Ground transportation
I just returned from a week on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. If anyone wants a disturbing image of car silliness for her upcoming peak oil/sustainable living/other arrangements Pulitzer piece, I suggest a trip over to Baltimore-Washington International airport (BWI). The expanse of parking lots is truly mind-bending, especially given that the public transportation seems to be quite good. Instead, it appears most patrons drive in thick traffic and pay a fair bit to park their cars miles beyond the terminal--only to then ride busses back to the airport itself!
The contrast between the BWI scene and my return to Missoula was incredible. Back in Missoula, I walked out of the terminal to my bike, which was locked up to a split-rail fence in the long-term lot. I stuffed my carry-on in the front basket, unpacked my helmet, stowed the locks, and pedaled home wearing a small backpack. It felt wonderful after several hours in planes, and the thirty minute ride into town gave me time to survey the valley I'd missed for a week.
This was my first flight in a couple of years, and, like most people I imagine, I'd never thought of using a bike as ground transportation. I have to credit a guy in a minivan for the concept. A couple of months ago, I took the trailer out to a store near the airport and picked up a suitcase for Rachel. Seeing the luggage strapped to the top, guy in minivan excitedly asked if I had ridden in from the airport. We seemed to be thinking just the same thing: "Cool idea!" I hear from a friend that LAX recently got bike lanes. Maybe it's catching on.
The contrast between the BWI scene and my return to Missoula was incredible. Back in Missoula, I walked out of the terminal to my bike, which was locked up to a split-rail fence in the long-term lot. I stuffed my carry-on in the front basket, unpacked my helmet, stowed the locks, and pedaled home wearing a small backpack. It felt wonderful after several hours in planes, and the thirty minute ride into town gave me time to survey the valley I'd missed for a week.
This was my first flight in a couple of years, and, like most people I imagine, I'd never thought of using a bike as ground transportation. I have to credit a guy in a minivan for the concept. A couple of months ago, I took the trailer out to a store near the airport and picked up a suitcase for Rachel. Seeing the luggage strapped to the top, guy in minivan excitedly asked if I had ridden in from the airport. We seemed to be thinking just the same thing: "Cool idea!" I hear from a friend that LAX recently got bike lanes. Maybe it's catching on.
posted by Joe at 8:43 PM
5 Comments:
Portland has bike lanes all the way to the airport and I believe they're working on a long-term locker facility. :)
And I keep thinking it's a dream...
What you described is a clear indication of our addiction to oil and/or automobiles. I live in a town (Medford, OR) that is national headquarters for a major auto dealership. Our streets are loaded and so are the dealer parking lots. We're 300 miles and 20 years from Portland.
Thanks for the post. You've inspired me to respond with my own post. I was through BWI about the same time myself but my experience was reverse of yours. Thanks again!
Eh, BWI is an airport that handles 20M people a year, from two major metropolitan areas, and pulls people from as far away as Harrisburg PA. And Missoula is...well, I can't even find its stats.
So who the hell are you to judge what "most people" do to get to the airport? You see a sea of cars and voila, we're addicted to oil.
Good to see you dig deep, my friend, and no just judge things on an appearance.
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