Karen Karabell with statuary

Keri Caffrey

Incidentally, Keri has posted a wealth of information and insights on cycling on the web which are highly instructive, and Karen has also started a similar interactive site at Commute St. Louis.

More about that later. I mentioned briefly in the article my early experiences as an adult cyclist over forty years ago, when I lacked good information to help make me feel safe when riding to work in England. It was many years before I finally discovered, after getting a job transfer to the U.S. and ultimately moving to St. Louis, that it was possible to use a bike for transportation without fear or anxiety on the road.

Over time, as I’ve learned more about what makes cycling safe, I’ve come to understand that the road system, as it’s designed, generally works well for cyclists. Attempts to use paint in place of knowledge almost always increases, not decreases, the risks of travel by bike.

I used to think that sharrows (Shared Use Arrows) were a reasonable compromise that I could live with, but after having seen some applied for the first time in Ferguson, not far from my home, I’ve concluded that isn’t even the case.

Sharrows convey to motorists that the cyclist must stay to the right of motor traffic, no matter what, and even when located in the middle of the lane I’ve come across a situation where they’re still unhelpful, e.g. when a vehicle is parked in the lane near the sharrow and the cyclist needs to move still further left.

Here’s what I picked off the St. Louis Beacon website, with the photo of me below kindly provided by Karen Karabell of Cycle Savvy St. Louis:

St. Louis Beacon:
Martin Pion explains the drawbacks of supposedly bicycle-friendly infrastructure and talks about what he’s learned in 14 years as a League of American Bicyclists instructor.

Martin Pion, waiting patiently for a light change during a CycleSavvy St. Louis training ride led by instructors Karen and Harold Karabell in April, 2011.
Photo: Karen Karabell

A Jan. 5 article by Ryan Schuessler, “Great Rivers Greenway works to make the area bicycle friendly” described efforts by both Great Rivers Greenway and Trailnet to expand existing bike lane striping or similar road markings in the St. Louis area. The only criticism mentioned was that the pace of such efforts was too slow.

As a transportational cyclist for more than 40 years, the last 14 as a certified bicycling instructor, I have a very different view. Years ago, I concluded that what cyclists lack most are not bike lanes but knowing how to safely use the existing road system.

Let’s start with Missouri law, which says that bicyclists have the same rights and duties as other road users. On-road bike lane striping prejudices those rights by effectively confining cyclists to the extreme right edge of the road, creating conflict between cyclists and motorists.

Bike lanes do not readily allow cyclists to merge left safely in preparation for a left turn or to change lanes. When bike lanes are placed alongside on-street parking, there is the ever-present danger of the cyclist being fatally struck by an opening car door. Cyclists riding in a bike lane are also at risk from a passing motorist turning right across their path, a leading cause of car-bike collisions. Advance cyclist stop boxes at intersections do not eliminate this threat because the light may change as the cyclist is about to enter the box.

There is a belief that on-road infrastructure created especially for bicyclists obviates the need for any cyclist training. In fact, this infrastructure often is contrary to safe cycling practices, and requires more education and effort on the part of the cyclist to be used safely. Worse, it reinforces motorists’ belief that cyclists must stay near the right-hand road edge, increasing hostility toward cyclists who are driving defensively when controlling the lane.

I started cycling for environmental reasons in the late 1960s. At the time, I was a scientist working at ITT’s Central Research Lab in Harlow, England. Lacking good information on how to use a bicycle safely in traffic, I became a leading advocate for expanding the local system of off-road bicycle facilities.

My views only changed after getting a job at the former McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in St. Louis in 1980 and meeting Bob Soetebier, a local cycling enthusiast who introduced me to the principles of safe cycling. Subsequently, I learned that most bike crashes could be avoided by a combination of improved bike handling techniques and best practices for safe cycling on-road, which turns out to be the best facility for transportational cycling.

