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More bikes being used to get around

Along with the price of gasoline, the amount of bicycle traffic in Pinellas County has experienced a spike. Bus bike racks are telling the story.

By JON WILSON and JOSE CARDENAS
Published October 24, 2005

Reflecting a national trend and perhaps the rising price of gas, bicycle use in Pinellas County appears to be on the upswing.

Much of the evidence is anecdotal, according to people who track such developments. Specific numbers are difficult to come by.

One indicator may be that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, has reported an increase in the number of people using bus bike racks over the last year, said Brian Smith, county planning director.

There was a 17 percent increase this August over August 2004. And in September, 17,655 cyclists put bikes on buses. That's a 33 percent increase over September 2004, when 13,252 riders took their bikes on the bus.

More and more commuters are pedaling to work as the price of gas has steadily risen over the past year, he said.

"I've noticed when I've been on the (Pinellas) Trail there are more people out there than there were before," said Smith, who rides a bike to work in Clearwater from Ozona twice a week. "What I think it comes down to is they start thinking of other ways to move around."

Adam Graetz, manager of Outspokin Family Bicycles in Largo, estimated his shop has seen a 15 percent increase in sales - specifically of bicycles that would be good for commuting to work - over this time last year. Those are bicycles that, for example, have a spot to carry a bag or brief case.

"They tell us they are looking for something they can ride to work because they are trying to save on the gas," Graetz said.

Others are not ready to say high gas prices are the reason for an increase in sales.

"Business is definitely up," said Greg Anderson, owner of Over the Edge Bikes in Palm Harbor. "I'm not really thinking that it's gas prices as it is getting that time of year when the snowbirds come back."

More expensive fuel is cited often as a reason. But there may be more to it.

Renewed interest in fitness and weight loss also may help to drive bike use, said Laura Hallam, executive director of the Florida Bicycling Association.

Meanwhile, St. Petersburg City Hall has launched a project its overseer believes may be the nation's only such municipally sponsored program: actually counting bicycles.

The city recently purchased six bike counters at $600 each from MetroCount, a company specializing in traffic data.

The first test on First Avenue N just west of 16th Street proved surprising, said Mike Frederick, neighborhood transportation manager. It's a section that has been striped to provide a bike lane.

"To our shock and amazement," Frederick said, the counter logged 435 cyclists during a week's time, much higher than expected.

To verify the number, transportation bosses detailed a human being to the site. The figures panned out, Frederick said.

Earlier this month, an article circulated nationally that said more bikes than cars and trucks were sold last year. It was treated in some places as big news, and is true, said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of the Colorado-based Bikes Belong Coalition - but it is true every year.

Last year, dealers sold just fewer than 19-million bicycles nationally, Blumenthal said. The figure is likely to rise this year, but not by a huge percentage because the sales number already is large, he said.

"We're hearing a lot of enthusiasm from bike retailers," he said. "They're talking about a surge and an interest, particularly since August, and we've heard September was bigger than August."

It would tend to make sense in light of gas prices, Blumenthal said.

The three best bike sales years, he said, were 1972 through 1974 due to the Arab oil embargo.

"We're excited because this feels like a time of general rediscovery," Blumenthal said.

A version of this story appeared in some regional editions of the Times.

[Last modified October 24, 2005, 00:58:06]