I want to ride my bicycle
Hackett and UVA biologist Robert Kretsinger– who bikes the same general route before dawn– are likely the only two regular cyclists who brave 6,000-pound vehicles and six-ounce cell phones to maintain their health, spare the city some congestion, and save the nation's oil supply and the planet's atmosphere by commuting by bike over the twists and turns of two-lane– and no bike lane– Stony Point Road.
The vast majority of Charlottesville's other county-to-city commuters– 78 percent, according to the 2000 census– come alone in a car, spewing exhaust, carbon dioxide, and American foreign policy issues in their wake.
COVER SIDEBAR- Majestic town: How Williamsburg leads on wheels
"If you build it, they do indeed come."
That's the lesson for all Virginia to learn from the Historic Triangle around Williamsburg.
Noted as a biking mecca by VDOT since 2002, Williamsburg boasts an estimated 3.9 percent of workers and students– the state's highest average– who arrive daily on two wheels. The city hosted the Cap2Cap ride May 5 and, in June, Bike Virginia will put 2,000 cyclists in the colonial capital's restaurants and hotels.
Why?
Because since President George H.W. Bush and his Democratic Congress agreed to promote truly multi-modal transportation, three leading Williamsburg-area planners have been seeking federal funds to build bike lanes and trails at every opportunity.
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Full Stories List for May 31st, 2007 issue #0622
4Better Or Worse
Art Features
News
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My Ride
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