Monday, July 23, 2007

New Albany could use a "positive spirit" enlargement pill when it comes to attitudes toward bicycling, but don't hold your breath.

Yesterday I took issue with the Luddite tendencies of the Tribune’s soccer-bashing sports editor, so it’s only fair (and balanced) that kudos are duly dispensed for outstanding achievements in local journalism. Consider this Sunday commentary by guest columnist Daniel Robison:

ROBISON: Switch gears for new future in cycling.

Lately a lot has been made of Louisville's supposed bike-friendliness. Profiles on the local news and stories in local publications have covered the topic from all angles recently, creating (to those who care) an awareness of all things Louisville bike riding. But what about southern Indiana; how does our area measure up?

As Daniel can’t help noticing, our local area “measures up” to Louisville in progressive dispensations made for bicycling just as well as it does in other measures of progressive thinking, which is to say, there is little sign of a pulse … and a toe tag is being prepared.

Interestingly, the youthful columnist goes on to make a telling point that has escaped too many other local observers, including yours truly at NAC:

One of New Albany's recent road improvement projects, Mt. Tabor Road, has been closed for months and still appears far from completion. With so much time and money invested in this mile-or-so stretch of pavement and with such repairs so few a far between, one would expect a definitive product, right?

But if there are to be bike lanes on this new road, then I must be blind. Sure, there are sidewalks and tidy gutters, but the absence of bike lanes constitutes a lost opportunity that will most likely not be corrected until the road is repaired again in decades …

… Many other cities across the nation have gotten the memo; the inclusion of bike lanes has been a part of new road construction for years in many parts of the country and across the world. Why shouldn't New Albany at least try to embrace this same positive spirit present in other communities?

That’s an excellent question, Daniel, and unfortunately it would appear that one of the very few ordinances that New Albany aggressively enforces is the one expressly outlawing “positive spirit.”

In fact, council persons running the gamut of legislative expertise from “C” (Coffey) to “P” (Price) presumably have the anti-positive spirit ordinance tattooed on their arms for quick and easy reference during those long council hours when lame-duck President Kochert permits rules of order to lapse as he doodles on the draft of his moribund smoking decree. You see, there’s public speaking time, city official speaking time, and personal agenda speaking time, with the latter being shared by the Bicknellian shadow cabinet minsters customarily found chortling on the back row.

Ah, but I digress.

Again.

It should be noted that the city’s planning arms have in fact incorporated bicycling lanes into at least some of their projections; bicycling paths are being included in the Vicky Ann Denschak Memorial Greenway; and one mayoral candidate, Doug England, has made NAC aware that he has a personal understanding of the issues involved and has considered prospects for future implementation.

Meanwhile, as GOP mayoral hopeful Randy Hubbard promises to study the meaning of the word “bicycle,” and entertains suggestions from citizens, most of whom don't ride one, it remains that the real answer is quite simple. Contrary to what many casual observers believe, the context of commuting to and from work and play by bicycle is as important as recreational cycling in these discussions, and that's because the most hopeful future revitalization plans for New Albany inside the beltway are inexorably linked with the sort of person who'd like to have the option of commuting by bike when possible. So ...

Until such a time as we see any single person is New Albany’s ruling structure – elected, appointed, political, non-partisan, religious, secular, secretarial or janitorial – riding to work on a bicycle, we’ll not see much in the way of “positive spirit” pertaining to a topic like bicycling.

And that’s because New Albany’s collective 800-lb gorilla, and the ultimate source of the psychosis that so degrades all our future prospects, is an utter failure on the part of government and citizenry alike to muster any degree of comprehension as to what is occurring in the larger world that lies outside their own exceedingly narrow comfort zones.

Consequently, it isn’t just that so many drivers don’t ride bicycles and lack any semblance of understanding of the issues explicated so clearly by Daniel Robison, it’s that they can’t even imagine doing so and moreover cannot imagine life outside the confines of an automobile – and if they can’t imagine it, then how could anyone else? It follows that those who are able to imagine it must be mistaken, defective, or both, and any person sighted on a bicycle must be either too poor to afford a car or restricted to riding a bike because of a mental illness, DUI conviction, bad personal credit or contrarian tendencies. It will be disapointing to many trognonymous opinion generators to learn that of these reasons, only the contrarian one applies to the senior editor.

One of the most telling recent examples of this startling local absence of empathy came when 3rd district councilman (and 36% solution) Price attempted to somehow make the case for a tighter grip on take-home police vehicles by explaining that he knows how it’s possible to waste gasoline, seeing as he does it himself driving around his neighborhood.