A fellow employee who jogged in frequently recommended living north of Lambert airport if I wanted to cycle to work. I eventually located in Ferguson, which proved to be a happy choice, with numerous routes available, both low-traffic residential and main road.

Fourteen years as a League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Cycling Instructor have confirmed my understanding of safe on-road cycling principles. For several years, I was also coordinator of a mainly federally funded bike promotion program for the City of Ferguson. This aimed to promote bicycling via bike education and such improvements as quality bike racks.

In 2006, 50 students from the St. Louis area participated in comprehensive bicycling education courses I conducted. Several went on to become League Cycling Instructors, among them Karen Karabell, who last year launched CyclingSavvy St. Louis. Founded in 2010 in Orlando, Fla., CyclingSavvy is spreading throughout the U.S. and is increasingly recognized as the leading adult bike education course. (Information at http://cyclingsavvy.org/ and http://cyclingsavvy.org/category/midwest-region/st-louis/ )

Videos showing knowledgeable cyclists coexisting safely with motorists in everyday traffic situations are now online. “Cyclist’s Eye View – Driving Your Bicycle In Traffic” features LCI Chris Quint demonstrating safe on-road cycling techniques while being videotaped by fellow LCI, Dan Gutierrez, using a small helmet-mounted camera.

The method was refined by Gutierrez and LCI Brian DeSousa, simultaneously taping each other. Their picture-in-picture video shows their interactions with both following and passing motorists, an excellent example being ”The Rights and Duties of Cyclists.”

As a 75-year-old cyclist with no special abilities, neither a road warrior nor a speed demon, I have no problem using my bicycle for transportation in Ferguson and elsewhere: knowledge of safe and proficient on-road cycling is the key.

When cyclists behave and are treated as equal users of our public roadways, it is both amazing and gratifying how well it works.

Martin Pion is an advocate for bicycling education. To reach him, contact Beacon features and commentary editor Donna Korando.

MoDOT traffic signal control box on east side of Florissant Rd. looking north

My wife relies on walking for her exercise, while I prefer bike commuting, but recently I’ve been accompanying her on her preferred 1.4 mile route around Ferguson, which ends up with a short stretch along Florissant Rd. before returning to our subdivision. Florissant Rd. is a 4-lane major arterial, running north-south through Ferguson and this section is a MoDOT-maintained road with a 35 mph speed limit.

In the past, MoDOT was not allowed to provide sidewalks for pedestrians so to get around that they created what they called “raised shoulders” which were ostensibly for emergency parking. This was MoDOT’s way of providing for pedestrian travel while still abiding by the letter of the law.

The fact that it’s a mountable curb already creates problems, because it invites motorist parking, which blocks pedestrian traffic. However, that’s another issue. This MoDOT traffic control box, while it’s been rotated on the pole to allow more room on the sidewalk, still represents a significant obstruction for walkers. Note that even the pole location doesn’t show much consideration for pedestrian traffic: it’s almost in the middle of the sidewalk.

The control box is located on the east side of Florissant Rd. near its intersection with Albert-Powell Avenues which run west-to-east, as shown in the plan view immediately below. That is followed by a motorist’s eye view looking north along Florissant Rd. (Please click repeatedly to enlarge images.)

mapquest plan view of N. Florissant Rd. & Albert-Powell Avenues.
Please click repeatedly to enlarge.

View looking north along N. Florissant Rd. just before Albert-Powell Aves. intersection.

I first considered a pole almost directly opposite on Florissant Rd. on which the control box would have been completely out of the way of pedestrians. This is illustrated in the first two photos below.

View looking south along Florissant Rd at its intersection with Albert-Powell Aves.

Pion at corner of Florissant & Albert-Powell Avenues pointing to nearby telephone pole while waiting at crosswalk. View looking north.

On a subsequent visit I noticed a pole on the same side of Florissant Rd. as the existing control box but a little closer to the corner which also appears to be a candidate. This is shown in the view below, looking towards Florissant Rd. from Powell Ave.

