One Cyclist at a Time

As I rode to an early morning meeting, I was delighted to pull alongside Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Rebecca is now living car-free in Atlanta, winning grants and organizing bicycle events, and explaining how and why Atlanta should be a bicycling city.

It turned out that she was headed to the same meeting, to make a presentation on bicycling and health. She covered all the important points - physical activity, clean air, community interaction. She added that, through their property taxes, cyclists overpay for their use of the road while subsidizing drivers.  She also pointed out the enormous safety benefits. As more people ride bicycles:

• the rate of traffic injuries for bicyclists drops.
• the volume of car traffic drops.
• it is perceived as a safer and more common mode of travel.

 In spite of her inspirational talk and encouraging photos, and certainly in spite of the handful of women in the room who regularly commute and run errands by bike, she fielded skeptical questions from the audience. One man thought Atlanta was only designed for car travel. A woman, who walks regularly, said she had no idea how to get her family of five to a nearby restaurant by bicycle.

Keep talking, Rebecca. One by one, people will be inspired by you, by a friend, by a photograph, by their own dissatisfaction with life confined to a car. And that person will inspire a friend or neighbor... It's already happening. As Rebecca told us, ABC's biannual bicycle counts show more people riding every year.

Grocery Shopping by Bicycle

I came across an article in the Transportation Research Record journal today. It was called "Explaining Gender Difference in Bicycling Behavior". The researchers conducted a survey among men and women in 6 towns on the west coast. One of the questions they asked was whether the person thought it was possible to transport children or go grocery shopping by bicycle. Over 30% did not think it was possible to shop for groceries by bicycle.

It is possible. I'm sure there are lots of suburban and rural locations where it would be more difficult. But here in Atlanta, it's pretty simple: Put some sort of racks on your bike, whatever works for you. Ride to the store. Use a basket rather than a shopping cart, at least until you figure out how much you can carry safely. Secure bags to bicycle. Ride home.

Apparently, a group in Portland, Oregon offers a class in bicycle grocery shopping. Do we need one here?

 

A one-bag shopping trip

Weekend Interludes

So, once again, another weekend has gone by. And once again, I have been too busy with errands, social engagements, and such to write a post. The sad truth is that I don't get to bicycle much on the weekends. Sometimes I am home working on a project or baking all day, sometimes I am running major errands for which I have to use a car...things come up. By the end of the weekend, I really feel like something is missing.

One strategy has been to stash my old mountain bike over at the Beau's house. Now, if I go over there for dinner or en route to meet friends that live over his way, I can arrive by train or car and still have something to ride! I tried it out this weekend. Much better. If we want to run out to the pub or visit friends, I'm not forced to go in a car, nor limited to walking distance. It's not particularly comfortable to ride and it has this flashy, sporty aesthetic that I really dislike, but hey...at least I'm under pedal power.

 

Your local pub - more fun when you enjoy fresh air and starry skies on the way...

Gee Shucks

Sometimes I really regret it when I don't ride. Wednesday was a lovely day this week, a warm and sunny respite from the rain. For some reason, I left my bicycle at home and took the train. The day turned out to be gorgeous, and some errands and meetings came up. As I got to a meeting, 20 minutes later than if I had cycled there, I was really kicking myself. And then, just to top it off, I spotted this breathtaking 50s-style bicycle parked outside the meeting. I can't tell if it is new or a restoration. Anyway, Blue Belle would have loved to park next to this lovely guy.

PS - Kudos to Christa from Bike by the Sea, for her "Map of the Cycle Chic Network".

And Justice For All

I love to talk about the joy of bicycling, all the little ways I have upgraded my ride, and how I integrated it into my personal style and daily activities. I talk about traffic skills and the finer points of traffic law.

But I would like to point out that there are many people who are out there riding a bicycle every day, or most days, who don't have such luxuries. In my mixed-income neighborhood, the bicycle mode share is probably at 5 or 10 percent - high for Atlanta. Many folks rely on their bicycle as their only transportation option for getting to work, to the store, etc. While the neighborhood's interior streets are good for riding, we are bordered by fairly intimidating, high-speed, multilane roads on 3 sides. Miraculously, one of those does have a bicycle lane although it is not in great condition. Connections are few due to train tracks, large industrial properties, and misaligned street grids, so travel along the busier streets is necessary, at least for a few hundred feet.

 

One of the few places to cross a six-lane street

 

Streets within the neighborhood are quiet

So, we have hundreds? thousands? of people who have discovered a healthy, low-cost way to get around. In some parts of Atlanta, more than 30% of households don't even own a car. But the transportation system does not serve them well. Instead, it presents them with unneccessary detours and unneccessary risks. Additional resources - such as training or places to buy lights, locks, and tubes - are hard to find.

The bottom line is, we won't have equal opportunities, and justice for all, and all of the other things that make our country great, if the price of admission is car ownership and operation. In fact, that will cost us a lot in terms of productivity, urban vitality, environmental quality, and much more. Transportation programming in the Atlanta region must ensure that travel is safe and comfortable for everyone - including bicyclists of all ages and needs.

Commuter Corridors

I've been seeing more and more cyclists on the West Peachtree/Spring Street one-way pair. These are not the most relaxing streets for riding. West Peachtree Street does have a bicycle lane for about 10 blocks, but it is barely 4 feet wide and located entirely in the "door zone" of the on-street parking.

 

Nonetheless, it is becoming a popular route for northbound cyclists, especially during rush hour. 

 

Spring Street, running southbound a block away, does not have a bicycle lane. It also has  four lanes of traffic and, at one point, a freeway interchange. I used to see people cycling southbound on West Peachtree Street, riding against traffic on the sidewalk. More recently, I am spotting regular bicycle traffic using Spring Street.

 

It would probably function better for everyone if these were converted to two-way operation. Motorists wouldn't have to drive around in circles to reach their destinations (there are a number of one-way cross streets too). Pedestrians would feel safer, vehicle speeds would probably be more appropriate, and cyclists wouldn't have to merge across 3 or 4 lanes of traffic to turn left.

A Critical Mass of One

I like to joke that I "am a critical mass of one". It means that I don't need to ride in a group in order to reclaim the street for bicycling.

Recently, the joke has grown. Last Thursday (heck, most days), I was a "Heels on Wheels" ride of one. On Friday, I was a "Tweed Ride" of one.

Speaking of Tweed Rides... I think they're adorable. But are they right for Atlanta? We don't have a particularly tweedy heritage. What type of theme rides would be more appropriate here? Here are my suggestions:

• Summer Seersucker Ride (bowties optional)
• Bling Ride. Show off your best street style, complete with rhinestones and chains
• Southern Belles Ring Bicycle Bells
• Club Circuit (Disco)

What else?