Lost in OK

I was planning on writing a recap of my car free in Oklahoma City experiment every week, but last week was extremely busy so a two-week summary will have to do.  To be perfectly honest, this makes it easier because it has really been an uneventful transition to being car free.  I had planned on feeling some sort of anxiety or experiencing some real difficulties, but really it has been smooth sailing.  Some of this has been due to the heavy work load which has kept me mostly at home or at work.  But really, as much as you can come up with the need for a car, you can also just as easily allot a bit more travel time and make your way by bike.  I can certainly say the trip will be more enjoyable.

NewsOK has put together a really nice video story about this Saturday’s Spin Your Wheels ride which raises money for The Children’s Center.  The piece features my personal friend and great riding companion Amy Petty, who should probably be their permanent PR person for the ride:

I will be out there this year attempting my first century in many, many years. I would love to meet any readers who are also joining. So if you pass a slow-moving bearded guy on a pretty blue bike, be sure to say hi.

A small gallery of pictures of tonight’s storm rolling in . .

Storm at the Lake

After being rumored for awhile, Oklahoma City is officially announcing their plans to implement a bike share program here in the city hopefully starting this fall:

A bike share program like those embraced in other cities will be started later this year in downtown Oklahoma City.

Such programs have “stations” where bicycles are checked in and out with a deposit placed on one’s credit card. A nominal charge is sometimes paid for use of the bicycles; final details of the downtown arrangements are pending negotiation of a vendor contract.

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So far in my little experiment, I’ve really only been bicycling between home and work, which isn’t really a big change for me except that it’s my only option now.  However, because I’m now completely reliant on the bicycle to get me around, I have been attempting to make myself absolutely prepared for as many problems as possible.  I’m glad I did, since yesterday I had a nasty multiple puncture flat which thanks to equipment and planning was easily handled.  In light of this and because for some reason I’m personally always fascinated by “what’s in my bag” posts, here are my commuting bag contents:

[caption id="" align=“alignright” width=“281” caption=“Photo By: Pioneer Library System”][/caption]

For the past year, I have participated in a few 30 Days of Biking events.  I truly love participating in these events and it reminds me of how much I love cycling.  Lately, I have thought about my days in Chicago.  My bicycle was my only means of transportation and it was incredibly liberating.  I began to wonder how that experience would work in Oklahoma City, where car is king.  I know car-free people who get around Oklahoma City just fine, but they have a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday schedules and are near bus routes.  I neither work a 9 to 5 schedule nor have bus routes available.  After I first returned to Oklahoma City after years in Chicago, I thought going car-free would be impossible.  Now that I feel more comfortable cycling in Oklahoma City, I feel like it might just be possible and enjoyable to be car-free.  So, I thought a fun experiment would be to attempt a month of car-free living right here in the Wild West.

There is now one known velomobile gracing Oklahoma City.  News9 put together a story last night about the custom-built machine of Frans van der Merwe who uses the machine to commute back and forth to Guthrie (which is at least a 25 mile ride each way).  According to the story, he averages about 25-30 mph on his rides which really makes me jealous.  See the whole piece below:

Office Light, originally uploaded by RadicalWacko.

Edmond has made several important bicycle changes lately including the simplification and clarification of bicycle regulations and the installation of new bicycle route signs.  It now appears that they are making a concerted effort to put together a bicycle master plan for the entire city.  They are currently seeking a consultant to provide “Engineering and Planning Services for a Bicycle Master Plan”.  Full details on the RFQ can be found here.   Glad to see that Edmond is putting a concerted effort to improve cycling in a town that I have always found difficult for cycling.

Norman becomes the second Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community in Oklahoma after Tulsa’s win in 2009.  The League of American Bicyclists website gives great praise to the efforts Norman has made to expand their cycling path and trail networks along with the recent passage of a three-foot passing rule:

Community Highlights:  Norman’s current Bicycle Advisory Committee has come a long way in the past decade to reinstitute old bike lanes while also extending the network with the addition of new lanes.  There is broad support for policies and programs suggested by the Bicycle Advisory Committee and from citizens and new ideas are always encouraged.The city hired an engineering firm to design the first phase of a 10 mile multi-modal path along State Highway 9 that will connect urban Norman to rural east Norman.  Norman puts a strong emphasis on keeping cyclists safe and educating its youth.  For example, Norman’s Public Schools participate annually in the International Walk and Bike to School Day. The city adopted a three foot passing law as a city ordinance so it can be enforced at a municipal court level.  The city sponsors Safety Town classes annually during the month of June for children under the age of six.  There are numerous bike clubs and groups, including youth and beginner, all the way up to road-racing teams that offer weekly group rides and annual road races and mountain bike trail competitions.

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