The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Repaving N.C. not right for Durham
Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
David Hartgen’s plan to repave the state of North Carolina might be accepted in some towns, but not in Durham.
Hartgen, a professor at UNC-Charlotte, recently released a study of transportation planning that looks at urban areas around the state. His conclusions simply amount to statistically backed reasons why urban areas should reduce transit spending, divert saved funds to highway construction and road widening, and embrace the private automobile as the keystone species in the ecology of economic progress.
The 200+ page study is available for download from the John Locke Foundation’s website, and I encourage you to read it for yourself. At the very least, read the 15 page section on Durham because it is rife with interesting tidbits that don’t sit well with his conclusions.
By his own admission, single-occupancy driving declined in Durham between 1990 and 2000, the time period at which his academic gaze is focused. The data show, and so he also admits, that carpooling and use of public transit increased. He notes further that “Durham is the only urbanized area in the state to report declining solo driving times and increased carpooling and transit shares between 1990 and 2000.” You might think, then, that the conclusions he reaches for Charlotte or Raleigh ought to differ from the conclusions he reaches for Durham’s future.
Across the state, however, it’s all the same. Eliminate transit. Widen roads. Pave early and often.
His consistency reveals his incorrigible proposition. Any good social scientist knows that an “incorrigible proposition” is a belief that answers to no one. It is a telling sign that you’ve fallen prey to an incorrigible proposition when your prejudices guide your research in such a way that you always conclude what you previously believed to be true.
“I think that Hartgen essentially approaches the issue with blinders,” says Durham resident Barry Ragin. “He assumes that ‘congestion’ is the problem which needs to be solved.” In the case of Durham, congestion is the problem that just hasn’t happened yet.
Hartgen guesses (but can’t cite any studies to back him up) that a slow economy explains why people ride the bus and carpool in Durham. So if his prognosis is that the personal automobile is the cure for what ails Durham’s economy, then, you might wonder what Hartgen recommends for combatting ozone pollution and bringing the city into compliance with federal standards. That’ll take care of itself, he says, “as vehicles get less emittting.”
But emissions aren’t the only concerns swirling around the monolithic transportation infrastructure Hartgen dreams of. “Hartgen calls for government to spend heavily on more roads without imposing any land-use restrictions — a combination doomed to fail,” says Kevin Davis, senior IT manager at Duke. “If we don’t introduce transit and bike/pedestrian services in combination with smarter growth, we’ll end up as gridlocked as poorly-planned, car-centric cities like Houston and Orlando.”
Instead of car-culture’s monolith, a thriving city is one with a truly multi-modal transit authority. That is, the more options people have for getting around town, the healthier the people of the town and the healthier the economy. Hartgen implies that congestion limits individuals’ freedom by restricting their use of the personal automobile. But a city without buses, without bike lanes, without trains is a city without options. Meaningful options are what people want, and those options don’t always look like more asphalt.
“This report suggests that the state should spend money here on traffic-signal optimization instead of public transit. That’s ridiculous,” says David Mills a Durham resident and Executive Director of the Common Sense Foundation. “Durham needs visionary leadership to make public transit viable, not backward studies such as this one.”
Durham’s residents have spoken loud and clear on this issue. In response to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s current plan to widen Alston Avenue, which would turn it from a neighborhood street into a mini-freeway, citizens and government representatives expressed a united voice to say that Durham values its pedestrians being able to cross streets safely.
Whether DOT will side with the John Locke Foundation or Durham residents remains to be seen, but the question remains for each of us to consider.
Do roads exist to serve people or cars?
scattered
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I have a short story in the April issue of The Raleigh Hatchet. If you’re not already a reader, pick up a copy at Bean Traders or Francesca’s on Ninth St. It’s a great local rag.
I wrote an earlier version of the story for The Urban Hiker, which was one of the best collections of local writing. When I moved to Durham, this magazine helped me quickly get a sense of my community. The Urban Hiker stopped publication in December 2004; I don’t think it went under because of my submission, but I guess you never know.
Bull City Bikers: Eunice Chang
Eunice Chang, 28, learned to ride a bike not long ago. Nevertheless, she’s hooked. In addition to wearing suggestive T-shirts, Eunice’s skills include photography and making the “pupscicles” for Locopops.
