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| Image: The latest in bicycle commuting technology. I've been riding my bike to work regularly for some time now. I also walk to work or take the B-Line at times. It's not the Chico Velo commercials, "move a pedal, save the planet", that makes me do this. I'm not trying to save anything, and I certainly don't want to brow beat any of you into doing the same. I just enjoy the mello ride to work. It takes a little longer, I get to see more hobos along the railroad tracks, and in the coming months I get to change my bike tubes at least twice a week because of "goat heads". I don't want people to think I don't use a car. I love my car. I also own a newer truck that we use for Home Depot trips and driving out of town. I feel like we need at least one car in our family, and having two is a mighty convenience. Keeping them full of gas has become a more significant part of our financial juggle I would expect the cost of gas to influence more people to ride bikes. In the short term that doesn't seem to be happening, although I only have personal observations to judge that from. Those can always be wrong. But I rarely see neighbors riding to work, and I do see people driving just a few blocks to drop kids off at school. I see people drive a few blocks to walk their dogs at the park. But I do wonder why more people don't choose to ride bikes or use some other lower cost means of transportation. So I'm going to go over some of the things in my life that make riding my bike, or using other sources of transportation, easier. My schedule is flexible, I can be late to work or returning home I don't shop for the household groceries My child's school is a few blocks away, we can walk there I'm mechanically inclined enough to change a bike tube, which is the most common problem I run into I don't dress well, so rumpling my clothes is no big deal There's no real need for me to leave work once I get there There are things like paying for gas or parking that might influence transportation decisions. A great catalyst for me riding to work was the hatred I had for feeding the meters downtown. And the cost of gas has certainly made me want to drive less. All these things make it easier for me to not have a car during the week. What I was wondering about today is this... if you would like to ride a bike, but don't, why not? Is it your schedule, health reasons, work related issues? Is it the mob of cyclists that wear funny pants and yell "on your left" that keep you from riding? As for today, it's Tuesday, and I have to be over at the Elk's Lodge for lunch. On Tuesdays I drive, but I would rather ride. Here is a map of Chico bike routes from BCAG (see map) |
 CI Challenge: Can you guess what it is? Winner: With pontification prowess propelled by pedal power, Sean Baber. See comments below for the answer. |
Chico Mello
14 Comments
Lon
About Me: Fasten your seatbelts for an exhilarating trip through Chico's public policy; I guarantee it's marginally better than public access TV.
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Lon,
Like all of us you are a product of Wall street and Madison Ave.
Madison ave being the Marketing force behind the desire that makes your car the centerpiece of your life.
Most neighborhoods by design take the neighbor out of the hood and give it to the automoblie. Driveways, double garage's and streets that make it easy on the car and harder for everyone else is the result.
Cars make us feel good and like other bad habits they extract huge sums of money and time from us and force the creation of things like a bike map.
Only after driving countless meaningless miles and becoming an old man.... i exchanged my love for the automobile for the love of a good life.
Mike
Mike,
I'm certainly a product of modern marketing, like most people. But the automobile that I love is not what's been marketed since the 1970's. I like simple cars that I can work on, with mechanical windows and no air conditioners.
But beyond Madison Avenue, who rarely tries to speak to me, I like the freedom to go camping. An automobile gives me the opportunity to leave the area I live in. A truck also allows me to purchase building materials for a sandbox or fort for my son. I can build concrete footings and decks to enjoy my fine backyard living.
But the car is costly, and not entirely necessary for a lot of people. It's not necessary for me about 4-6 days a week. My wife, who runs most of our household errands, uses one every day.
But what tradeoffs have you made in not using a car?
Lon
CIC - Velocipede
Lon,
The most significant tradeoff off for me is I use to be independant. I could jumb in the car and be anywhere.
Now Im a ride bum.
Unloving the automobile has not been easy for me. Like backin parking its something new and its going to take a while to make it work.
Mike
Lon,
There was a time when I practically lived on a bike. I never once drove a car to school while attending Chico State. In fact there were a couple years that i didn't even own a car but had a motorcycle for trips out of town. Alternatively, I would hitch a ride using the ride sharing program at school. I was on the Chico Velo team back in the day and did some mountain bike racing as well. Most of my riding was by choice, but economic decisions played a big factor as well. I initially thought gas prices would force those living on a tight budget to make wiser decisions i.e. park the truck ride a bike, but then I remembered most Americans don't think like I do. the American way simply entails whipping out the plastic and going further into debt for a tank of gas.
For me, going carless was easy. I was single and lived close to school and shopping. It does get alot more difficult when the responsibilities pile up, but many of those are self inflicted. I would like to think that I would ride to work if it were feasible but I usually drive to Sac with a couple suitcases in tow. I guess I could actually do that ride considering I once rode from Seattle to San Fran., but the time away from family is the unpalatable part. That and my funny pants don't fit so well anymore.
Re: "Like all of us you are a product of Wall street and Madison Ave."
I beg to differ. Americans may be influenced to one degree or another by advertising, but we are not a product of it, no matter how alluring and empowering advertisers may find that prospect to be.
