lone cyclist in an ocean of cars. I'm okay with that. I'm used to being different. If I need someone to understand me, I have my boyfriend, friends, and the lovely bloggers of the global city cycling scene. But I hope it won't be that way forever.

Me and the motorists...

I envision Atlanta as being a city where any person can travel by any mode of transportation - walking, bicycling, private car, public transportation...anything except zipline, I suppose. Right now, access to private car travel is, for many parts of the Atlanta region, the difference between 'haves' and 'have nots.' And there are many people who spend more money than they reasonably should in order to have a car - money that comes out of their household budget for food, housing, education, savings, etc.

Every now and then, I see Atlanta differently. There is a glimpse where it looks like a real multi-modal city. Cyclists are passing by in the traffic, people are walking along an ample sidewalk, businesses are open and lining the streets, friends are walking side-by-side. Sometimes I can snap a photo of the moment.

In the evening, a student walks his bicycle while talking to a friend

I dream of bicycling. I dream of transportation justice.

Precipitation Near Miss

Some friends, the Beau, and I went up to the Georgia mountains for the weekend. We were kind of excited when the weather forecasts started predicting snow on Saturday. What could be better than a beautiful snowfall in a secluded mountain valley? Of course, with a warm cabin and crackling fire waiting for you...

It was a lovely, relaxing trip, but no snow. We were a little disappointed. It seems to snow at least once a year in north Georgia. Not enough for me to get my snow fix (I grew up in Maine) but fun for a day. And I always end up bicycling in it.

This is what happened last year. It was on a Sunday, and one of my favorite pubs had been advertising a special Sunday brunch. So we had to go...right? Riding on snow is not hard at all, but you definitely need to bundle up and take it easy.

The Beau in the snow

This year, I'll keep hoping for snow. You northerners can feel free to send some down to us!

Notable Bicycle Quotes

"Everytime I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.  Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle. 

-- Ernest Hemingway

"I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can't get into harm unless she gets off her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." - Susan B. Anthony

Bicycling to Work - Part 2 (What to Wear)

Skirt In Motion

Wear anything.

Well almost anything. Bicycling has had a subtle influence on my wardrobe. Pencil skirts are dead to me, unless they have a serious slit up the side or back. Definitely not the front. I love skirts like the red one I wore today, that is fitted at the top and then flares out. This allows it to flow in the wind while remaining modest from the mid-thigh up. It's not so long that I would need a skirt guard or anything. I do have a few skirts that are simply too revealing, but only a few.

 I wear high heels more often, now that I don't have to walk very far in them. But I seek out shoes that have rubber soles rather than slick bottoms. If they don't have grippy soles and I still want them, I just stick some adhesive non-slip pads on the bottom - you can get them at most drugstores and the shoe store.

If cycling in your everyday clothes, especially skirts and dresses, is new to you, the winter is a good time to start. You can wear stockings underneath while you find out if any of your skirts are inclined to misbehave.

Then just add your normal top, sweater, jacket, gloves, scarf, hat, etc. that you would wear to walk around. Make sure scarves aren't dangling down so far that they could get caught in your chain or wheels. I like to layer, so I can remove things as I warm up.

Outfit for Mid-40's, Overcast Commute

Hat: gift. Scarf: hand-me-down from friend. Jacket: H&M Berlin. Gloves: REI. Skirt: Goodwill. Boots: Rag-O-Rama thrift shop.

That's about it! And then it's in to work.

Bicycling to Work - Part 1

We have a pretty low rate of bicycle commuting here in Atlanta. I think it's less than 1%. And I have a really hard time understanding why. This article helps explain, a little.

Where is everybody?

For the past 3 years, I have bicycled to work 3 or 4 days out of the week. The other days, I ride the MARTA rail system, which is pretty convenient to my home and work. Occasionally, I take my bicycle on the train if I am not feeling well or if the weather is really horrible. It's nice to have that option.

My bicycle commute couldn't be easier. I get up (that's the hardest part!), put on my work clothes, put my lunch and repair kit in my basket, and roll my bicycle out the front door. It's a little over 4 miles to work.