View from Powell Ave. to N. Florissant Rd. showing existing and possible alternate location for MoDOT control box

Actually, only 0.2 miles north is the far busier intersection of Florissant Rd. and Frost Ave. with a similar control box on the east side of the road, but here the treatment is completely different and definitely pedestrian-friendly. The two locations are shown at A and B respectively on the map immediately below, followed by a view of the control box taken from Google view.

Powell Ave. heading north to Frost Ave. along Florissant Rd.

Florissant Rd. traffic control box on east side of the road at Frost Ave. junction

If we want to make cities and towns more pedestrian-friendly these details need much more attention. Correcting the problem afterwards is expensive and not always possible. Doing it right the first time is always preferable.

Please join us for the last ride of the year on Saturday, December 3!

Gerry

The evening before the ride it rained unexpectedly, and the morning of the ride was a gray day in the 40s Fahrenheit with a high of 59F predicted. Fortunately, the clouds actually cleared and by midday when I rode to the Whistle Stop to join the riders for, in my case, brunch it was sunny although there was a strong southerly headwind.

To my surprise, no cyclists were at the Whistle Stop when I arrived and ordered a ham roll at 12:02 pm (according to my credit card receipt) so I parked my bike inside, as I normally do when I’m alone. (When I conduct a bike training ride I park outside, using the bike racks that were installed in 2006 as part of the Pilot BIKE Transportation Promotion Project I coordinated for the City of Ferguson, with the help of a federal grant.)

Some members of the Morse Telegraph Club were already there, setting up their equipment, and I took the opportunity to photograph the person actually using it, Derek Cohn from the City of Clayton, about 10 miles away. Formerly, members used equipment kept in a locked display case along the wall, which is still there, but this time they had carried in a new self-contained unit mounted on a board laid on one of the tables nearby, as shown in the photos below, the second photo showing the original equipment.

Derek Cohn of Clayton preparing to communicate by Morse Code at the Whistle Stop with other enthusiasts around the country

Derek Cohn in foreground and behind him at left is another member of the group at the plexiglas cabinet where the original equipment was housed

I had almost finished my meal when the first contingents of Gerry’s ride arrived. Apparently there had been some mechanical delays on the way, which had resulted in the ride being shortened. I took photos of some of the ride participants, as well as their bikes occupying quite a lot of room in the parking lot. I hope that Gerry can furnish some details of the ride.

Bikes parked outside the Whistle Stop after ride participants had arrived, overwhelming the capacity of the three inverted U racks on the concrete pad at left

Pictured below are Carl Thorn and Dick Bowes preparing to leave the Whistle Stop after lunch. Both Dick and Carl are experienced cyclists. Carl took a bike ed. course I conducted in Ferguson in 2001 and was already a confident on-road cyclist.

Carl Thorn after lunch at the Whistle Stop

Dick Bowes about to leave

Ride participant Jerren McKenney about to leave after lunch

Ride leader Gerry Noll (and owner of the Ferguson Bicycle Shop), at left, with fellow riders John Baer, Lou Axeman, and Joseph Brown, who lives in St. Louis

Theresa James demonstrating the correct bicycling start/stop technique in July, 2004 (see video below)

In August 1999, John S. Allen visited St. Louis at my invitation to conduct the first-ever St. Louis Bicycle Transportation Symposium. Allen is a leading expert in the subject of bicycle transportation and has written extensively on the subject, including the comprehensive and highly recommended booklet “Street Smarts“, available from Rubel BikeMaps. (You can learn more about it directly from John Allen’s bicycling website at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/index.htm)

While here, Allen demonstrated some of his fundamental teaching techniques, including the correct way to start a bicycle, called the Stand-over Mount. He also demonstrated three others – the Cowboy Mount, The Shuffle Mount, and The Flying Leap – that are not recommended. Evidently many who bicycle or give advice on bicycling lack knowledge on the preferred way to start and stop a bicycle.