So, Eunice, what bikes do you own and ride regularly?
A Breezer Uptown 8, U-frame. I call it Gale the Maroon Marauder.
What’s your primary flavor of riding?
Mostly commuting, though the overall flavor is to have fun. if it ain’t fun, don’t ride.
What’s the length and frequency of your average ride?
It depends on the seasons. In this land of mostly-summer, I’d say, about twice a week, mostly weekends, with an average of 5 miles, sometimes more depending on what I plan to do on weekends. I drive on weekdays so I try to make the weekend car free as much as possible.
Why did you start riding and why do you still ride?
Short answer: Because I had to and because it’s fun.
Long answer: I started riding after post-Katrina gas price highs. Durham was the first place I’ve ever lived that required wheels — previously, I’d been using my two feet and excellent public transit. Also, my partner and I were going on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, and we would be mostly biking. So I had to learn how to ride at the ripe age of 27. I’d thought riding a bike impossible, since I had tried it before and ended up with bruises and frustrated teachers. Fortunately, I had something going for me– patient and experienced teachers, as well as the fact that people had been biking for a long time since the bicycle was invented. That, and basically, if you can walk, you certainly can bike.
I still ride because it’s fun but also because it’s extremely practical to bike in North Carolina, the land of mostly-summers. Being a born and raised New Englander, I’ve never really been used to the heat, and I’m prone to heatstrokes. Walking forces me to stay outside in the heat for much longer, and takes more time to get somewhere. Biking offers me a quick, efficient, gas-free way to get around, as well as providing those rare breezes to cool me down. That and it is much nicer to come back to a warm bike seat than a burning hot metal car.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen while out for a ride?
Smells. My favorite riding season is spring– the air is rich with scents of wisteria, jessamine, honeysuckle, and just about every flowering thing. Sometimes I’ll smell someone’s dinner or burning chimneys.
Probably the most unusual thing while I’ve been out for a ride is a old preserve in Christchurch, New Zealand. The preserve had the original species from when the British first started colonies and is protected from the outside by gated cages (it’s open to air and sunshine, but not to invading bugs or other critters). Very rare sight, especially so when most of the world’s landscapes are changing.
How would your world be different if you wake up tomorrow and there are no more cars?
Throw a party. Cancel my gym membership, because then I’d have to bike 6 miles each way, 12 miles per day to work. Probably get another Xtracycle so my partner and I can haul more stuff around if we have to. I’d also garden vegetables more often and be efficient about my grocery trips. I’d also bake more often because I would certainly need the fuel!
And I would be far less cranky because not only does biking as exercise provide endorphins, I wouldn’t have to put up with dangerous drivers.
What’s one thing Durham could do to become more bike friendly?
Educate people that streets are for all forms of mass transit, whether it be on foot, two, three, four, six, or eight wheels. I feel that Durham is stuck in a “streets are for cars only” mentality. There’s been progress, but most of these are made by dedicated bicyclists. I would love for everyone to understand that cars are not the only form of transit available and that they are not always necessary, and that in the near future they may very well lose their dominance on the streets as oil supply declines. Also, drivers need to understand that Durham is a city where most sidewalks end and thus provides very few options for people who do not drive…other than the street. They need to learn how to share and to be careful and considerate of pedestrians and bicyclists.
I would love Durham streets to look more like Netherlands or Denmark in terms of bike lanes, but I understand that involves a lot of money. I sigh when I read in the paper that much of the public transportation funds are being invested in making roads wider in order to alleviate congestion. You’d think that if you wanted less cars on the roads you’d have to provide car-free alternatives that are easily accessible, like park and ride rail stations, or even park and ride bus stations, instead of providing even more roads for even more cars, thus not really solving the problem of congestion. Basically, Durham should invest in more available public transit, which will result in less cars, which in turn will result in more bike friendly streets.
delivery bikes
Gwadzilla recently posted a picture of one of these front-basket-and-small-wheel bikes, which reminded me that I saw them all over Buenos Aires, which is where my photo was taken.
I haven’t seen one in Durham yet, but as soon as the Bike Co-op gets welding equipment, I plan to make one.
WRAL: Bicycle Carries Special Olympian to World-Level Competition
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