Here in Georgia, the most unpleasant weather occurs in the summer. It rarely snows in winter, and almost always gets above freezing during the daytime. The only trick for bicycling is to layer properly, so that I can take things off (hats, scarves, jackets - don't get excited!) when I start to warm up. I tend to ride at higher speeds so I do get quite warm. In summer, it is more challenging. My best strategy is to wear a spaghetti-strap tank top, wipe off any sweat when I get to my destination, and then pull something more respectable on over it.

My handy cupholder allows me to bring a frosty iced coffee on hot days, or a warm drink when it's cold out.

Sunshine and Sipping

By the way, I am working on getting better photos. I've had to figure out how to *not* drop my camera but still have it handy for interesting shots...

Happy travels.

Which Way Lies the Future?

Atlanta finally has a new mayor and city council, following the runoff elections yesterday. Several candidates which I had supported due to their progressive views on transportation and urban development have been defeated. The election really focused on two issues: crime and balancing the city budget. Naturally, I can connect both of these to transportation...

Affordable, safe, multimodal transportation helps people get to education, jobs, and stores and services. It allows them to spend less on their daily transportation so they can spend more on food, housing, and utilities. It reduces demand for police and other emergency services by reducing traffic crashes and injuries. And it leads to lively, self-policing streets instead of vacant highway corridors.

Some of the policies that may be discussed in the coming term will be a parking tax that could fund the Connect Atlanta transportation plan, and policies regarding development or redevelopment, affordable housing, and the like.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran this timely editorial yesterday. Perhaps it will point the new administration in the right direction.

The good, the bad, and the overgrown

The standard Atlanta bicycle lane is a wonderful thing. 10 to 12 feet wide, well marked, and pretty well maintained.

It is a comfortable size to ride with a friend and to allow a safe passing distance for motor vehicles. Sure, motorists occasionally get offended that they can't use it as a right-side passing lane for a few seconds, but this is a minor detail.

Seriously, though. Atlanta has an amazing amount of excess capacity on its roads. There are a few bottlenecks or high volume roads, mostly due to disruptions or interruptions in the street network. These disruptions are created by highway or stadium projects that have led to abandoned streets, and by the suburban cul-de-sac mindset that governed the design of many of our post-1930's intown neighborhoods. Just look up an internet map of the Peachtree Road-Collier Road junction, or the Piedmont-Cheshire Bridge-Lavista Road area, or, well, many others... You see, Atlanta started as some intersecting railroad tracks. The streets evolved around them, mostly following a grid system but twisting and turning to follow the rail lines. Around WWII, as the automobile came to dominate, the grid was replaced by a street hierarchy of arterials, collector streets, and looping local streets with only a few connection points in order to reduce through traffic.

Disclaimer: I am not a planner, I just play one at work. If you think any of my statements are incorrect please tell me.

In ensuing years, much of the growth moved far outside of the center city, and the city tried to lure prosperity back by "fixing" its existing layout. This involved widening roads, adding limited access highways, and generally trying to make it easier to drive around. These projects seem to have been implemented somewhat haphazardly, or maybe they just weren't ever finished. Whatever the case, not a lot of people wanted to live here or drive here. And now, when more people are moving back to the city, many of them don't want to drive if they don't have to.

What does this mean for bicyclists? Well, it means that there are extra lanes all over the place. Some roads start out as two lanes, widen to four or five lanes (all in the same travel direction), and later narrow down to three, two, or one lane. That's a lot of room for little ol' me and my bicycle to use. Plenty of room for cars to pass if they need to. My own bicycle lane, 12 feet wide.

No wonder I'm disappointed by the few designated bicycle lanes we have. They rarely meet AASHTO standards (for example, they are too narrow and/or are located in the door zone next to parked cars), are poorly maintained, and may be located in the wrong place relative to right-turn lanes or bus-only lanes. Not to mention the parked cars, signs, and other temporary obstructions. Here is the designated bicycle lane on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.

 

Signs in the Bicycle Lane

Overgrown Vegetation in Bicycle Lane

Bottom Line:

A well designed bicycle lane or cycle track is a wonderful thing. But until Atlanta gets them right, I'll take a general purpose lane, please!