Electra Townie comfort bike

Starting and stopping a bicycle are such fundamental operations – after learning to balance – that it’s surprising that they are not taught routinely. Theresa James, aged 13 at the time I shot this, demonstrates the preferred start/stop technique on the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Ferguson, Missouri, in July, 2004. The video is posted on YouTube:

NOTE: Theresa’s bike is not equipped with mini-toe clips, which I use and recommend and which just grip the front of the shoe (see photo below). The lack of such toe clips leads to three problems:

Strapless mini-toe clip

2) Instead of being able to use the toe clip to lift the pedal back up to the start position she has to remove her foot and lift the pedal from underneath and then place it back on the pedal.

3) Her foot is more likely to slip off the pedal, especially when pressing hard, which can lead to loss of control and a fall either onto the top tube (not likely with this frame) or the road.

I also recommend that those just starting to learn this technique lower their saddle so they can place both feet firmly on the ground until they acquire the confidence and skill they need, and then raise the saddle to the optimum height where the knee is slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Below is a detailed written description of the above technique.

STARTING

N.B. Whichever pedal is the one used to start is referred to as the “Power pedal.” For control, keep the brake(s) applied until you’re ready to start.

Step 1. Lift the Power pedal to the 2 o’clock start position. (In the absence of toe-clips, this must be done by placing the foot under the Power pedal to lift it to the start position.)

Step 2. Press down firmly on the Power pedal to start, at the same time lifting yourself up onto the saddle.

Step 3. Press down on the non-power pedal and continue pedaling.

Step 4. As you speed up, change to progressively higher gears by using the rear derailleur to move the chain from the large rear sprocket to smaller sprockets.

Note: For a faster start, e.g. if starting off to cross an intersection from a stop light, keep pedaling without immediately sitting on the saddle.

STOPPING

Step 1. Change down to low gear by using the rear derailleur to move the chain to the largest rear sprocket. (If you’re going to be starting on an incline, consider also moving the chain to a smaller chainring using the front derailleur.)

Step 2. Stop pedaling, with the Power pedal in the 6 o’clock position.

Step 3. Start braking to slow down, using both front and back brakes together, or just the front brake if braking gently.

Step 4. Just before braking to a stop, swing yourself off the saddle, supporting your weight on your Power pedal, and place the other foot on the ground to stop from falling.

Step 5. Raise the Power pedal to the 2 o’clock position ready to start again.

The late Sheldon Brown wrote on this subject extensively, and included the video of Theresa James posted above for illustration. He details the four ways to start and the drawbacks with each apart from the Stand-over Mount recommended here. Please click on: http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html

Please feel free to use or distribute this page provided attribution is made to: Martin Pion, “Think Bicycling!”

It was conducted by newly-minted CS instructors, Karen and Harold Karabell, both of whom I know well, who made two trips to Orlando, Florida, earlier this year to become certified. They live in the Central West End and also provided space for the audio-visual presentation they gave during a three-hour session on Friday night.

Karen is also a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, receiving her LAB Road I certificate at a course I conducted in Ferguson in 2006, which qualified her to take the instructor certification. (See “So You Think You Know How to Ride a Bike?”)

Harold attended the first-ever 4-hour B.I.K.E.Right course I gave in Ferguson last year, after he’d prompted me to offer such a condensed course. (B.I.K.E. stands for Bicycling Is Kind to the Environment. The blog describing the course is here: 09/05/2010: BIKERight “4-hour” Ferguson bike education course)

One of the participants in the CyclingSavvy St. Louis course was Andrew (“Andy”) R. Cline. Ph.D., from Springfield, Missouri. Andy maintains an active cycling blog and also writes extensively on a variety of subjects on his facebook page from which I took the accompanying photo of him.

Andy posted an early review of the course worth reading on his blog at http://isocrates.us/bike/2011/05/cyclingsavvy-first-report/. He has followed that up with video footage he shot during the ride titled: “THE STREETS OF ST. LOUIS.”

