My mornings usually start at Starbucks, an easy bike ride from my home. Monday through Friday I'm there early so I can get in my road work and coffee before going to the office. On Sunday I get there at a more relaxed hour. Today I was happy to make the acquaintance of some avid bicyclists who told me about Delaware Bicycle Advocacy.
We bicyclists need to organize and stick together to make the world more bicycle friendly. I just wrote to Senator Tom Carper about Septa's "bicycle unfriendly" position. SEPTA make it difficult to bring bicycles on trains and commute to work. i live in Newark and my office is in an industrial park near the Philly airport. A 64 miles commute by bicycle each day would not be practical, nor safe at the present time. However, I could easily bike to the Newark train station, catch the R2, get off at Essington, or Ridley Park, and bike about four miles to work. It would be perfect. Unfortunately, SEPTA bans bikes on trains at "peak" hours. In other words, the hours when people are commuting to work. I took this problem to Tom Carper, and I want everyone to know that Senator Carper responded. Not with a "boiler plate" letter, but with a real response. He has promised to address this issue with SEPTA.
I want to encourage everyone to help Senator Carper keep his Senate seat. He is one of the few elected officials who is responsive to his constituency, and advocates legislation to improve the quality of life for working people and their families.
As we all know, Senator Carper is an enthusiastic supporter of bicycling.
I hope everyone is writing to their local and federal representatives to let them know that we need programs and bike paths so that the bicycle will become a practical alternative to the automobile.
Please share your thoughts on the joys and hazards of commuting by bike. I did it for years in New York City, but the distance from home to office was short. There was a convenient fitness center in my office building in Manhattan that provided a place to shower and change. I am encouraging my present employer to put a fitness center on our campus, and I'm trying to get the management company (Mack-Cali) that owns the site to install bike racks. It's an uphill battle just to get the bike racks!
Happy peddling all, I look forward to any information you may have on making the world a better place for bicycles.
