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Increase in bicycle sales, construction of recreational trails and biking as alternative transportation show cycling is on the rise Published April 25, 2007 Expansion of recreational trails Bicycling as alternative transportation
Stu Raskin can still remember turning down Main Street on his Huffy bike to take his driver’s test in 1975.
“I used to ride my bike everywhere,” Raskin said. “I love it.” Raskin, now 47, still rides his bike. But instead of depending on his two-wheeler for transportation, he depends on it for daily exercise and enjoyment. On some mornings, Raskin will get up at 5:30 to ride his bike on the hills around his neighborhood. “There’s nothing like getting an early morning workout while going on a long bike ride,” Raskin said. “It’s just me and the road. I don’t have to worry about traffic or anyone else.”
Raskin’s passion for cycling represents a sweeping sentiment throughout the country. According to a recent study by the Ohio State Medical Center, participants in competitive and recreational bicycling grew to an estimated 57 million Americans in 2007. More Americans across the country are peddling for various reasons. Regardless if it’s the doctor’s orders or for pure enjoyment, cyclists’ enthusiasm for the activity is shown through increased bike sales, additions to recreational trails and greenways, and the growing awareness of bikes as alternative transportation. The bicycling retail industry witnessed a $56 million increase in sales from 2005 to 2006, according to the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA). Bicyclists across the country invested $766 million in 2006. BPSA gathers its information monthly from 28 companies that represent both large and small distributors. Bicycle shops, such as the Bloomington Bicycle Garage, offer the three basic models of bicycles: road, hybrid, and mountain. In 2006, hybrids, which are primarily for street use, were in the fast lane with a growth in sales of 28 percent, according to BPSA reports. Tim Cote, a Bloomington Bicycle Garage employee, says that hybrid bike sales serve as a consistent source of income for the shop. “Hybrid bikes, which are also called City Bikes, are a year- round, top-selling model for us,” Cote said. “We have a natural customer base because students ride their bikes on campus and around town.”
Another aspect of Bloomington that benefits the business is the “World’s Greatest College Weekend: the Little 500.” Aligned with the BPSA’s posting of an 11 percent increase in sales of road bikes, the Bloomington Bicycle Garage’s road bikes continually sell out other bike models. Little 500 riders use road bikes, which have smooth, narrow tires and a more agile frame that allows cyclists to ride faster and longer distances. “The Garage sells on average 50 road bikes to 30 hybrid bikes and about 25 road bikes to one mountain bike every month,” Cote said. Bicycling manufacturers are creating modified bicycles to reach potential cyclists. Trek Bikes has created a new, three-speed, automatic shifting bike model called Lime. The Lime permits a more comfortable ride than other models due to the new automatic transmission feature developed by Shimano, a sports product manufacturer. “We do not have any models as high-tech as the Lime, but the garage does carry bike models with the same basic, lower-handle bars like the Lime,” said Cote, a Bloomington Bicycle Garage employee. Cyclists usually turn to local bike shops, like the Bloomington Bicycle Garage, for their expert advice not only on bike models but the accessories needed for a comfortable riding experience. Accessories, such as padded spandex, shoes, and eyewear, grew 18 percent in sales in 2006, showing that riders want to look as good as they ride. Expansion of recreational trails Besides riding the right bike and wearing the right clothes, the growing population of cyclists demonstrates an interest in bicycling by creating the “right” bike trail for fellow riders and the community. Ron Carter, an avid cyclist and at-large member of the Carmel, Ind., City Council, formed the Monon Greenway Committee in 1993 and has continued to look forward on expanding recreational trails and
greenways throughout Ind. Carter, who is the newly elected executive director of the Indiana Greenways Foundation, is working on a 10-year plan with communities surrounding Indianapolis, groups such as the Westfield trail group, and the state of Indiana to complete 10,000 miles of greenways throughout Indiana and surrounding states. “Indiana is behind in development of greenways,” Carter says. “As we build more trails, we see a huge demand from cyclists and the community.” Indianapolis is building more trails and will be home to the $50 million Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The urban- bike-and-pedestrian path will connect neighborhoods and cultural districts in downtown Indy while serving as a hub for central Indiana trail system. “Construction will begin on the path in late April,” Carter said. “The trail is constructed in stages and will eventually connect to the Monon Trail.” The citywide trail will be built in stages and completion will not be for another two years, Carter said. Carter helps with the continual growth of the 15- mile Monon Trail that connects the state fairgrounds, residential neighborhoods, schools, and parks of Indianapolis to Carmel. The trail, which was completed in 2002, utilizes the abandoned section of the Chicago-Indianapolis line of the historical Monon Railroad. A new 2.5 mile section will be added to the Monon Trail throughout the summer, said Carter. “People find overall riding bikes on greenways a wonderful experience,” Carter says. “Cyclists and communities embrace theses trails as a way to see friends and neighbors and an easier way to travel within the community. Greenways are a great economic tool for many communities.”
Aside from connecting cities together, recreational trails connect riders to their city. After the Sept.11 terrorist attack, New York City created “Wheel of Hope,” a four-day memorial bike ride from the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., to Ground Zero in New York City. “I used to work in the Trade Center so the ride was very emotional,” said Raskin, a member of the Rockland County Bicycle Club in New York. “It was difficult seeing the rubble of where the World Trade Centers once stood.”
Although the city may never completely recover from the damage of Sept. 11, the Transportation Department of New York City is refurbishing the Big Apple with an additional 200 miles of bikes facilities in the next three years. “Vehicular lanes at seven locations have already been replaced with bike lanes,” according to a press release in Feb. from Iris Weinshall, commissioner of the Department of Transportation. Along with connecting parks, schools, and communities, recreational trails across the U.S. advocate bicycling as a main factor for alternative transportation. Carter, who is a member of the Hamilton County Alternative Transportation task force, says bike riding on trails provides communities with other options of transportation throughout their neighborhoods. “In Carmel, “Tour de Carmel” is an annual bike ride that shows people how they can get from their homes to Carmel park facilities and how to get around within the community by trails or less traveled streets,” Carter said. “It gives people the idea that they can utilize their bike not just for recreation but for transportation as well. Bicycling as alternative transportation In a national effort to promote safe and alternative ways of transportation for children, the U.S. Department of Transportation established the National Center for Safe Routes to School in May 2006. The program’s main object is to provide communities and school districts with knowledge and technical information to implement safe and strategic alternative transportation routes. The Monroe County Safe Routes to School task force has received almost $14,000 in federal grants to repair sidewalks and trails for walking and biking routes and to inform families about alternative transportation. From Indiana to Florida, cities are following the trail of city programs like Los Angeles, CA.’s “Bike to Work Day,” which has seen an increase in the number of participants for 13 straight years. IU Junior Erica Koenig notices the effect of more cyclists on the street in Bloomington. “Being from a small town in Ohio, I really never had a problem driving on the road,” Koenig said. “But when I’m in Bloomington, I’m swerving all over to the place to avoid bike riders. It gets pretty annoying at times.” In efforts to keep motorists from swerving all over the road, organizations like the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have encouraged motorists and bicyclists to observe proper road rules. One in 25 San Francisco residents commute on bicycles daily, which can create tension between the large numbers of commuters, according to the SF Bicycle Coalition. Many safety organizations, such as the SF Bicycle Coalition, promote the motto “Coexist” in order to promote safer and more respectful behavior by motorized and two-wheeler commuters alike. Whether riders make cycling into a recreational activity like Raskin or advocate bicycling trails for a living like Carter, the bicycling community continues to move forward. “We are planning to build support with communities,” Carter said. “We are working in any way we can to move bicycling plans forward”
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