The only thing on which I disagree with Andy was in his rejection of John Forester, to whom he alludes in his introduction but avoids even mentioning by name. Andy’s review, called “CYCLINGSAVVY: FIRST REPORT” begins as follows:

“So I took the classroom and road components CyclingSavvy this weekend in St. Louis. I’ll post some video of our Tour of St. Louis ride soon. But for now I want to talk a little about the program features I found most compelling :

A theory that works: I’m trying very hard not to type the words “vehicular cycling” because that concept carries so much troubling baggage (largely associated with a single, troubling personality and his army of internet flamers). So let’s call it something else, or, rather, let’s use an apt metaphor: a dance called traffic that bicyclists must lead. I’ve highlighted the following video before. It’s worth watching again because it is the theory upon which CyclingSavvy is built.”

John Forester, circa 1970s?

In fact, before emigrating to the United States in 1977 for a job transfer from ITT’s Central Research Lab. in England, I had been a strong advocate for segregated off-road facilities because I was unable to find good information to address my fear of sharing the road with motorists after I became an adult bike commuter.

Where I agree with Andy is in John Forester’s oft-confrontational approach. When Forester analyzes and critiques the work of those with whom he disagrees he doesn’t pull any punches and doesn’t indulge in niceties. He tends to attack the messenger as well as the message. This is where I disagree with Forester. I suggested to him that he adopts the precept of “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” His response was that he has a role to play as critic of those talking nonsense or obstructing vehicular cycling. Forester’s 1993 sixth edition of Effective Cycling, chapter 42, “Cycling in Society,” is devoted in part to the subject of how cycling has been constrained in the U.S. and those responsible for it. John Forester maintains a comprehensive web presence, accessible at http://www.johnforester.com/

Forester also produced a more technical book I have called “Bicycle Transportation,” also by MIT Press, and geared more towards traffic engineers. It doesn’t have the polemics of “Effective Cycling” which is intended for a more general audience, and I recommend it as adding important information missing from that other book. Both can be found on-line with a Google search, e.g. from MIT Press.

Gary Cziko, who took the course, posted a comment on Andy Cline’s initial blog describing his view of CyclingSavvy St. Louis. Gary not only utters the phrase “vehicular cycling” but also makes a good comparison between LAB’s Traffic Skills 101 (TS 101) and CyclingSavvy (CS). The following is excerpted from his comment:

“It’s been a couple of years since I took TS 101 but I remember enough to compare it with CS.

But I got the impression that the CS instructors go for the biggest and baddest intersections and segments available for the “Tour of ___” part of the course. They … want to show that the baddest conditions can be cycled safety by being predictable, visible and controlling your space, which is very liberating. …. (TS 101 and CS) are both good bike education. Get as much of it as you can and tell others to take advantage of whatever is available in their communities.”

The following group photos were taken near the end of the on-road ride on Saturday afternoon, April 31st, in downtown St. Louis.

In response to my request for background academic information, participants also provided the notes added below following the group photos.

First CyclingSavvy St. Louis class, April 31, 2011. Photo by Harold Karabell
Please click to enlarge

Group photo with Harold Karabell posing in place of Karen. Photo by Karen Karabell Please click to enlarge

Andy Cline

Kit Jenkins

Martin Pion

Gary Cziko

Karen Karabell

Harold Karabell

“I have a BA from Washington University and did graduate work in American History at Rutgers University. Many of the worst riders whom I encounter on my commute in the Central West End are riding to and from  the Wash U. medical school & Barnes Hospital. Presumably,  the majority of these red light running, door zone hugging, and sidewalk surfing scofflaws are or will be highly degreed and highly compensated medical professionals. “

Melissa Brown

Matthew Brown

Gerry Noll

Gerry recently retired after a long career at Emerson Electric and opened his Ferguson Bicycle Shop just one month ago. He also has a facebook page.

Mary Casey

Kris Schel

Andy is Associate Professor of Journalism at Missouri State University and author of the Carbon Trace weblog.

