Today's picture: Brian Young has been commuting by bicycle to work from the Highlands since the beginning of the summer. He works for Humana at Fifth and Main Streets. What got him started was simple: the need for speed. Brian, 28, finds it's faster by bike than by car.
"If I bike to work it takes 15 minutes, but if I drive it takes an extra 15 minutes to walk from the parking lot – sometimes in the rain," he said. Brian bought his bike a couple of blocks from the office at the Bike Depot. On Thrursday morning when I caught up with him, Brian was locking his Jamis mountain bike to a Metro bike rack. While you're eating a cheeseburger or texting your sweetie, watch for the invisible bicyclists like Brian Young.
Like most of us, Brian Young is in a hurry. He doesn't like getting stuck in traffic. But these days, he simply doesn't get stuck – he can ride around the congestion. And like a lot of bicycle commuters, Brian finds he can actually save time on his door-to-door commute by using his bicycle. Which leads me to the first in my series of blog posts countering the chief objections to bike transportation.
It's too far. It would take too long.
You'd be surprised. Because of traffic in urban centers like ours, cycling generally takes less time than driving for trips of 3 miles or less – and about the same time for 3 to 5 mile trips. For longer trips, consider that you're saving time by combining your daily exercise with your commute.
If your commute is less than 10 miles round trip, the difference in commute time will be insignificant. Even if your commute is longer, 30 minutes of extra sleep isn't as invigorating as a morning ride. You'll arrive at work alert and arrive home relieved of stress at night.
I have pals at work who live in my neighborhood and are sometimes amazed at how they may pass me in traffic only to find me at our ninth floor office ahead of them! It's like some kind of Houdini trick.
On Tuesday, in a downpour, my trick may have seemed all the more cruel. I rode to work wearing rain gear over my suit pants and stowed my suit coat in plastic in my bike pannier. I parked for free in the basement of the very building where I work. There, I stripped off the wet rain gear, slipped into my suit jacket and popped up on the elevator in a snap – dry as a bone. Others, who pay to park blocks away from our offices, arrived later on and soaking wet.
Gee, I hope I didn't appear to be gloating too much. Don't you just hate the smugness of those cyclists?
PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
Today's Picture: Going car-free can be inconvenient for certain trips. For example, how do you get your 50-pound boxer to the veterinarian? If my dog Miya were a tiny dog, like the one shown here, I could carry her on my bike in a basket attached to the handlebars – or on a harness like the one securing this pup. TARC is out of the question – only working dogs allowed on board. No problem. I understand. Who wants a strange dog drooling on your shoes, right?
That leaves one non-automotive possibility. Dare I even suggest it? Walking! Fortunately, Miya doesn't seem to be feeling or acting really ill. She just has a case of the green apple two step. Her bowels are in an uproar, so to speak. I know, TMI! GROSS! Ewwwwww!
OK, get over it. Grow up. This is a serious situation. Work with me, people! It's bad enough that I've got to leave work a little early (and explain to my boss about the dog doo), race home on my bicycle, change clothes and shoes, and walk my best friend practically five miles round trip to the Chenoweth Animal Hospital. But along the way, I need to collect a stool sample and deposit it in a zip-lock sandwich bag so the good doctor can send the sample to a lab to check for parasites. And I need to get there before the vet's office closes.
Good thing Miya the wonder dog loves long walks. She's always ready for a stroll. The only wild card seems to be whether she'll keep up a good pace or stop to sniff every telephone pole, parking meter and fire hydrant along the way. Oh, and one more thing: will she produce a good "specimen."
Mission accomplished. We made it in plenty of time. Within a couple of blocks of the Chenoweth Animal Hospital, as I was carefully picking up the specimen in a baggie, it seemed that Miya's unmentionable little problem may already have resolved itself somewhat – if my judge of firmness is any good. We might get lab results tomorrow. Meanwhile, Miya's life is pretty much as usual. See what I mean?
PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
Today's picture: Commuting by bicycle on clear, crisp autumn evenings is nirvana compared to the pouring rain we experienced tonight. But foul weather didn't stop more than a dozen avid cyclists from converging on Third Avenue Café and filling the bike racks for Car-Free Happy Hour. The event is further proof to me that cycling is gaining traction locally – and not just with the bike-club crowd.
Tuesday's Car-Free Happy Hour was Louisville's second such event. It was organized mainly by word of mouth and social networking through blogs like this one. It was nothing like a club event.
Bike clubs typically have organized rides, where everyone shows up dressed in colorful spandex and they all take off together in pelotons. Many club riders arrive in their cars at the start of the ride, with bikes on top, or on the back. Most club rides are called off when a downpour moves in, like the one Tuesday night.
This Car-Free Happy Hour is something altogether different. People mainly dressed in regular clothing – probably whatever they wore to work – started showing up at about 5:30 p.m. and found a seat at a long table. A few of the riders were already vaguely acquainted, but fluorescent-colored name tags were a big help to most of us.
We introduced ourselves, ordered food and drinks, and the conversations started to take shape. The latest news: bike parking on the street – just like in Portland, Oregon! And did you know there's covered bike parking at the airport? Before you know it, eight or ten topics are flying around and they all revolve around riding on two wheels, walking, hopping a bus, finding ways to get around without relying so much on cars.
Exactly as advertised, it was one car-free happy hour that quickly became two. And then came that long, chilly ride home in the downpour.
PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
Today's picture: Scott Render is one of the people keeping Louisville's Bike Plan moving forward. If you haven't been keeping up with the Metro's efforts to become more bike-friendly, take a look at www.bikelouisville.com, one of the many Websites Scott handles in addition to his other duties in Mayor Jerry Abramson's office.
One reason I really hit it off with Scott: he rides a bike to work in all kinds of weather.
Today' blog post will start out as sort of a restaurant review of The Bodega at Felice on East Market St. Last Friday I had the pleasure of lunch at a table of people there, all dedicated to improving the bicycling experience on Louisville Metro streets: Nina Walfoort with TARC; Andy Murphy, a serious cycling advocate and volunteer who worked on the Bike Summit back in February; Rolf Eisinger; a Metro employee and bike racer who wears a lot of hats these days; Trisha Finnegan, a Humana associate involved in the bike sharing movement known as Freewheelin; Tom Armstrong, a bike mechanic, advocate, fellow blogger, and Kilt wearer; and Scott, whom I've already introduced. We're all involved on the Education and Encouragement "E-Team" that's working on a Louisville Bike Plan.
Back to my restaurant review: The Bodega's Mediterranean salad with chicken was one of the best things I've ever had for lunch, anywhere. But what impressed me most was the bicycle rack out at the edge of the parking lot. It probably will hold a dozen bikes. I think the restaurant only spent about $35 for it. But the rack demonstrates something smart and forward-thinking about the restaurant's owners and managers. It's amazing what a even the cheapest bike rack can do to improve my view of any business. It makes me want to recommend the place to everyone I know. Ride to The Bodega, try the bike rack and see if you don't agree that's one incredible Mediterranean salad with chicken!
Over lunch, our group talked about things like bicycle parking that tend to encourage cycling instead of motoring to Metro destinations like The Bodega. Just something to think about next time you're considering a place to eat, shop, or whatever.
PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
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