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In search of a cheap commute

Frustrated with gas prices, some are leaving their keys at home and opting for a bike ride.

By MARLON A. WALKER and MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published June 18, 2006

Tampa Bay's roads rank among the most treacherous in the nation for cyclists, a fact Thole is all too familiar with as a researcher for the Center of Urban Transportation Research.

She got a personal reminder Friday when a pickup truck rammed into her back wheel as she pedaled south along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Shaken but unbowed, Thole says she'll keep on spinning.

"I'm not going to stop,'' said Thole, 27. "The benefits far outweigh what happened."

With regular unleaded gas prices creeping closer to the $3 mark in the Tampa Bay area, a growing number of commuters are leaving the comfort of their cars to brave the mean streets astride bikes.

"Gas is going to continue to rise,'' said Thole, 27, who rides nine miles from her West Meadows home to her job at the University of South Florida campus. "So it's best to think about alternatives now."

Rising gas prices are fueling more business at local bicycle shops.

Charlie Allen, the owner of Temple Terrace Schwinn, 12712 N 56th St. in Tampa, said he's heard stories about customers coming in to get bikes for short commutes to grocery stores and other nearby trips.

"We've never heard that in years past," Allen said. "It's a good sign that people are recognizing that a bicycle is not just a toy."

Lloyd Peterson, the manager of ABC Bicycles, 6633 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, said about 10 percent of his weekly customers are new clients looking to buy bikes.

"It's really easy and comfortable," Peterson said about choosing to run an errand on a bicycle instead of running to the car. "And it's a healthy thing to do."

Doesn't hurt the pocketbook either. Consider that the starting cost of a bike, about $250, is equal to the average cost of a month's worth of gas, according to AAA Auto Club South.

"It's one small personal thing any American can do to reduce dependence on foreign oil," said Tim Blumenthal, the executive director of the Bikes Belong Coalition, a national organization of bicycle manufacturers and retailers dedicated to get more people to ride bikes more often.

"Plus, one less car means less congestion on the road," he said. "Every time you leave your car home, it helps with air quality."

And the waistline, too.

Tom Davis gave up his van two months ago and took to bicycling from his St. Pete Beach apartment to work at Woody's Waterfront Cafe and Beach Bar, where he plays the guitar.

About two weeks later, he noticed his clothes were starting to fit differently. After stepping on a scale, he realized he'd lost about 10 pounds.

"I think I've lost about 30 pounds total in the two months," Davis said. "It keeps you out of the house and away from food.

"I mean, you can't pull through a McDonald's drive-through on a bike."

The new lifestyle fits him so well that last week he dropped $400 to upgrade to a new bike, a 7100 by Trek. The bike is a hybrid, built with the comfort of a mountain bike but designed like a road bicycle.

If biking is so wonderful and beneficial, then, why aren't more taking it up?

Blame an environment designed almost exclusively for the automobile, said Chris Hagelin, who chairs the Hillsborough County Bicycle/ Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

When roads get built, not just in Tampa but throughout Florida, little if any space is reserved for bikes, Hagelin said. This gives the motorist a mistaken impression that cyclists don't belong on the roads, so they forget about them, he said.

The nonprofit Surface Transportation Policy Project in Washington, D.C., regularly ranks the Tampa Bay region, along with Orlando and Miami, as the most dangerous in the country for pedestrians and cyclists.

"Safety remains the No. 1 concern for those considering switching to cycling commuting,'' Hagelin said. "That trumps everything. If it's not safe, people aren't going to risk their lives to save a few dollars.''

Marlon A. Walker can be reached at 727 893-8737 or mwalker@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 18, 2006, 07:17:36]