Neighborhoods are designed for use with automobiles because of the automobile's independent, at-the-ready, mobility and utilitarian value.
Granted, the competition for WHICH automobile to buy is all about manipulation.
Housing is designed with the automobile in mind because of the automobile's practical value. In high density populations people continue to put up with the hassles of grid lock and traffic because the of the independence and mobility the automobile offers even under these circumstances.
That said, engineering bicycle paths into neighborhoods and all areas of a town or city is a good idea. I have an 18 year old pickup truck I bought new which has less than 60,000 miles on it. (Admittedly it looks like it has been driven on 200,000 miles of bad road.)
The mileage low because I naturally limit my travel to local areas for shopping and such and have always enjoyed riding a bike.
Chico has kept the bicycle in mind but it is sad that is is not bike friendly everywhere. Try pedaling down East Park Avenue to the Home Depot and back (or on any major overpass or thorough fare for that matter). It is a risky adventure.
David,
Bicycling some areas of town does feel unsafe, particularly when I have kid(s) in tow. This is true of the downtown area when we try to move across it to Bidwell Park.
For the most part I use my car for any trip across town. Or any trip where I'm making multiple stops. Communting to the downtown area is a great bike ride though. I think I have to make 3 traffic related stops, and a walk through the university, which is also nice.
Lon
Sean,
I think my old funny pants will only fit on one leg. Maybe I can find another pair.
Lon
Lon
I have been riding my bike lately and have been finding it nice.A great way to loss a few extra pounds and save some gas in the mean time.
I have also found that people in cars tend to notice bike riders more, than bike riders think. I think that the only reason that bike riders don't belive that cars don't see them, is because they are too busy blasting through a stop sign or riding the wrong way on the street. i.e. The family and I took a bike ride D-town Mon. and while waiting for a truck to go at a 4 way stop sign. A bike rider blasts past us and cuts this truck off. Without stopping or attempting to stop. BIG truck wins everytime. The driver and myself exchanged the "what the" look and then continued on our ways.
Biking in Chico is GREAT, but I have always known that we don't own the road no matter what we are in or on. Obey the rules of the road and less stuff would happen.
I would definitely ride more if I had a Jessica Alba hood ornament like that one in the picture.
It takes me 8 minutes to ride my bike to work and 7 minutes to drive the truck, if I can find a parking space that is close enough. My favorite convenience of the bike is riding literally from door to door without squeezing into a parking lot.
At the last General Plan Downtown element meeting, the out of town consultant said that since he has recently been spending a lot of time here in Chico, everyone brags about what a bike friendly, art community we have here. He said, "I don't see it as either. It might have been at one time and it certainly has potential, but I don't see it here right now."
I hope I didn't paraphrase that out of context, but I wanted to kiss the guy on both cheeks for telling us that the "king has no clothes".
When you pay a lot of money for someone else's opinion I hope it means a lot more than when you get the same thing for free. We will have to wait and see if that kind of thinking makes it in to the General Plan or not. So far, I am encouraged by it.
I can't think of a single bike lane downtown. The grid of one-way streets makes it faster to walk a block away than to legally ride a bike. I wonder how many of the bikes riding illegally on the sidewalk in downtown are there because the one way street system makes them go a block or two in the wrong direction.
From the Starbucks downtown, what is the fastest and safest way to get to Chevy's on a bicycle? or worse, Powell's candy store?
TJ,
Those are great comments coming from a consultant, because they are true. I think Chico is an "adequate" bike town, depending on what you use your bike for. Chico is also an adequate art town. We're pretty good at funding public art, but there is no economy that allows artists to thrive and make a living. We seem to pat ourselves on the back for a lot of things when the results may not warrant it.
Lon
Steve,
If my iPod is playing Back in Black I might be that guy. I'll try to keep it tuned to classical.
Lon
I still think a bike parking garage would be a hit.
Maybe not quite this fancy though...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4fvwTBtno
Hi. Please join the Bicycle to Work! LinkedIn networking group. Members pledge that they will try to ride their bicycle to work or on an errand at least once a week. Although the benefits should be obvious, let me outline them here.
Right now people in the industrialized world are facing two very grave problems: obesity and a growing scarcity of oil. Compounding this problem is the new food shortage brought about, in part, by the conversion of food cropland to bio-fuel crop production. Most people feel powerless to help, but there is one thing that we can do. Ride our bicycles to work.
If everyone would agree to ride their bikes to work one day per week we could cut oil consumption by as much as 10-15%. No one would argue that riding a bike burns more calories than driving the car. Although popular politically right now, most bio-fuels consume more energy than they produce. We would be much better to eat those bio-crops then use our own energy to transport us around.
So spread the word. Make it a movement! Bicycle to work one day a week and do your part to cut back obesity and the overuse of oil and precious cropland.
Just go to my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreylstevenson and you can click on the group to be included. While you are there, don't forget to ask to link to my network of more than 7,000.000 like-minded professionals. I accept all invitations and look forward to meeting you.
Jeff