Hurricane evacuee rides bike New Orleans to Baton Rouge
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
The following story was posted to the Thunderhead Alliance email list. Godfrey is indeed an alternative transportation activist from New Orleans, but beyond that it is impossible to verify the details of the story at this time. Nevertheless, it's a good one:
Steve Godfrey, president of Higher Flyers handbill distribution service in New Orleans, rode his bike to Baton Rouge to escape Hurricane Katrina. Godfrey, who does not drive a car, is a bicycle advocate and community organizer and activist. His only available means of escaping the city before the hurricane was via his bicycle. He escaped sometime Sunday morning and arrived in Baton Rouge Sunday night. For those of us who know him, we are not only overjoyed by his safe evacuation, but are thoroughly insprired by his courage, his perserverance, and his can do attitude. We need more like him.
High gas prices making you think of bicycle commuting?
Have high gas prices been making you think about commuting to work by bicycle?
Bicycle commuting is a very practical way to get to work, work some pleasant exercise into the day, and save a bunch of automobile fuel and maintenance.
Especially if you are already riding your bicycle for recreation, it is a simple step to start riding to work occasionally, too.
Here are some tips recommended by seasoned bicycle commuters:
Don't make it an all-or-nothing proposition. If you ride your bike even one or two times a week, it's that much money saved and that many more miles in your weekly riding schedule. If you don't like to ride in the rain--don't! If you don't like to ride in the cold--don't! Ride the days you can and count every one a success.
Consider carrying heavy gear or extra changes of clothes on the day(s) you do drive, leaving a supply of things at work for the days you ride. For instance, some bike commuters drive or use transit one day a week and use that day to bring changes of clothes for the other four days.
Consider combining your bike trip with transit. In major cities in Missouri--St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield--you can usually put your bike on bus bike racks or roll your bike onto the light rail cars (check with local transit operators for details and availability).
Find a nice bicycleable route. This probably won't be the same way you drive to work. Look for quieter side streets that parallel the main roads you likely drive on. (All known bicycle maps for Missouri communities are listed on MoBikeFed's Maps and Routes Page.)
Test your route by driving it and/or by riding on a day when you don't have pressure to be anywhere on time--like on a weekend. Discuss possible bicycle routes with an avid bicyclist or ask for suggestions on bicycling email lists.
When it comes time to actually commute, consider avoiding rush hour if you can. Roads that are horrible at 8AM (for both driving and bicycling) are often just fine at 7AM or 9AM.
Consider a rack and panniers for your bike. They're just not that expensive when you compare them to the price of a tank of gas . . .
Your recreational bike may not be best as a commuter. In a commuting bike, look for something sturdy with puncture-resistant tires, rack, and fenders. If you have to leave it locked outside all day, a rugged but relatively inexpensive bike may be a good choice.
Carry essential tools--like a spare tube, patch kit, tire pump, necessary wrenches--and know how to use them. Or subscribe to a service like the Better World Club that will rescue you in case of bike problems.
Follow all the usual safe bicycling rules. Ride with traffic, not against it. Stop and yield to cross-traffic when entering a road from a driveway and at stop signs and stop lights. Generally ride on the right of the roadway, but far enough (2-4 feet) from the edge of pavement or curb that curbs, grates, and debris won't make you fall. For more details, see MoBikeFed's Safety & Skills page.
A few web sites with good bicycle commuting advice:
At night, it's essential that the cyclist use lights in addition to the reflectors. For commuters, the best front light is the very bright rechargeable lamp. For the day tourer, it's important to carry a small, battery-powered lamp for the trip that ends up finishing after daylight has ended. Unfortunately, many of the lights sold for this purpose are inadequate. For long-distance travelers, those who ride long distances in the country at night, or those whose habits are sporadic, a generator front light is bright and always available for use. Athough not required in most states, I highly recommend a tail light in addition to the rear reflector. The cost is very low and the dependability high. . . . The importance of lights and reflectors at night can't be overstated; Riley Geary reports that 56% of the adult cyclists who get killed are riding at night.
President Bush is the first U.S. president to avidly pursue bicycling while in office. Bush took up mountain biking when forced to give up running because of repetitive motion injuries.
In recent weeks, both journalists and Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong have ridden with the president.
