Shek's Footprint

Rental Car Pick Up: I have had to pick up a rental car in the morning from Avis a mile down the street from my apartment. I did not want to leave my bike at the parking lot of a strip mall all day. So, I had to ask for rides from friendly neighbors whose good deeds were well compensated by dinners. Now, I can ride the folding bike to the car rental and put it in the trunk.

Suburbia Bar Hopping: Bar hopping in suburbia usually spans over 5 to 10 miles and ends in a friend’s apartment or house far away from bar infested neighborhoods. With the folding bike, I can meet my friends at a bar and car pool with them to the next.

Multi-modal transportation: If I ever muster up the patience and an unreasonable desire to plan a trip via the infrequent and insufficient JTA bus service, I can fold up the bike and take it with me. I am no longer limited to two bike racks on a bus. Moreover, planning a route on the JTA website is best done leaving the ‘Bicycle’ button under ‘Special Accomodations’ unselected. JTA does claim that all their buses are equipped with bike racks.

Most multi modal trips in Jacksonville FL are efficient when accomplished completely on a single mode: motor vehicles or bicycle.

Multi Modal – Dinner Plans: To meet a friend for dinner at 8 PM at a favorite Thai restaurant on University Blvd, the bike ride is 6.5 miles away which takes 30 to 45 mins. To accomplish a multi-modal transit, JTA suggests I board S1 at 6:53 PM (next bus at 8:03 PM!!!), get off FCCJ station at 7:40 PM, Board P4 at 7:46 PM (next bus at 8:20 PM!!!), arrive at my destination 63 minutes after starting my trip at 7:56 PM. JTA denys me any transportation back once I have finished off the Penang curry followed by homemade coconut ice-cream by 9 PM and am ready to head to my comfy bed to peacefully digest the delicious meal.

Multi Modal – Visiting the Art Walk: Lets look at longer trips. Tomorrow, the first Wednesday of the month is the Downtown art walk. I like visiting the art walk to see the vibrant local art scene and plan my next purchase. I also like meeting my friends and making new acquaintances as the art walk nurtures an atmosphere unlike any suburban bar and club. It usually starts at 6 pm and ends by 10 pm.

I want to leave work at 5 pm, ride my bike home, walk my dog and feed her, then take the bus to downtown by 6 pm and want to make the last JTA bus back home. The JTA trip planner suggests I ride my bike to the corner of Baymeadows and Southside, board B7 at 6:23 pm and arrive in Downtown by 7:18 pm. Having spent a couple of hours, when I try to leave at 9 pm, JTA denys any service at that late hour.

The bike ride to Downtown is 12 miles long and easily accomplished in an hour. Longer rides like this can be gradually worked up to. The return journey can be made on the bicycle I brought along. Such inconvineances however strip off enthusiasm from beginners wanting to reduce their dependency on cars.

On a personal note, the only bike I own worthy of a 12 mile trip is an xtracycle and wont fit on a bus rack!

I have been working on a few things to enhance my bicycle commutes.

The first is a traffic light improvement. I wait on an average of two cycles at the eastbound intersection of A. C. Skinner Pkwy and Southside Blvd for the light to change to green. Unless a motor vehicle, usually a car or truck, pulls up in the lane next to me, the light refuses to cycle. This involves waiting under the blistering noon heat for over 7 minutes for the light to change.

I called The City of Jacksonville with this maintenance issue Monday before 11 am. The number is 904 255 8970. It has been two days and I have not noticed any changes. I will wait till next Monday to follow up on the maintenance issue.

The second thing that I have mostly delegated away is to get a sign that says ‘Bicycles Take Full Lane’ (see image below courtesy Cyclelicious).

I want to see these installed on narrow (less than 14 feet wide) two lane roads like the service road that I live on and Touchton Rd which seems to harbour even more insolent motorists than I imagined. Per section 316.2065(5) exception 3, bicycles are not required to be ‘as close to the right as practicable’. In such narrow roads, it is unsafe to continue along the right hand edge.

Thirdly, I have acquired a riding buddy for 80% of my ride home from work. Jose works in the office building next to mine and commutes around 7 miles one way. We ride two abreast on the and make a strong statement of bicyclists position and status on the road.