After the CS St. Louis bike training ride in which Andy, I and others participated he posted a couple of interesting related articles on his blog, including video he’d taken with what had looked like an ordinary camera mounted on his handlebars. It’s posted on-line at THE STREETS OF ST. LOUIS

The first article Andy posted – CYCLINGSAVVY: FIRST REPORT – included a vimeo of Keri Caffrey, one of the two creators of CyclingSavvy, titled Bicycling in traffic is a dance you must lead.

Exploring Andy’s blog I came across his article echoing this theme called “OMG! BICYCLING IS SOOO DANGEROUS! published on May 5, 2011. Andy had illustrated it with the graphic at left.

The metaphor “leading the dance” when you’re a cyclist reminds me of one I came up with years ago after listening to a fund drive for KWMU, St. Louis Public Radio. One of the anchors waxed poetic, describing listeners driving their cars on the road as performing a “sheet metal ballet.” It struck me that bicyclists were part of that too, only for them it was a tubular steel ballet.

That dates this observation, since at the time I was riding (and still ride) my 25-year-old chrome-moly Terranaut. Back then, aluminum frames were still something of a novelty, at least to me, and carbon fiber frames may not even have existed.

Anyway, it occurs to me that when I’m cycling on the road I’m not literally leading the dance, and typically if I am, my slow speed means a platoon of motorists will soon catch up with me. If I’m bicycling from my home to downtown Ferguson on four-lane 35 mph Florissant Rd. in the 15-25 mph range, I control the curb lane and motorists either wait behind me or pass when a safe gap opens up in the inside lane.

The metaphor that more aptly describes how I view cycling is to have EQUAL ACCESS to the dance floor. I don’t want others to argue that I’m in the way of other dancers on the grounds that they paid for the dance floor and I shouldn’t get in their way, for example.

This IS a public dance floor, after all!

Of course, there are going to be some limitations placed on access. For example, some level of age-related competence is expected: it’s reasonable to exclude a young child, just as there is an age requirement for motorists to obtain a license. But for everyone else, as long as they’re adhering to the rules and looking out for others on the floor, well why not?

I met Melissa in person recently after talking to her on the phone in February of this year when she contacted me about my possibly conducting a 4 or 5 hour bike education course. We met at the first-ever CyclingSavvy St. Louis course held on Friday, April 30, and Saturday, April 31. I’ll discuss this course in a subsequent blog.

The article attracted 6 comments which ranged from support to opposition, as might be expected. Here are four of those six (with my emphasis, and a note about Missouri state law, added):

bign said on: May 2, 2011, 7:10 am
Bicycling is healthy for sure. It’s the snobbery that causes the blocking of traffic on streets and highways that isn’t healthy. The roads were built for vehicles, not snotty bicycle health freaks.

ForgenMord said on: May 2, 2011, 10:34 am
As a non-snotty, non-freaky person who nevertheless likes both bicycles and health, I heartily agree with bigns premise that “the roads were built for vehicles”. After all, a bicycle does indeed legally count as a vehicle, just like a motorcycle or a scooter or a carriage (horseless and horseful!) I look forward to the day when people using the roads with different types of vehicles can get along like grown-ups.

Comment: I believe what matters is that bicyclists are considered as vehicle operators, with the same rights and duties as other road users, except for those regulations which inherently cannot apply. Here is the actual section in the Missouri State Statutes with the important wording emphasized:

307.188. Rights And Duties Of Bicycle And Motorized Bicycle Riders
Every person riding a bicycle or motorized bicycle upon a street or highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle as provided by chapter 304, RSMo, except as to special regulations in sections 307.180 to 307.193 and except as to those provisions of chapter 304, RSMo, which by their nature can have no application.

