Hello INDYCOG readers! My name is Doreen. I grew up in Irvington, which is a place I still love. There were four years of college at Purdue that didn't turn out like I planned and then I spent ten years roaming the West (Colorado, Arizona, California and New Hampshire--well, NH is west of Maine) before returning to my hometown a couple of years after my daughter was born. To earn a paycheck, I work as an accountant downtown.
I started bike commuting to work about 25 years ago when I lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Passing through Papago Buttes into Scottsdale, the pedaling combined with the smell of the creosote bush gave me a high that lasted the rest of the day. Back home in Indiana, my longest bike commute was about 13 miles one way, when I worked at Keystone at the Crossing. I also had a recumbent during that period. I now drive a Bianchi Vigorelli (or occasionally, my Bianchi Sok 29er) nine miles downtown for my one way work commute. My annual bike mileage increased dramatically when my husband and I became empty nesters several years back and I set a personal record of over 6,800 miles this past year, of which nearly 2,800 miles were for commuting purposes. No special affinities for Bianchi Bicycles, it just worked out that way.
I know jerks come in all flavors but anyone who rides a bike, any bike, has my love and admiration, at least for a little while (in the cases of jerks). I'm a roadie who has gotten into off road riding recently. I have also been helping build trail at Ft. Harrison State Park and have found great joy in that. Once while on my road bike at Ft. Ben, a fixie befriended me and let me give his bike a spin....although it seemed much more difficult than a "spin." But I've never understood a cyclist of one type snubbing one of another type simply because of their ride. If I had more money than I knew what to do with, I'd probably buy a fixie, a single speed and a commuter specific bike at the very least.
I participated in RAIN for the first time in 2011 and also took part in my first race in October, the Gravel Grovel (finishing just about dead last--but I did finish and in my defense, I was just there for the experience)! The last four years I have also been part of the STIHL Tour des Trees, a 500 some mile week long charity ride to benefit urban tree research and care. This year, I am planning on coupling the Tour des Trees, which will be a loop in the Portland, Oregon area, with a pre-ride from Vernon, British Columbia down to Portland. That will be nearly 1,200 miles and over 60,000 feet of climbing in two weeks!
I plan on sharing and hopefully entertaining you with little cycling related tidbits here every month. If you have anything specific you'd like to discuss, let me know and I'll see what I can do!
Ride on!
In January, 2011, an international team of nine cyclists pedaled over 600 miles through Vietnam to raise support for educating kids and development projects there. Join their journey and hear the compelling stories John will share with us - stories from the open road, stories of encounters with people in city and countryside, stories of what our Vietnamese friends are experiencing. Stories of grace, of fascinating landscapes, intriguing culture, beautiful people and forward-looking hope. And with John's stories, inspiring photos and videos.
What a Difference 23 Days Can Make (in a teen's life) Norm Houze
DeCycles offers spirited summer bicycle trips for teenagers and young adults. The history of the deCycles dates back to 1968 with over 1800 riders pedaling five million rider miles. Join last summer's band of brothers and sisters as they cycle from Bloomington to Maine and back in 23 days. The group pedaled through Manhattan visiting Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, and more. Additional highlights include Boston, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Portsmouth, Portland, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont and Adirondacks of northeastern New York. The list goes on. Don't miss this incredible experience of a lifetime.
If you have been involved in the public comment period on the 71st St bike lanes here is the latest information:
After reviewing all of the comments, DPW has decided to relocate the bike facilities from the earlier proposed 73rd St. /71st St. corridor east of Spring Mill Road. Instead the bike lane will end at 73rd and Spring Mill Road and "Sharrows" and "Share the Road" signage will be installed on Spring Mill and 75th St. to College. DPW had to drop the bike lanes on Spring Mill & 75th St. due to right of way limitations. At 75th St. and College, the "Sharrows" will change back into bike lanes where they will join up with the Monon Trail.
Thanks for everyone that got involved in this process.
If you liked the '50s through '70s - which saw an increase in air pollution, traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, plus traffic fatalities for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists - you'll love Congress' new transportation bills.
On the other hand, if you like the trends of increased bicycling, walking and more mass transit, I suggest you get involved.
Two versions of what may potentially become new transportation law are making their way through Congress. The House bill is currently known as "American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act," or HR 7. The Senate's version is "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act", or MAP-21.
I know what you're thinking at this point: "Where are they coming up with these crazy names?" "What cool acronyms they make!" But it's here where things begin heading south for anyone interested in bicycling, walking and even mass transit.
Let's focus on bicycle growth in the U.S. and Indiana, so we know why we want the Senate or House bills to fail. First, you've probably noticed an increase in bicycling locally and nationally. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, commuting to work via bicycle increased 64% from 1990 to 2009 and in Indiana for the same time period the growth was 96% (6,150 to 12,059).
If we look at all trips, which the Census doesn't measure, we would see an even larger increase. All one has to do is examine the number of bicycles parked at the Pedal & Park corrals in Central Indiana. Tom McCain, Pedal & Park program director, reported 5,029 bikes parked in 2011, up from 3,924 in 2010. If local trends match national trends, this increase can be attributed to safer and connected bicycle specific infrastructure that's been funded through various transportation programs.
Now let's get back to why MAP-21 & HR 7 may well spell disaster for non-motorized transportation and mass transit.
HR 7 would eliminate programs such as Safe Routes to School, which funds infrastructure (e.g. crosswalks, bike lanes, etc.) and non-infrastructure programs (safety programs, etc.) near and at schools; and Transportation Enhancement (TE) programs which help fund similar infrastructure and much more (the Monon was paid for in large part by TE funds).
