Durham Roads and Cycling

Last week I attended a info meeting with Congressman Price and a number of city, county and state leaders in bike and pedestrian transportation.  A few things struck me.

1. There are some smart, committed and creative folks creating all sorts of opportunities for people to move around on bikes.  The rails to trails projects are booming and it won't be long before we can move from Durham to  Cary to Raleigh along these trails.
2. There are a growing number of bike lanes that work for getting around close to downtown on the roads which is great since the trails only go to discreet places.  And "Sharrows" (share the road arrows) are showing up all over the place on our road surfaces around town.
3. What seems missing is a good plan for folks to use roads for commuting.  Lots of money being used to create new bike/pedestrian trails but little buzz about roads.
4. There are some good bike lanes approaching Duke and Durham from the south where a lot of the new growth is occurring.  
5. There are literally NO BIKE LANES (yes, I am yelling for any who will hear) approaching Duke and Durham from the North where half the county lives.  Morreene, Hillandale, Guess, Gregson, Roxboro all are North/South corridors and none of them even approach being safe to ride on.  I did find out that a portion of Hillandale/Fulton, from I-85 to Duke Hospital, will be getting bike lanes within the next two years but the section being redone up to Carver will be getting only "wide lanes".  This addition is better but why no lanes up to Carver?  What a missed opportunity!
6. As far as I could hear, there are NO OTHER PLANS (yelling again) for bike lanes from the north into the major work areas.  This makes no sense and leaves northern citizens traveling dangerous routes if they want to bike commute.  That includes me.
7. Bike and pedestrian advocates and committee members are great folks.  They need more clout and I wonder what some of us non-involved citizens can do to help them get the clout they need.

Well , that's my rant for now.  I do appreciate the efforts of the local commissions and rails to trails folks.  But we seem to be missing some major pieces and more help is needed.

Ordinary Days

After a while, bike community stops feeling like something special.  It becomes somewhat ordinary with repeated routes, regular weather (chilly but very tolerable), kind drivers (mostly) and no surprises.  I don't like it, and I DO like it.  Life is not fundamentally about how you get from here to there.  It is about how you invest in others, about how you do your work, about how you love those you ride home to, and about living in harmony with creation.

People at work are used to me coming in all bundled up, with lots of bright yellow clothing and a bit of sweat.  Conversations however are about life and ministry and schedules and family.  My wife is used to me coming home on the bike and asks less about how my commute was and more about how my day was.  And I am used to coming and going on the bike, used to adjusting my schedule to accommodate for travel time, used to carting clothes and food back and forth according to the needs of the day.

This way of commuting is less exciting.  This way of commuting is more sustainable and integrated into the larger whole of my life.  This way of commuting is good.

On another note, hats off to my LBS (Local Bike Shop) owner Adrian for quickly repairing my Black Sheep after one of my bungee cords sprang off and got caught in my hub.  Service while you wait - can't be beat.  Check out www.sevenstarscycles.com

Keep Riding!
Steve