Sal Ruibal, who is an experienced mountain bike racer who finished fifth in the Masters category at the 2002 World Championships of 24-Hour Solo Mountain Biking, rode with the president this month:
[T]he truth about the Biker-in-Chief is that the man can really ride. Over the course of a two-hour Tour de Crawford, Bush humbled every rider in Peloton One with a strong and steady pace over scorching hot paved roads, muddy creek crossings, energy-sapping tall grass and steep climbs on loose and crumbling rock. . . .
I started out riding next to him at the beginning of the ride, but when we left the dirt trails and hit the rolling asphalt the pace accelerated to more than 20 mph, which is pretty good for road bikes but absolutely blazing for heavier, knobby-tired mountain bikes. And did I mention that the only factor mitigating the mid-80s temperatures was a very strong headwind?
"I like speed," says Bush, who wore a red-white-and blue helmet and a Western-style bike jersey, complete with pearl snap buttons. His loose-fitting black shorts bore small rips from his crash in Scotland. "There's something exhilarating about heading down a hill at 35 mph on a mountain bike — or trying to grind up a hill at 9 mph." . . .
According to Freddie Fu of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Sports Medicine, one of the nation's leading orthopedic surgeons, boomers are suffering knee and other leg in juries brought on by years of pounding the pavement. Fu recommends that they take up soft-contact sports, such as cycling. Fu even sponsors his own cycling team.
"Riding a bicycle gives the cardiovascular benefits of running without the impact," Fu says.
Chris Carmichael, who coached Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France wins, says the president is doing the right thing.
"He's a shining example of the benefits of having an active lifestyle," Carmichael says. "If you stay fit for all of your life, you can switch sports and also maintain a high level of performance."
Carmichael is familiar with the trend: more than half of the athletes who use his online coaching service are age 40 or older.
While many Americans wonder what attracts Bush to the Prairie Chapel ranch, where is he spending the month of August, Armstrong said he thought the biking opportunities were a big draw.
"He rides his mountain bike fanatically," Armstrong said in a recent interview with ABC's This Week. "It might be the mountain bike trails he has there."
Armstrong, 33, called Bush "one competitive dude," but said in the ABC interview he had no doubt he could outpace Bush, even though trails can be challenging for road cyclists unaccustomed to rough, rocky terrain.
Urban design and bicycling make Oregon only state to stop weight gain
An Associated Press story details the reasons that have made Oregon the only state in the Union to hold its obesity rate steady (all other states increased their obesity rate):
To shed the pounds that crept around her waistline, Linda Ginenthal began riding her bike to work _ an easy 3 1/2-mile trip.
It's not a marathon, nor is it a grueling hike. Yet diet experts say it's the kind of daily activity that could hold the secret to why Oregon is the only state in the nation where the obesity rate did not increase in the past year.
According to a study released Tuesday by the Washington, D.C.-based Trust for America's Health, the percentage of overweight Oregonians held steady at 21 percent last year, a sharp contrast to Alabama, where the rate of obesity increased 1.5 percentage points to 27.7 percent.
What makes Oregon different is its emphasis on urban design, which encourages outdoor activities like biking to work, the study's authors said.
Ten percent of Portland residents pedal to the office on a system of bike paths that crisscross the city like arteries, just as they do in Boulder, Colo. _ another bike-friendly metropolis, located in the leanest state in the nation.
"The solution to obesity is not that everyone should run a marathon," said Michael Earls, co-author of the study. "It's the little things that begin to make a dent in the problem, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or riding your bike to work."
The article goes on to detail exactly what needs to happen:
If a city or town is built in such a way that it forces residents to drive long distances, instead of walking or cycling, then physical activity becomes something that has to be planned rather than an activity which can be woven into the fabric of everyday life, he said.
Obesity expert Tom Farley, the author of "Prescription for a Healthy Nation," said research in the field has moved away from the notion of personal responsibility to the idea of creating environments that foster healthy living.
"Physical activity has been engineered out of our world," he said. "It should be natural and normal to be physically active, instead of having to go to the gym."
Injury statistics from MARC's draft Long Range Transportation Plan indicate that the rate of bicycling in the Kansas City area may be as low as 20% the national average, and the amount of walking may be only 30% of the national average (the bicycle and pedestrian injury rates in the Kansas City area are 0.3% and 0.7% respectively, while the national rates are 1.6% and 2.4%, respectively).
If Missouri cities are, indeed, far lower than average in the mode share of bicycling and walking, it is no wonder that Missouri is one of the leading states in the nation's growing obesity epidemic.
