My New Chance at Bike Commuting

When you’re used to a 10 minute commute home, even a small increase in congestion makes you feel like you’re stuck in something like this.

One of the reasons I have had for not doing more, regular bike commuting is that I pick my daughter up from my parents’ place each day, so my commute home is longer and would involve hauling a child behind me if I were to do it on a bicycle.  However, the dynamic has started to change recently.

My parents live out in Garden City, and the new Dollar General that has gone up at the corner of Riverland Rd. and Garden City Blvd. seems to have affected the traffic pattern along Riverland.  There used to be a gravel shoulder that was effectively a right-hand turn lane onto Garden City Blvd.  This shoulder has narrowed with the construction of the Dollar General, and now traffic has begun to back up significantly along Riverland Rd., sometimes extending as far back as Laurel St.

The commute home takes me from Downtown, along 9th to Riverland, and then to Garden City Blvd.  Because of the new traffic congestion along Riverland, I have found myself sitting idle through several cycles of the traffic light at the intersection of Riverland and 9th, and through several more until I get to Garden City Blvd., with the effect of adding another 10 to 15 minutes to my daily commute.

Now, there’s another way to Garden City – along Yellow Mountain Rd. from the Crystal Spring area, which is where I live.

So, I did the math and did a test run along Yellow Mountain last week to time the commute.  From downtown to Riverland in my minivan now takes about 20 minutes or so.  meanwhile, if I bike home it takes about 10 minutes, and the drive along Yellow Mountain to Garden City is just over 5.  So, if I bike commute home, switch out the bike for the minivan, and then drive to pick up my daughter, I’m now shaving 5 to 10 minutes off my commute home, and 2 miles a day off my commute distance, since the route long Riverland is slightly longer.  Since my daily commute is about 10 miles, this is a 20% reduction in my commute distance each day, with the added bonus of time saved and roughly 5 miles, or 240 calories, worth of bike commuting.

My work schedule should allow me to do this at least 2 or 3 days a week, sometimes more if my meeting requirements during the day allow.

The lesson here:  a small change in traffic congestion has justified a review of my commute.  If I can stick with this for 3 days a week, let’s say, for the next year, that’s going to save me about 300 miles off my annual mileage, I’ll burn about 37,000 calories, and I’ll reclaim roughly 13 hours of my time.  Not bad for just a little change.

2012 Bike Month Award Winners Announced

The Regional Bicycle Advisory Committee, organized by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, is excited to announce the winners of its 4th Annual Bike Hero and Extraordinary Bike Professional awards.  Award winners will be recognized at the Mayor’s Ride on Saturday, May 5th, 9:45 am.  Mayor David Bowers and RIDE Solutions Program Director Jeremy Holmes will present the winners with their plaques and describe what each has done to improve cycling in the greater Roanoke region.  The presentation will take place in the Bennington Park parking lot of the Roanoke River Greenway, near the water treatment plant immediately before the start of the ride.

The Bike Hero Award is awarded to an individual who has shown dedication to the use and advocacy of the bicycle as a transportation alternative in their day-to-day activities, their work in the community to improve bicycle accommodations, and their encouragement through advocacy or by example for others to replace vehicle trips with bicycle trips.  Rob Issem is the winner of the 2012 Bike Hero award.  Rob is recognized for his personal dedication and passion for cycling in all of its forms, whether for transportation, recreation or utility; his tireless support of many bicycling programs and organizations; and his clear goal of making bicycling fun for everyone in the Roanoke Valley.

The Extraordinary Bicycle Professional Award is given to an employee in the public or private sector who has shown remarkable leadership in encouraging the use of bicycling as a transportation alternative.  Wake Fulp is the winner of the 2012 Extraordinary Bike Professional award.  Wake is recognized for his support for cycling through both his professional and personal activities; his work with the Junior Cycling team and passion for mountain biking; and the valuable services he provides to the bicycling community and his customers through his knowledge and expertise of the bicycle business.

The Bike Month Awards are part of Bike Month in Roanoke.  The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.com.

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

For Immediate Release: Roanoke Region Celebrates Cycling with the 5th Annual Bike Month

Program Director Jeremy Holmes and his daughter, Penelope, on the Green Hill Park greenway

May is Bike Month in the Roanoke Valley, and local organizations have teamed up to host a series of events celebrating bicycles, bicycle culture, and bicycle people.  Some of the events that have been planned for the month include:

• Mayor’s Bike Ride: Saturday, May 5 at 10:00 A.M.  Join Roanoke Mayor David Bowers on a short, family friendly ride along the beautiful Roanoke River Greenway from Bennington Park all the way to downtown Roanoke.   http://goo.gl/5FNM3

• Bike Shorts Film Festival:  The Taubman Museum of Art, The Shadowbox, and RIDE Solitions brings you the 2^nd Annual Bike Shorts Film Fest May 10th.  Submissions are still being accepted for locally made short films that center on cycling – anything from mini-documentaries to sweded films.  The winner of the film festival will receive $100.  http://goo.gl/LcvQ6

• Big Lick Fat Cat Classic:  What do you get when you cross an Alley Cat race with an individual time trial, and throw in a scavenger hunt to boot? The Big Lick Fat Cat Classic combines all of these elements to create the most entertaining and challenging cycling event in Roanoke Valley history.    http://goo.gl/ib1kk

• Night Rider’s Ball:  Celebrate bike month at the Night Rider’s Ball! Free refreshments, cash bar, live music, door prizes, and more. Everyone who rides a bike can get in FREE, and admission is just $5 for everyone else.  All proceed from the event will be donated to the Bridge the Gap campaign to complete the regional Greenway system.  http://goo.gl/bAJsj

A complete list of the growing roster of events can be found at www.bikeroanoke.com/events.  In addition, bicycle enthusiasts are encouraged to create their own events and submit them to event organizers.  Selected events will be promoted through the group’s website, their Facebook page, Twitter updates, and other outlets.

The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.org.

RIDE Solutions is a service of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

Seeking Submissions for the 2nd Annual Bike Shorts Film Fest

The Taubman Museum is pleased to present the 2nd Annual Bike Shorts Film Fest, brought to you by the Shadowbox and RIDE Solutions.  Submissions are now being accepted for bicycle-based short films.  Entries can be of any style from documentary to animation, horror film to love story, so long as bicycles feature prominently in the film.

Selected entries will be screened on the evening of Thursday, May 10 at the Taubman Museum of Art.  Tickets to the screening are $5.  Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available.

The audience favorite for the evening will receive a $100 cash prize from RIDE Solutions.  To request an entry form, contact Jason Garnett with The Shadowbox by sending an email to info@theshadowboxcinema.com.

The deadline for submissions must be received by May 1^st.

The winning entry of last year’s Bike Shorts Film Fest, “When Bikes go Bad” by local filmmaker and musician Sam Hensley, was recently accepted into Portland, Oregon’s prestigious Filmed by Bike festival, to be screened at the end of April.

The Bike Shorts Film Festival is part of Bike Month.  RIDE Solutions and its partners have created a series of events for riders of all ages and skill levels.  Check out www.bikeroanoke.com for a complete list.

 

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