I had to go to church, being the head usher, and the motorcycle was down for legality issues until Monday, the Caravan is big and clunky and eats fuel when run, so I lifted the bicycle down and prepared to ride. I have completely forgotten all I knew about the shifting, which hand does which gears, which lever is up and which one is down. So you experiment and practice and the ride goes right along. I am passed by a few autos, Sunday mornings most are sleeping, and I am riding on the white line or beside it. In Germany they must give a cyclist a meter of clearance as they pass, in America they don't have to give you anything - luckily for me (except for some Oklahoma cowboys) most drivers will share the road and only lightly snarl about my imposition.
When we lived as a one car family I did a lot more bicycle riding to get around, I should do it more in the local area, in the better weather. I talked a bit with the Pastor about riding bicycles. It isn't a Green thing with me, but having been in Europe I do think that America really misses by not encouraging more riders. I rode home after the service and a mother out with her two bicycle riding children pointed out that I was on the edge of the road, like being thought of as a good example of something, she didn't comment on my helmet, which might not be as good an example of art - but you would notice it when I ride. Pedalling back into my development and a couple walking their dog, do a double-take and yell at me asking "Where is your motorcycle?" and I answer "At home on the hill."
2 comments:
I do wish our roads provided bicyle lanes. Here, we have to stop and wait for an oncoming car in the other lane to pass before we can move around bikes riding in our lane. A minor annoyance, and must make the cyclists uneasy, hoping they don't get squeezed onto the shoulder of the road. I live in a rural area which does not afford public transportation, a luxury I enjoyed immensely while in Europe. Something else I wish our country would invest in.
Cathy B
We are getting more bike lanes here, but what I really like is the fact that the city buses will pick up both the rider and the bicycle, the latter on the front bike holder.
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