ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Chattanooga: Pedaling away from octane ouch

By: Adam Crisp
(Contact)

Included in this article

Anthony Green’s 13-mile commute from northern Hamilton County to the federal building downtown takes about an hour one way every morning.

No, he hasn’t found some awful stretch of road with horrible traffic. The 47-year-old federal probation officer rides a bicycle to work to save money, improve his health and protect the environment, he said.

“I’ve been doing this for about seven and a half years,” Mr. Green said. “I haven’t bought gas on a regular basis in so long, I don’t even realize how much I’m saving.”

Mr. Green is part of a larger movement to abandon cars, or at least to use them less often, as the price of gas rises toward $4 a gallon. Bike riders say they’re parking their cars to reduce some of the pain at the gas pump, but the appeal of improved health doesn’t hurt.

“I think it’s as much about fitness and health as it is about giving a little something back to the environment, as well as saving a little money,” said Eric Campbell, who just bought a bike for his wife for Mother’s Day. She plans to use it for the health benefits, and he wants to use it to get to work downtown several days a week.

“More or less it’s fun,” he said. “There are always ways you can do things to improve your life and change the way you think.”

Bike shop owners are seeing increased demand, said Suck Creek Cycle owner Mike Skiles.

“We’ve been seeing an increase for the last four years, but particularly since the first of the year,” he said. “We’ve been having a lot of people come in for new bikes and others who are getting their old bikes repaired for commuting.”

Mr. Skiles said his shop has had about a 15 percent increase in commuter bike sales since January. Most people can get a new bike from his shop for about $500, he said.

Though saving on gas is a part of the appeal, city officials are helping those interested in biking with a citywide program that offers education and planning, said Philip Pugliese, the program’s coordinator.

“We offer people a chance to meet other commuters and learn the tricks of the trade,” he said.

The first Friday of every month, the city offers a meeting from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at the foot of the Walnut Street Bridge near the Holmberg Pedestrian Bridge. There, would-be commuting bikers can learn about routes, equipment and how to freshen up after a sweaty ride in the Chattanooga heat, Mr. Pugliese said.

Mr. Green said he got his start before anyone offered such classes. He saw a neighbor commuting to work on a bicycle and became curious. Now, he can’t see himself going back to commuting in a car, he said.

He admitted he’s a hard-core biker, riding even when the wind chill is negative 10 degrees, growing a beard in the winter to stave off the cold, taking a shower before work during the summer and ironing his clothes in his office.

“You get to enjoy all the things you can’t experience in your car,” Mr. Green said. “This time of year you can smell all the honeysuckle. Then there are the birds.

“You don’t realize all you are missing in your car.”

Comments