Of course, he might choose to walk the neighborhood’s sidewalks or ride a bike, and yet how often has Price or any other person working in the City County Building been spotted riding a bike or walking to work, or to meetings, or -- for once -- just for the sheer hell of it? Until a few of them do, expect more "Stasis-R-Us" – the official mindset and motto of New Albany.

But good job nonetheless, Daniel. Opening cans of worms in front of squeamish folks who’d rather not see them wiggle is an innate skill, and one that should serve you well in the future. Good luck in graduate school. Perhaps we should have a Progressive Pint or two before your departure?

Photos of bikes, biking and bike lanes in Haarlem, Netherlands were taken by the senior editor in February, 2007.




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13 comments:

John Gonder said...

As one who occasionally takes the old police auction special out for a spin, I hardly qualify as a cycling enthusiast. I am, however, aware of the place the bicycle holds in a viable urban environment. It is an effective mode of transportation which allows for travel on a human-scale. As is the case in Holland, bicycling is not the pursuit simply of those stigmatized as your list suggests, it is also a common practice among people of all ages and stages of life. That is something we should hope and work for here.

At the risk of setting up a ghettoization of cyclists I would ask the question of those who are more regular peddlers than myself: Is it possible that alleyways could serve as bikeways?

The greatest benefit to using the alleys would be the lack of head-to-head competition with automobile traffic. The downside is the relative paucity of these lanes as one gets farther out from the city's center.

I'm not raising the idea as a way to forestall the introduction of bike lanes in New Albany, but rather as a way to use an existing resource to answer an existing need. If it were acceptable to cyclists, it may have benefits for the residents along the alleys as well, by keeping more eyes open to the issues of litter and general disrepair evident in those alleys.

Does this idea have any merit?

Iamhoosier said...

John,
The problem with alleys is the constant entry and crossing the next street. Go a block, stop--look both ways--and go again for another block. Not so bad if your only goal is to visit your friend 2 blocks down, except for the safety factor.

The biggest problem is the exit from the alley to cross the street. Usually there are vehicles parked very close to the alley which limits visibility for checking for cross traffic and for the traffic to see the cyclist. Every block, you are crossing a through street.

The New Albanian said...

John

There are several considerations germane to your mention of alleyways, and it must be noted that a substantial part of the overall picture has to do with bicyclists themselves.

As bicyclists, we have the legal right to our fair share of most streets and roads, although this isn’t the same thing as saying all are safe to travel, and it does not excuse us from following the rules of the road.

Unfortunately, while recreational cyclists are the best educated when it comes to knowing how to play the game, they’re also most likely to be confrontational with automobiles; meanwhile, others who are seen tooling around town primarily owing to economic necessity display an alarming inconsistency and an absence of knowledge about safe operating. Instruction is needed at all levels of the bicycling experience, both for cyclists and drivers of cars.

Furthermore, New Albany’s ordinance is muddled. As opposed to many other places, it states that adults on bikes can indeed use the sidewalks in the neighborhoods, but are expressly forbidden from doing so in the core business district.

I see a few big disadvantages with using alleyways. Many aren’t clearly marked where they enter streets, and often are blind from the vision standpoint. Veteran cyclists would be okay with that, but we worry about the prevalence of glass and debris in alleys, since alleys are where the garbage is collected.

As with so many other areas of urban and human experience, Louisville’s recent efforts to upgrade the bicycling experience might simply be observed and imitated as a means of doing so here. But we seem to be opposed in general terms to such simple matters even if the process is how all of us learned to function as humans. New Albany is bizarre that way, and I suppose it’s attributable to the widespread inferiority complex that we insist on cherishing as a birthright.

The New Albanian said...

Thanks Mark -- you made the same point better than I did.

Jeff Gillenwater said...

More coming later but, with car payments averaging around $400 per month in the U.S.- not including insurance, maintenance, and operating costs- the continued reliance on automobile-centric transportation systems very seriously diminishes economic and social improvement opportunities for a significant portion of the population.

That will be even more true as Boomers grow older and our central demographic ages out of driving and into fixed incomes.

Substantial environmental and health benefits aside, anyone serious about economic and community development is doing the region a disservice by not educating themselves about transportation alternatives and making them a central theme in planning discussions.

John Gonder said...

Most anyone who has an interest in urban cycling probably knows about
safestreetslouisville.org.

I have become acquainted with Jackie Green who runs a bicycle messenger service in Louisville, he is instrumental in SafeStreetsLouisville. He is also planning a (quixotic?) run for mayor of Louisville upon the closing of the Abramson era. Regardless of the outcome of that race, look for the issue of cycling and intelligent transportation to be front and center during the campaign.

