The New Golf

The new golf? How about the new Sunday Drive, the new weekend bar-b-que, or the new boy’s night out? Saturday June 16th on “Business Solutions with Diane Chamnes” Jack Hirt, the Executive Director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, and Rich Tennesen, Vice President of a local business, covered corporate biking events as “The New Golf”. Not necessarily a replacement for those private conference room type deals made on a round of 18, but clearly as a fund raising and promotional opportunity it appears the trend encompassing a growing spectrum of people.
Bicycling is great for corporate outings, but several other points brought up in the show relate more directly to how we design our cities. Bicycling is gaining popularity continuously and though there are constant pleas for people to commute by bicycle the vast majority of riding is done for recreation. I have been bicycling myself and the paths get more and more crowded each year. Riders not only bike vast distances over road and paved trail but committed mountain bikers devote hours a week to off road trail development and maintenance and Wisconsin has the largest mountain bike racing series in the country. Social rides, taking groups along paths lined with select watering holes, trips to Madison and cycling vacations locally and around the world are gaining in popularity.
The corporate and civil involvement in promoting bicycling can be credited with much of this growth along with clubs and political action groups. Where the commuting agenda has failed the devotion to dedicated bicycle paths and Milwaukee’s parkway system has contributed greatly to recreational riding. There is nothing that discourages bicycling more than having to compete with cars and commitment to dedicated paths will take more people off the roadways and onto bicycles.
Jack Hirt actually commutes to work himself but key is the stated fact that it takes him the same amount of time to get to work by car or bicycle. Unfortunately with our climate and the fact that most people live a good distance from their jobs means only true crusaders will commit to commuting by bicycle on a regular basis. Though companies may be willing to provide space for bicycle storage and perhaps corporate vehicles for business use during the day, outright locker rooms with shower facilities that would be required to accommodate most employees who can’t simply coast to work are a distant vision. The current atmosphere could however revive the never popular and dying practice of carpooling. On our more clement days at least, a group might form that would alternate drivers to bringing in not only their fellow employees but also their bicycles with a change of clothes. Many bicyclists look to ride 100 miles plus a week.
The extension of Hank Aaron State Trail from Miller Park to the western edge of Milwaukee County scheduled to be completed in 2009 will be a boon and show the prominence and potential for recreational biking. The new section of trail will connect the Stadium, Veterans Hill, State Fair Park, the Pettit National Ice Center, the Zoo and an approach to a system of dedicated trails that cover the majority of the distance to Madison. The State of Wisconsin is seriously addressing the recreational potential. Others seem unaware. Currently the Milwaukee County Zoo has a single bike rack on their entire facility for their employees, according to Jennifer Diliberti in charge of media relations, and has no current plans to facilitate more bicycles. Bicycles are not allowed in the Zoo itself. Employee only areas and the expressway separate it from the new trail. Melissa Cook of the DNR has spoken with officials at the Zoo. She told me there is a tunnel under the expressway and the Zoo sees possibilities in creating a public access from the trail when alterations to the facilities are made in the future. She also said the end of 2009 is an earliest possible date for completion of the trail.
State Fair Park is planning to add another entry and move its generous bicycle parking facilities near the trail. You know that old railroad you walk down and under to get to the arcade on the other side. You are walking under the trail right of way.
Miller Park currently has three bike racks one at the left field entrance and one on each end of the ticket window area. Each can accommodate eight bicycles and there are two larger bike racks at Helfaer Field. They have told the DNR that there is plenty of room for bikes to be locked to their ornamental fencing. Many bicycle friendly approaches to the stadium already exist. When and where people are arriving from may limit the possibilities of bicycling to a Brewers game, but it sure would relieve congestion if more people would and the Hank Aaron Trail is adding great potential. Connecting with the new bicycle friendly Canal Street takes one to the Summerfest grounds.
Malls, grocery stores and much of our commercial development have all been placed with vehicular traffic predominant in determining location often resulting in dangerous approaches for those who might like to bike. Here like commuting, time and distance are important factors (How far are you willing to carry a gallon of milk?) but the percentage of local residence who use the amenities is very high.
The number one deterrent has always been theft. The majority of committed bicyclists collect old beaters for errand running or even commuting. Adding fenders, baskets and even upgrades much like young people once worked on a car’s engine. At Japanese train stations the local municipalities on occasion confiscate masses of illegally parked bicycles. Often the owners find it more economical not to take the time and money to claim their bike.
With ever increasing congestion the more people using their bicycles for recreation saves fuel and preserves our air quality several times over as people are stuck in traffic for shorter time periods. Are not our most congested times associated with major recreational events?
More importantly we will have a major alternative traffic route running parallel with the expressway (a requirement for development) and close to large urban neighborhoods creating development potential that has a lower impact on our environment. Requirements to facilitate bicycle use for new development in this corridor such as the proposed Wal-Mart Super Center are in order and could become a model for future development across the country.

Airport Efficiency

I just flew to New York and back via Atlanta. You needn't touch a thing in the rest rooms except for a fresh paper towel that disperses at intervals just long enough that you wont wait for a second before making use of your first. A refreshing find was at Narita Airport in Japan several years ago where after placing your hands under the air hand dryer they were blasted with cool air, the water being literally blown off and and caught in a swoop below. I was wondering why that was there.
Always looking for the chance to keep up my health I began walking the concourse, one of six, which if not a half mile long was close. I soon noticed the same design in structure as that of the concourse in Milwaukee. Unfortunately it was not an enjoyable walk though I did get in over five miles continuous. I have been in high school corridors that were wider than the clear passage down the center of the concourse. If a weaker man I may have spent the majority of my time sitting and filling my stomach with the various fare provided by the scattered vendors up and down the concourse boarding my connecting flight several pounds heavier. With over 120 passengers on a 737 that would be a difference of several hundred pounds.
Perhaps the rarity of bubblers (water fountains) and the fact that when found they seldom work is by design to lighten the load of the aircraft. A kind of anti-thesis to the watering up of the cattle after a drive before taking them in to be weighed. Loss of up to a pound is not uncommon when getting in a long vigorous walk along with promoting regularity often disrupted by the anxiety of travel. With its frequent stresses, especially in air travel with long waits for connecting flights, would not facilities to promote exercise if not simply walking be a worthwhile design consideration? In this age of greenhouse gases and quest for fuel economy should not design consider smarter travel rather than people moving efficiency?
Of course I could have walked the tunnels connecting the concourses. Unfortunately I hadn't brought along any walking shoes trying to carry as little as possible and my feet were killing me on my return, not to mention not sleeping the entire trip due to lengthy delays on my way there. Makes you wonder if a high speed train would actually be quicker. I doubt a tunnel would have made an interesting walk but I found a proposal on the internet for an art oriented concourse design. Now if they can only give us more room to move around.

The Beginnings

This day is the beginning of this blog. The following posts are back dated per when they were written. Previously they were on our home page but this format facilitates the sharing of ideas better.