Cassandra said on: May 3, 2011, 9:15 am
When someone is riding their bike on the edge of the right lane, and it’s a four-lane road, going 15 mph when everyone else is doing 40, during morning rush hour, and cars are having to brake and wait or swerve into the left lane, then yes, it’s a problem.
Roads were made for cars – bike lanes were made for bikes.

ihtnep said on: May 2, 2011, 7:27 pm
bign, if a bicyclist is self righteously riding in the middle lane, delaying traffic, that is definitely a problem. Traffic tickets are the solution. If a bicyclist is riding on the edge of the road (not on interstates), at a speed of 15 mph or higher, then what is the problem? I ride to work almost every day in Tokyo, and rarely have any problems because I don’t get in the way of something bigger and faster than me, and most people understand how to share the road.
                  ———————————————————————

Health worker promotes the value of pedaling
HEALTH DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE WINS AWARD FOR EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF BIKING

By Kevin Carbery | Posted: Monday, May 2, 2011 6:00 am | Comments (6 as of May 3, 2011, 9:15 am)

Melissa Brown has won a state award for her efforts to promote bicycle riding. Please click to enlarge
ANDREW JANSEN / JOURNAL

Melissa Brown feels that now, more than ever, riding a bicycle is a good idea.
         The chronic disease prevention coordinator for the Jefferson County Health Department sees riding as a way to get around and exercise at the same time.
         Brown bikes in her personal life and promotes the activity as part of her job. Her efforts include helping organize and run Get Moving Twin Cities, a project to improve people’s health funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health. Biking is an important aspect of Get Moving Twin Cities, which is based in the Festus-Crystal City area.
         Get Moving Twin Cities activities have included “Bike Trains,” an effort to have students ride bikes as a group with adult supervision to and from school once a week in good weather, and community bike ride events.
         The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation took note of Brown’s efforts and in April made her one of 13 Missouri residents to receive the group’s Friends of Bicycling Award for 2011.
         Brown, 27, and her husband, Matthew, live in South St. Louis and are expecting their first child in July.
         She recently spoke of her professional and personal interest in bicycle riding.

Question: Why are you such a proponent of bicycle riding?
Answer: Basically, it’s a way to get around where you’re getting some physical activity at the same time. You also save gas money and it’s better for the environment. It’s just a really fun way to get around compared to being in a car.
Q: Where is your favorite place to ride?
A: I like riding anywhere, but I mostly ride around the city of St. Louis and use bikes for transportation. It saves me gas.
Q: How old is your bike and what kind is it?
A: I actually have two bikes. I have a Schwinn Voyageur that’s, maybe, five years old. The other one is a Kona Jake that’s two years old. I like them both.
Q: How are you promoting physical activities at this time?
A: Get Moving Twin Cities is still going on. We would like to spread it to other cities in Jefferson County. We’ve seen some interest in Herculaneum and Pevely. I would like to see more participation. At our first community bike ride last October, we had 30 riders.
Q: What is the best way to be safe while bicycling?
A: Know and follow the rules of the road and ride a safe bike. We encourage people to wear helmets. Kids in our Bike Train program are given helmets. We plan to have a Bike Safety Rodeo in September as part of Twin City Days. We’ll be doing safety education and also will be giving out helmets.
Q: After all of the national “get healthy” campaigns, do you feel people are getting any healthier?
A: I think progress is slow.
Q: What is your best advice for someone looking to get healthy?
A: Look for ways where you can build physical activity into your daily life. Ride or walk for short errands. Eat better. Do family activities where you’re active with your kids.
Q: How do you feel about winning your Friends of Bicycling Award?
A: It was unexpected. I was nominated. I appreciate the award and also want to acknowledge the other people who have helped with the program. It’s not a one-person show.

Reprinted from the Ferguson Times, October, 2008, page 15

The Ferguson Cyclist

By Gerry Noll

This last month I had a unique opportunity. Along with three other students I took a BIKERight class taught by Ferguson resident Martin Pion. Martin is a certified instructor with the League of American Bicyclists and his class is modeled after the League’s foundation course, Road 1. The purpose of the course is to teach the bicycle handling and safety skills needed to ride confidently on the road. The content of the course has something in it for every level of cyclist who is interested in riding on the roads of our communities.

