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Jank Scoops Salon

Way back on July 17, I posted this screed griping about funding for ‘Transportation Alternatives’ getting cut from this year’s appropriations bill. Five days later, Salon picks up the thread with this article.

Now, while I’m thrilled with anything which gets more people on bikes, I think the author got a couple of things wrong.

First, a moment of unabashed praise in favor of the bicycle. It’s one of the most efficient machines ever invented. Even a cheap bike transfers something greater than 90% of the work put into the pedals into useful work under the rear tire. Off the rack, a bike’s good for about 2,000 miles of riding before any parts really need to be replaced. Biggest variable here would be the tires. The other exception might be tubes, but the rest of the drivetrain is going to last probably 10,000 miles if it’s kept out of the rain. They’re easy to maintain, too. A couple of adjustable spanners, screwdrivers, pliers, a can of grease, and a bottle of oil will keep one running for years.

Most folks on a graded, not even paved, just graded, can maintain a 10 mph average without breaking much of a sweat. If a hill is exceptionally heinous, jumping off and pushing the bike up is an option, unlike in a car. And the only emissions hazards come if the rider’s been eating beans (an excellent source of fuel, btw: Great source of protein and fiber).

On balance the article does a pretty good job of summing up what’s being cut. My biggest gripe with the article is that the author seems to argue that bikes belong only on designated bike paths or multi-use trails. Being a part time bike commuter myself, bike paths and multi-use trails are, for the most part, things to be avoided on a commute.

Case in point is the trail that I use along Buffalo Bayou. It’s 7:30 AM, and I’m barreling along, well towards the high end of my aerobic threshold. The tunes are playing in my earbuds, the mosquitos are tasty in my teeth, and I’m anticipating hitting the office and pouring a fresh cuppa out of the thermos in my bottle cage. I’m also looking forward to the ride home, wondering if George Bush Park’s resident herd of cattle is going to be grazing on top of the flood control dam again. (You haven’t experienced fear till you’re commuting home after dark, and realize that there’s a live side of beef about 15 feet in front of you while you’re going about 15 mph. Though from personal experience, getting bit by a snake is worse).

Anyway, I’m flying, making great time, and I round a corner and there is either: Pet lover walking their dog on one of those extend-a-leash things with the leash stretched all the way across the path, meaning that I’ve either got to jam on the brakes or jump into the grass to avoid hanging myself; Group of 3-4 friends out for an early morning stroll/relaxing bike ride spread all the way across the path (bikes being quiet and all tend to surprise these folks who then seem offended that someone wants to go faster than they do, or who jump to the left when you say ‘rider on the left’); or some other combination of folks using the ‘bike path’ for something other than biking.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see any and every one of those folks out using the trails that our tax dollars have paid for; especially if the alternative is sitting at home on their fat asses planning on suing fast food out of business. My point is just that bikes for commuters belong on the streets with the cars. If you put a bike lane on the outside of a 4-6 lane street, the cyclists can keep up an average speed of 15-25 mph without too much trouble. And I’ve found that on the 4 lane main roads through most subdivisions around here, there’s usually not enough traffic to get too much hassling when I take the right lane.

It’s also an issue of the ‘last mile’. I’m fortunate that on about 10 or 11 of the 16 miles between my home and office I do have bike trails available. That’s mostly because we really looked at that before we bought our house. But for 3 miles from my front door to the trailhead, and for 2 miles from the trail to my office, I’m on the road. Unless we continue to educate cyclists and drivers, the only option to make commuting by bike a viable option is to completely parallel the road system with bike paths. IMO, this would be a disaster, since it’d pave even more earth. And based on my informal surveys of seeing maybe a half dozen other folks riding bikes to work in west Houston, the environmental toll from the paving is far worse than the pollution the 6 of us would create if we were sitting in traffic.

One last benefit to getting commuters on the road instead of hiding them on a trail is that drivers see them. I’ve met a couple of cyclists who hadn’t considered riding to work until they saw someone else doing it. Waiting at a light through 4 or 5 cycles is especially frustrating when you’re passed by a cyclist in the bike lane. One day the driver may decide to dust off the old Huffy and be the passer instead of the passee.

My caution here is that if we spend too much time emphasizing bike paths/trails as transportation corridors for commuters, we run the risk of developing an expectation of car commuters that there will be no bikes on the road. Bikes as a commuting option do belong on the roads with other cars due to their gross speed advantage over joggers, dog walkers, etc. There’s also that ‘last mile issue.’ As a commuter, I’d be much happier if cities could take some of the ‘transportation enhancement’ funds and hire a cop to actually prosecute drivers who hit cyclists, or hire street sweepers that will keep trash out of the gutters – I mean on street bike paths, or correct drainage problems on streets.

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