ride a ___ing bike! (San Antonio, Anton: gated, quality of life, cost)

[majormadmax]

MTC

I do miss the days of when I was stationed in Belgium and was able to bike to work (8.5 miles each way, but on really nice days my "detours" could be as much as 30 miles). I wish I could do that here, especially with the price of gas (it went up over 25 cents during the past week while I was gone) and even more so considering one of my rides is a 15 MPG Jeep! But there is no way I could swing the 17+ mile trip from near Helotes to south Lackland, it would take at least two hours each way. But I did dust off one of the mountain bikes the week before last and got a few hours riding in the local area. It is great exercise, both physically and mentally. It also give you a chance to really see the sights, instead of whipping by at 50 MPH. My favorite road is Scenic Loop to Grey Forest, and one of these days when I have the time I will take Babcock up to 1604 and loop home; but for now I need to get back in shape to do that many miles. I quit running a few weeks ago due to joint problems, and bicycling is the perfect substitute.

I do wish I had better options for riding to work; but unless I get a job closer to home, it ain't gonna happen!

Oh, and the best tactic for an attacking dog is to squirt them in the face with your water bottle; but you have to let them get kinda close to make it effective.

Cheers! M2

[Joli]

My company finally put a bike rack in the parking garage where I park. So being only 4.5 miles from work, I started riding my bike to work 2 weeks ago.
I bought a flashing taillight and put it on my seat post. Part of my commute is on the 1604 access road, but I try to minimize the amount by riding through sub-divisions close to the access road. I love riding in the morning as it is so cool. My company has a fitness center where I take a shower before starting to work. After work, it is really hot, but I have a "camelbak" with lots of ice and water which greatly helps on the ride home. It is amazing how much gas it saves.

[fierce_flawless]

Ok, silly question but totally related;

For those who bike AND take the bus, you put your bike on the front rack, right?

Do you lock it up? I never notice if people do (when I'm on the bus)... otherwise it seems like someone else could get off the bus 1st and just take it...

(like I said, dumb question)

On another note, my son (16) wants to ride his bike EVERYWHERE but it scares me, due to traffic. Yes, we have some bike lanes over here but I still worry, people drive like idiots.

I would def. consider riding to/from work if work was close but I would do it only during the cooler months. Hey, still better than not at all, I say... and if I had a way to carry groceries on a bike I'd consider that too. Worth considering. I've been noticing a lot of local folks on bikes at my HEB lately but they never have baskets... they just seem to only get a couple bags of stuff each time.

[sapphire]

Timely article today in the Express-News. Just reiterates what most of us already knew--there aren't enough bike lanes in San Antonio!

www.mysanantonio.com >> Local News - Missed opportunities have left S.A. with a fragmented network of bike lanes

[sapphire]

Interesting comment at the end of the article:

ok, another article complaining about lack of bike lanes. of course we need more bike lanes, but what are the bicyclists doing to help FUND the bike lanes? Bike lanes cost money that would nromally be spent on highway lanes. Since every agency (TxDOT etc.) is strapped for cash to the point of having toll lanes forced down our throats, it would seem plausible that the bicylcists should be willing to step up to the plate to fund these lanes instead of taking it out of the pockets of motor-vehicle drivers that pay taxes to have highway lanes. Maybe an seperate 'bike tax' or licensing fees on bikes could help pay for these much needed bike lanes.

[longrunner]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Interesting comment at the end of the article:

ok, another article complaining about lack of bike lanes. of course we need more bike lanes, but what are the bicyclists doing to help FUND the bike lanes? Bike lanes cost money that would nromally be spent on highway lanes. Since every agency (TxDOT etc.) is strapped for cash to the point of having toll lanes forced down our throats, it would seem plausible that the bicylcists should be willing to step up to the plate to fund these lanes instead of taking it out of the pockets of motor-vehicle drivers that pay taxes to have highway lanes. Maybe an seperate 'bike tax' or licensing fees on bikes could help pay for these much needed bike lanes.

Another option to both increase funds and educate the public on the benefits of bike lanes would be to organize community rides/races.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Interesting comment at the end of the article:

ok, another article complaining about lack of bike lanes. of course we need more bike lanes, but what are the bicyclists doing to help FUND the bike lanes? Bike lanes cost money that would nromally be spent on highway lanes. Since every agency (TxDOT etc.) is strapped for cash to the point of having toll lanes forced down our throats, it would seem plausible that the bicylcists should be willing to step up to the plate to fund these lanes instead of taking it out of the pockets of motor-vehicle drivers that pay taxes to have highway lanes. Maybe an seperate 'bike tax' or licensing fees on bikes could help pay for these much needed bike lanes.

I'm not a huge bike advocate, but I know how bike advocates think. Their answer to this would be that bike lanes are self-funding, because they encourage people to remove their motor vehicles from the road and reduce the need to build roads.

I wonder if the commenter would rather have bike lanes or tolls on 281?

[manthechange]

Originally Posted by Joli

My company finally put a bike rack in the parking garage where I park. So being only 4.5 miles from work, I started riding my bike to work 2 weeks ago.
I bought a flashing taillight and put it on my seat post. Part of my commute is on the 1604 access road, but I try to minimize the amount by riding through sub-divisions close to the access road. I love riding in the morning as it is so cool. My company has a fitness center where I take a shower before starting to work. After work, it is really hot, but I have a "camelbak" with lots of ice and water which greatly helps on the ride home. It is amazing how much gas it saves.

good for you!

[traficdogn]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I'm not a huge bike advocate, but I know how bike advocates think. Their answer to this would be that bike lanes are self-funding, because they encourage people to remove their motor vehicles from the road and reduce the need to build roads.

I wonder if the commenter would rather have bike lanes or tolls on 281?

I'll add more ho how "biking" advocate things.

The more people we get walking and biking, the less money we will be spending in healthcare, pollution, car accidents / ems service. We might not even have to pay for School Buses anymore. Have our kids, ride their bike to school.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by traficdogn

I'll add more ho how "biking" advocate things.

The more people we get walking and biking, the less money we will be spending in healthcare, pollution, car accidents / ems service. We might not even have to pay for School Buses anymore. Have our kids, ride their bike to school.

See, that idea horrifies me... my kids go to school in the N. Central area, north of Hildebrand, and we live over here on the near West side! A bike/bus combo, MAYBE I could see that.

I walked/rode my bike ALL OVER town as a kid, literally, but that was in a very very different environment (small town). No "city" traffic in any way.