Coalition pushes pedal power

By Mara Lee, 

Dayton Daily News

October 4, 2001 -- OAKWOOD -- In a town where 25-mph speed limits are rigorously enforced, sidewalks are nearly omnipresent and the youth population is burgeoning, bicycling is a pretty easy sell.

But bicycle enthusiasts who live here say things still could be better. They're also hoping that cycling promotion in Oakwood will translate to other suburbs.

Last week, the Citizens Bicycle Coalition had its first meeting, with about 15 people, mostly men involved in Bike Miami Valley, in attendance.

Gary Boulanger, an Oakwood resident who bicycles downtown to his job as executive director of Bike Miami Valley, led the discussion.

"This is something I'm envisioning will be part of every community in the Miami Valley," he said.

He wants the coalition to lobby Oakwood to meet the requirements of a "bicycle friendly community" as determined by the League of American Bicyclists.

Dayton, Yellow Springs and Vandalia have already won that recognition.

These communities promote safety on roads and bike paths, spend $1 per capita on bike facilities or events, encourage citizens to observe Bike to Work Day and have a bicycling advisory committee.

Boulanger explained his evolution as an activist. He used to work on the bicycle manufacturing side and, at that time, "I always thought advocates were Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging Greenpeace types," he said.

He turned to his intern, a white young man with dreadlocks and an Amish-style beard, and apologized.

"Hey, that's all right," the intern said.

But in fact, clean-cut Oakwood resident Howard Smith spearheaded the coalition when he and Boulanger met while biking with their first-graders to Edwin D. Smith Elementary School.

Smith, a stay-at-home dad, also bikes to preschool, the pool, the library and park with his kids.

"They love the self-sufficiency of getting themselves around under their own power," he said.

Boulanger and Smith began talking about how to navigate Shafor Boulevard when the sidewalks, where the kids usually ride, are full of kids, and the parents dropping off kids line the curb for blocks.

Boulanger's son was scolded by classmates who told him he wasn't allowed to ride his bike to school (the handbook suggests third- through sixth-graders ride). The handbook also says it "is highly discouraged to drive your kids to school regularly."

Jim Foster, an RTA employee who lives in Oakwood, suggested more bike racks are needed in Oakwood's business district. He bikes to Dorothy Lane Market and takes his groceries home in a trailer.

Safety Department Chief Glen Beddies said he thought the meeting was productive, and he enjoyed hearing from cyclists who prefer "not being enclosed in that metal cocoon that we call a car."

The department's six bike officers, who work all three shifts, enjoy easier interaction with folks when they ride around town, too, Beddies said.

Kids are pretty good about wearing helmets, but adults need to know they're sending a message when they don't, he said. Also, he said he has observed that cyclists have a tendency to roll through stop signs, and don't signal enough.

He was particularly pleased by the idea of disseminating maps that include alternatives to busy arterial roads.

"What a great tie-in to UD (University of Dayton)," he said. "How great would that be for freshmen?" First-year students are not supposed to bring cars to campus.

"And you don't need to worry about parking a car," if you're riding a bike, Beddies said.

He laughed as he admitted that would be good for him, too.

The safety department has spent quite a bit of enforcement energy responding to neighbors' complaints of both UD student parking on Oakwood's south side and high school student parking.

How to participate
For information about the Citizens Bicycle Coalition, e-mail garyb@bikemiamivalley.org, visit www.bikemiamivalley.org or call 463-2707. The next meeting will be Oct. 22 at the Wright Memorial Public Library in Oakwood, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

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