AJC > Sandy Springs > Blog > Archives > 2006 > January > 06
Friday, January 6, 2006
Is Sandy Springs more for cars than cardio exercise?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was talking with a friend years ago about the personality of Sandy Springs and he said something that’s stuck with me.
“This is a car town,â€? he said. “It’s how we define ourselves. It’s how we get around.â€?
That conversation had more to do with style, but through the years it’s become painfully apparent that, even if you would disagree with that opinion, you’d have to say that this is most definitely not a great place for walking, running or cycling.
[Note: I have no idea where jogging stops and running begins, so I’m using the term running to describe anything more than a fast walk. For those of you running snobs who are offended, submit your protest at feedback@jimcouldcareless.com - J.O.]
I have walked, run and biked through Sandy Springs and I can tell you this is no place to undertake such activities if you have a wandering attention span.
Drivers are too busy speeding to their next cup of decaf, mocha-chocolate espresso latte to note the presence on the roads of anything not on four wheels.
And, for the sake of balance, the pedestrian and cycling manners of many leaves much to be desired. This includes jaywalkers, runners who insist on running with their backs to oncoming traffic while trotting three feet from the curb into the thoroughfare, and cyclists who ride in clumps that would make Lance Armstrong hail a cab.
I’m guilty on occasion. If I think I can cross a street, I’ll make a break for it, even if I’m totally in the wrong. My cycling technique does not always include proper turn signals and I do not have a rear-view mirror to let me know what’s behind me.
At the same time, much of this community is not a great place for outdoor cardio. The roads are too narrow to allow for cycling/running lanes and a many of the major intersections have stoplights that appear to be more programmed to start a drag race, than let people cross safely.
Half this problem is easy solved, and that has to do with the participants. There have to be scores of Web sites that have the rules of the road posted. We’re taught in first grade to walk against traffic, to look both ways, etc.
The other half of the solution is going to take some planning and money if the city wants to make this little village walker-, runner- and cycler-friendly.
The question is, is this what we want? Speak up, campers.
[And a personal pet peeve - for all you moms who get out and run while pushing a jogger’s stroller with your little ones, I salute your commitment to fitness. Unless you’re one of those running with your back to traffic, with a set of earphones wrapped around your head. If so:
o You can’t see trouble coming from behind. o You can’t hear trouble coming from behind. o You’re risking your own life, which is fine by me. But your kid shouldn’t have to suffer because of your stupidity.
Whew! Glad to get that off my chest.]