The accompanying photo shows the class while on lunch break at the Whistle Stop. Martin and I are Ferguson residents; Les and Ben live in Saint Louis; Chris is from Kirkwood. All of us shared a desire to become more confident cyclists and I believe this course helped us all.

From left to right: Gerry Noll, Chris Bowland, League Cycling Instructor Martin Pion, Les Sterman, and Ben Hoffmann.

One of the first things we learned was a quote from John Forester: “Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.” Most of us as drivers of cars act confidently and almost intuitively as “drivers of vehicles”. We know when to yield; we know where our car should be positioned in most situations; we can predict what other drivers are going to do based on their speed and positioning. This course applies the same concept of being “drivers of vehicles” to bicyclists.

I’ll share more about these topics in future columns, but we didn’t just study written material. We also watched video demonstrations of proper technique and then went out on the roads of Ferguson to practice. Riding around and practicing was the best part of the course. It was a great day…a beautiful Saturday spent riding around our beautiful town!

Here’s what one fellow student had to say about the course and about Ferguson…

Les Sterman (2nd from right in the above photo) had a couple of reasons for taking the course. As a cyclist, Les wanted to learn more about riding safely on roads. Like me, Les also felt that the course has helped increase his confidence. “Prior to taking the course, I usually confined my riding to little used streets at off hours. Now I’ve been getting out in traffic much more comfortably. I’m really amazed how some of the techniques that we learned for interacting with traffic really work well.”

He also had a professional interest in learning what works best for cyclists. Les is the executive director of the East West Gateway Council of Governments…that’s the metro planning organization for the bi-state area that has responsibility for selecting the road, bridge and transit projects in the region that will receive federal funds. “For me, the course was actually very instructive on a professional basis, since my agency makes grants for bike projects around the region. I have a much better sense now about what works and what doesn’t…may change some of our funding
priorities.”

Les also appreciated the time spent in Ferguson: “I was very impressed with the neighborhoods we toured. The beauty of those neighborhoods is a well kept secret in the region.”

I would highly recommend this course for anyone interested in learning how to bicycle with confidence on our local roads. Or if you just want to see more of Ferguson. For more information on the course, or to find out when the next class will be offered, please contact Martin Pion at 314-524-8029 or mpion@swbell.net.

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If you want to talk about cycling, or comment on this column, you can reach me at: emd0072-cycling@yahoo.com

Martin Pion exiting the Lee-Hamilton Elementary School polling station

It’s actually not very far, as the crow flies, and my son used to walk there through our subdivision, which has steps leading up to the playing field behind the school, when he was an elementary student there.

However, today I didn’t take that direct route. First I cycled to the Whistle Stop Old Fashioned Frozen Custard shop. It’s housed in the former Ferguson Train Depot, now also a museum.

The town was named after Mr. William B. Ferguson who in the 1850s deeded land to the railroad provided they build a train depot on it and make it a regular stop, and was rewarded by having the town named after him.

During weekdays they offer a daily three course lunch special for only $7.58, including tax. Today’s special was corn chowder soup (or salad), ham & cheddar tomato roll, and ice cream and that’s what I ordered, taking the opportunity to drop off newspaper for recycling along the way.

On my return via the scenic route up Elizabeth Avenue I stopped off at my local polling station at Lee-Hamilton Elementary School, wheeling my bike inside as I do every time I vote (except in 2008, when the building was too crammed with people voting during the presidential election).

In the polling station the gentleman handling the paper ballots turned out to be from the Midlands in England, having come to the U.S. with his family when he was 9 years old, so he had no vestige of an English accent. He was trying to guess where I came from after hearing my British accent but didn’t get close: it’s a south coast accent from Bournemouth in Hampshire, a popular seaside town and retirement community akin to those in Florida in the U.S.

I asked some voters exiting ahead of me after I’d voted if they’d take my photo and a gentleman kindly did so. The result is at the top of this blog.