Biking to better commute options
I call out “good morning” in the dim light of dawn to the crossing guard as I reach the bottom of the hill and prepare for the long, steep climb.
I am 2.6 miles into a daily ritual, the 5.5-mile bike ride from my home in the Briarcliff Woods subdivision in DeKalb County to my new office at Tower Place in Buckhead, where I work as executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, or CID.
It’s not too difficult a ride — a few steep hills — but it is probably more treacherous than I admit to myself or to others. I ride in bike lanes where they exist, but that totals about two-tenths of a mile, or less than 4 percent of my commute. So I ride in traffic for virtually the entire trip. I can’t avoid it. At least I can’t today.
Riding often makes me think of how we need more viable transportation options.
It’s also remarkable, the things you notice, I mean really notice, when you get rid of your car and make your way by bike. The weather. The bike-eating condition of the pavement. The debris (much of it bike/tire unfriendly) along the side of the road. Sidewalks overgrown with weeds; that is, where you actually have sidewalks. The difference in air temperature when there are shade trees and when there aren’t. The variability in driving skills and courtesy. The choking stench of exhaust. The sweet aroma of flowering shrubs. Did I mention the weather?
A few weeks ago it was raining more often than not, and one recent Monday morning it was a frog strangler. But I made it, and thanks to good clothing and a shower at the fitness center near my office I arrived at my desk warm and dry. And I got good exercise without pounding my knee, weary from years of soccer practices and games. And because I got rid of my car this year, I wasn’t making a car payment, a gasoline payment or a car insurance payment.
But enough about me. What about you? Well, I wasn’t sitting in the car ahead of you, making your commute more congested.
That’s the thing about not driving. Regardless of how one feels about it, the folks on bikes, walking or riding in buses and trains are not driving cars, not taking up precious capacity in our road system. They’re not in your way and they’re not adding to traffic congestion. In fact, they’re helping to reduce it. We have to get past this false idea that it’s cars vs. everything else, including public transportation. It is not an either/or situation; it is a both/and situation and opportunity.
A successful metropolitan region, moving forward, must have more transportation options, including public transportation and ways to walk and bike where you need to go, including work.
The commercial property owners within the Buckhead CID area are spending the 3 mills in extra tax dollars they pay to transform Buckhead into a walkable, bike-able urban employment center, served by public transportation, with residential, retail, worship and entertainment opportunities successfully included in the mix. I have no doubt that we will succeed.
But what about the region? If we can work as a region to replicate this model in the appropriate places, we will be following the recipe for successful metropolitan growth, with many choices among attractive options for living, working and getting around. It’s a recipe that will make life better for all of us, including drivers.
Jim Durrett is executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District and a member of the MARTA board.