These statistics, the climbing rate of obesity in Missouri (currently costing Missourians over $1.6 billion per year in direct medical costs), and the soaring price of gasoline make it clear that Missouri must fundamentally change its transportation priorities to put greatly renewed emphasis on bicycling, walking, and mass transit.
permanent link to article: "Urban design and bicycling make Oregon only state to stop weight gain"
posted by Brent Hugh at
8/24/2005 09:45:00 AM |comment on this article
St. Louis residents turn to bike commuting to save $$$
The article featured a photo of St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation Board Member (and MoBikeFed member!) Carrie Zukoski with this caption:
Carrie Zukoski of St. Louis rides her bicycle along Wydown Boulevard in Clayton on Thursday during her eight-mile commute to work at the St. Louis County Library. "Last year I said once gas hit $2 a gallon I would commute (by bike) more, and I have," Zukoski says. "Not too long ago I went about three weeks without getting gas."
According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, cyclist Ed Putney, Sr., is the oldest participant nationwide in this year's MS150:
There are certain obstacles that come with being an 89-year-old cyclist – obstacles that would never cross a young person's mind.
"When you're 90, you don't want to sneeze while you're riding, because your teeth will fly right out," said Susan Putney, the daughter-in-law of octogenarian athlete Ed Putney Sr.
Three hours before the start of the 41st annual Moonlight Ramble bicycle ride through St. Louis and the near western suburbs, Todd Mernin was already in the upper Muny parking lot in Forest Park.
Mernin, 39, was visiting from New Braunfels, Texas, on a house-hunting trip for a move to St. Louis. An outdoor enthusiast and a bit of a night owl, Mernin read about the Moonlight Ramble and reasoned that the annual ride was his kind of event. He said he planned to toss around his glow-in-the-dark Frisbee with some fellow riders while waiting for the 12:01 a.m. start time.
"I love doing (stuff) at night," he said. "I'm going to enjoy this, I'm sure."
"Today's gas prices are creating significant interest in fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids in particular," said Jim Kliesch, research associate for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington. . . .
While there are more than 1,000 velomobiles in Europe, there are only about 45 in the United States, said Ethan Davis, who operates a Web site called velomobiles.net. The majority are pedal-only, Davis said.
Kline said he has the only velomobile in Missouri or Kansas. He also has one of the country's two Aerorider models, a fully enclosed vehicle with turn signals, lights and other features that make it drive like a car even though it is technically a bicycle. It does not require vehicle plates or registration.
"There is definitely a uniqueness factor to it," Kline said.
Kline said he gets plenty of double takes as he clips along in regular traffic lanes during his 28-mile round-trip commute to work in suburban St. Louis. He stays on side streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less, feels safe and, he said, other drivers show him respect on the road, often giving him a wave and a smile.
"People are not sure it's a bike or a car and so they tend to treat it like a car and give you more space," Kline said.
Kline said he can operate the vehicle entirely on pedals, entirely on batteries or in combination - his usual method. His top speed has been 36 mph, and his record time for the 14-mile trip between home and work is 32 minutes.
Kline, 43, is a data analyst for Biomedical Systems, a Maryland Heights company that helps conduct clinical drug trials. Kline persuaded the company owner, a bike enthusiast, to have the company pay part of the cost of the vehicle, which has a Biomedical logo on each side.
Another employee of Biomedical Systems, Bruce Stahl, said Kline gets some kidding. "It's something to see his little three-wheeler parked between two Suburbans," he said.
But most people admire what Kline has done, Stahl said. And as gasoline prices creep ever higher, Kline looks pretty smart, said Andrew Kroehnke, another co-worker.
"More and more people are agreeing with him - he is saving money while we are spending it," Kroehnke said.
There are several benefits to patroling by bike, said Ofcr. Brandon Harpold.
Harpold, and his partner, Ofcr. Danelle Williams, try to use their bikes to patrol as often as they can. He said their patrol area extends from 63rd Street to Bannister Road, from State Line Road to Missouri 71.
Harpold, who bikes from his house near 101st Terreace and Wornall to Metro Patrol most work days, said patroling by bike can be very effective.
“You can see a patrol car 15 blocks away,” he said. “But, on a bike, I can be putting on handcuffs before they know what’s going on.”
Also, Harpold thinks people view police officers differently when they are patroling on bikes.
“I think police are more approachable on a bike,” Harpold said. “People seem to talk to us more.”
And, he said there is another benefit: Bikes don’t require gasoline.
