Buses, Cars, and Bikes

I have three options when I wake up in the morning. The bus picks my groggy backside up less than three blocks from my house and takes on average about twenty minutes. My lonely car usually sits a block from my home and with parking and walking to work, takes roughly twenty minutes also. And then there's my new bike, found on Craigslist two weeks ago. Though I've been struggling to replace certain parts and adjust others, I'm finding that it takes an astounding twelve minutes door-to-door.

There's considerable savings in this as well. Round trip the bus is usually four dollars a day. Parking, with gas, probably works out to ten or twelve dollars a day. Biking is free monetarily.

Here's the rub: staying alive. Though the biking infrastructure in this town has merit, it's terribly underdeveloped. And I don't quite have the deftness or experience (and perhaps absurdity) to ride alongside the cars on the road.

I find my way though. Braking for blind entrances and driveways, intersections, and for pedestrians, I manage to stay alive. But the truth is, I'm often reminded of riding my motorcycle years ago. There are a great number of drivers (in cars) who seem to brush off the presence of motorcyclists and bikers as if they were simply a nuisance. It's really frustrating. They want to go fast and be somewhere. They feel safe and secure enclosed in a vehicle.

I'm out there all alone! And then a biker passes me and reminds me that we're growing in number, slowly reclaiming our lane and letting everyone know, if you run us over, I hope you have an umbrella policy, because we'll hire any number of Minneapolis attorney's salivating at the sight of a vehicle/biker altercation.

Mike Ceresi, thanks for the unintentional protection.