Jackie should be complimented for his effectiveness in Louisville on transportation issues. I'm certain he would gladly help on this side of the river as well.

Tommy2x4 said...

new albany could be such a cycling hub in this area. our out going mayor even entertained the idea of having a BMX track built in New Albany. the knobs provide a great hilly area and touring scene for roadies. i also feel that the knobs could be a mecca for mtbers too.

new albany downtown evenings provides light traffic situations and it's actually pretty easy to ride the streets during this time. during the afternoon, it can get a little wild and that's why i would recommend bike lanes be incorporated.

here's a little rant i posted on the NABC blog a few months ago


i've been contacted by our local government and there seems to be a small interest in bringing BMX to New Albany. i'm putting together a presentation that hopefully will demonstrate the benefits of bringing this sport to our community. wish me luck!

with the interest of our local government in cycling, i started to think about how New Albany could possibly become a serious cycling community! i believe i've read it right here @ NABC about how we have a bridge in our city, where you could convert the former car lanes into bike lanes and allow people to commute to work more easily.

with gas prices as a staggering 3 bucks per gallon (yes, we have it ez, compared to our over seas counterparts) and no signs of coming down anytime soon, how difficult would it be to open this up for commuting? don't answer that just yet...lol...

think about it. becoming a cycling town and revitalizing downtown, New Albany could become the place were we live, eat and sleep, while having an easy commute to downtown louisville. what i mean by that, is our downtown becomes a home for residence, artist galleries, bike shops, pubs, amongst other entertainment venues. i could see cycling lanes everywhere, with bike lock-ups on every corner.

here's another point to ponder. it's been shown that people who participate in at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3 x's a week improves health significantly! the benefits are HUGE! it's proven that it lowers high blood pressure, helps with weight management, improves mood!, raises HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers LDL (bad cholesterol), significant energy improvement, so instead of coming home and crashing on the couch, you have more energy to spend with your kids, or get yard work done. helps manages insulin level for people with diabetes, strengthens bones preventing arthritis.

your health is also improved, because cardiovascular exercise stimulates the immune system, warding off infections, so less time is spent using health care expenditures, time off from work and the crappy feeling of just being sick.

becoming healthier physical, mentally and socially allows us to reach self-actualization and we as a community we become more healthy. also, who actually likes driving in that mess of a morning rush hour? i'm not saying you have to commute by bike everyday either. yes, it rains, or you have things that require a car on certain days. there's been times, where i've dropped my children off at daycare, then i come home and ride my bike to U of L. BTW, it takes approx. 20 minutes to get from oak street to the u of l campus by bike. that's generally what it takes by car, if not more.

well..i've babbled enough this morning....

have a great week!!!

G Coyle said...

While I appreciate Mr. Gonder thinking outside the ole' box on this bike issue, I wonder if those now-emtpy downtown alleyways would be busy again with delivery trucks when the time comes (soon) that business has increased and street parking has become limited? They still have service to provide and that was there original function I believe...delivery and trash et al.

Adding bike lanes to roads is a no-brainer so of course no one at city hall gets it I guess. You'd think the personal injury bar would be out in force for this one...I can only imagine the street carnage when white trash driver in uninsured beater car, drunk probably too, comes upon these bike lanes. God help us.

Tommy2x4 said...

"helps manages insulin level for people with diabetes, strengthens bones preventing arthritis."

that should read; preventing osteoporosis.


just a note about riding in downtown new albany. when i go out for a tour of downtown, i can depend on two things.

1. Somebody using me as target practice with their car.

2. Wonderful color commentary from locals.

i guess seeing an older guy on a bmx bike might be a little odd, but nothing so out of the ordinary to warrant some of the crap i hear.

Mr. Gonder...

i too like the outside of the box thinking, however, i've seen bmx tracks more smooth than our alleys here in new albany.

plus, there's always that one dog that's not tied up that sneaks out on you...

Iamhoosier said...

Yeah, when are you going to grow up and get an adult bike?(smile)

maury k goldberg said...

Dear Roger,
Just draw up a proposal of what you envision for New Albany and present it to the City Fathers and fight for the adoption of the proposal.

Stop talking and Just Do It!

Maury

Christopher D said...

I think I will be safer and continue to mountain bike in the woods, dodging trees, boulders, low hanging branches, and the occassional rabid oppossum!

Iamhoosier said...

I think I know someone who could help you with Maury's suggestion. I am sure she would be happy to help as soon as she is done with CSX.(VBG)