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Bike to Work Day
05/13/2012 6:15 AM by John M
Friday, May 18th, is National Bike to Work Day. There are six group rides that are leaving from around the city, all converging on Monroe Park where the Deputy Secretary of Transportation David Tyeryar will speak. The group will then ride down Franklin Street towards the Capital.
The meet-up locations for 2012 are:
Tricycle Gardens
Michael Gilbert, Captain
Meet 6:30; Depart 6:45
Manchester – Plant Zero
Tom Bowden, Captain
Meet 6:30; Depart 6:45
Ellwood Thompson’s
Jennifer Wampler, Captain
Meet: 6:30; Depart 6:45
Laurel Park Shopping Center
Sheryl Finucane, Captain
Meet: 6:20; Depart 6:30
Bryan Park
Bud Vye, Captain
Meeting 6:20; Depart 6:30
Forest Hill Park – Stone Shelter
Alan Cooper, Captain
Meet 6:30; Depart 6:45
I certainly love the sentiment of bike to work day, but in other cities, this turns into a clusterf*** for the rest of us that bike everyday. The roads fill up with people who don’t know how to bike in a city, don’t wear helmets, and there are inevitably accidents where a biker gets injured. Biking is a great way to get to work and more people should be doing it, just know that it’s not the same as trail riding.
I attended last year’s Bike To Work Day gathering in Monroe Park and didn’t see anyone not wearing a helmet.
In fact, I’d wager that for cyclists that have ever wanted to bike to work in Richmond, this would probably be the SAFEST day of the year to do it.
Why? Because you’re with a large group of cyclists (presuming you meet up with one of the groups listed above.) The critical mass of riders (obeying traffic laws in a predictable and orderly fashion,) will force car/truck drivers to notice the groups as they proceed along their route. This should help cyclists receive the proper awareness that “sharing the road” really implies.
However, on any other weekday, I shudder to think of riding my bike during rush hour downtown–or across town. Just too dangerous, IMO. I do it only occasionally, and it’s treacherous due to zero bike lanes in RVA.
This is a serious environmental and public safety issue that Richmond really needs to allot resources towards by dedicated creating bike lanes.
I commute across the Manchester Bridge every day, and every day when I’m going home I encounter a middle-aged man on his bicycle riding AGAINST THE TRAFFIC. Hi, bicyclists, THE TRAFFIC LAWS APPLY TO YOU TOO.
Nice. See you at TG on Friday morning.
Can we clarify the Tricycle Gardens location? Is this on 21st? Don’t they have multiple locations?
Elaine, it’s true that riding downtown during rush hour can be harrowing, but I’ve found most drivers are pretty respectful of riders. The few who aren’t respectful are a pain, though. I really hope that we can figure out an effective way to educate drivers AND bike riders about the rules of the road. As much as irresponsible drivers aggravate and occasionally terrify me, folks on bikes riding against traffic, ignoring traffic signals with no helmets are a problem, too.