I’m so happy spring is fast approaching. It was a short winter, but it was a winter all the same. I love biking, but it’s hard to enjoy it when the dry cold air makes my lips crack, my nose run and my eyes water. While you wait out the last throes of winter, check out these awesome North Carolina bike routes. Spring break anyone??

Via the NC Department of Transportation:

Amazing information on mountain biking in NC’s state parks:
http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/bicycle/mountainbiking/

Detailed information on biking in the Blue Ridge Parkway:
http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/bicycle/blueridgeparkway/

Order maps for longer, cross-country routes:
http://www.ncdot.gov/travel/mappubs/bikemaps/

Save travels!

Pictured: Blue Ridge Parkway in the spring. You know you want in on this.

I look back on my childhood now and then, as every hard-working college student must, and wonder about how simple everything used to be. The worst part of my everyday used to be eating peas at dinner time. I had only a few worries, and nothing to stress about, or at least nothing of the sort that fills my daily to-do lists now. I never had to think about how I was getting from point A to point B, because so long as my shoes were tied and someone else could drive, I was as good as there.

Counter that to today. I’m continually chasing time: a better time, fun time, and good time, yes, but above all, more time. You might even hear me say, “I’ve got no time to talk!” Really? When did that happen? I can’t remember ever consciously beginning to make it impossible to get from one place to the next even with my (yet to be mastered) skills of apparition and disapparition. So if you were to ask me why I never biked to where I was going, I’d cite my lack of time to commute.

But is this actually correct? Is the commute by bike really so long, or have I just stretched myself so thin that it’s impossible to rely on anything that I don’t consider instant? Lately, my tired eyes have been reluctant to commit to much, and so I’m more likely to agree with this latter position. Plus, it’s not so much that I didn’t have time to commute… I found myself without time to do much of anything.

For me, the decision to start using my bike again wasn’t so much motivated by the environment or a need to exercise and be outdoors. Those things are wonderful, and excellent bonuses to my real goal. But in a larger attempt to slow down and begin to value the present moment, I’ve decided to bike as a way to keep in tune with my needs and wants, without depending on instant access.

And you know what else? Biking even gets me there on time, too.

(via the European Cycling Federation‘s Facebook Page)

Brian Williams at Duke Parking & Transportation has created a new map of the shower facilities available for registered bike commuters at Duke. The facilities include:

• Fuqua School of Business, only for use by Fuqua students, faculty and staff
• Wilson Gym, for registered commuters
• LSRC-C Wing, for registered students and employees
• Fitzpatrick Center, for Pratt students and employees
• School of Nursing, for Nursing students and employees
• Trent Hall, for Trent Hall students and employees
• Brodie Gym, for registered commuters
• Smith Warehouse, for registered commuters

All of these shower facilities are card access, some of which require special permission. Be sure to check the map description to find out who to contact if you need access to a particular shower facility. As a reminder, all undergraduates have access to the Wilson and Brodie Gym showers throughout their hours of operation.

Be sure to check out Liz Bloomhardt’s column in the Duke Chronicle about the benefits of sharrows. You can read it here or grab a copy from newsstands around campus.

As I’m sure many of you have noticed, the sharrow stenciling has commenced! In addition, a number of the bike lanes are also being repainted, including stormdrain grate painting. Be on the look out for these new improvements.

Also, it is important to thank Brian Williams and Duke Parking & Transportation for making cycling safety a big priority this year. Their efforts are sincerely appreciated.

Duke Chronicle columnist Milap Mehta published an article today describing the commuting situation for off-campus undergraduates. For him, it is simply more cost-effective and convenient to bike to campus than to drive to the Blue Zone or take the La Salle bus. And since Duke has a free bike loan program, it was fairly simple for him to get a bike and start riding. However, Mehta also observed some serious shortcomings in an otherwise awesome program.

Since biking is such a great option for some commuters, I was shocked that bikes are in limited supply at Duke. On any given day there are only one or two bikes available for rental. The Outpost opens at 12 p.m., and usually it runs out by 12:05.

When exploring the bike racks outside of the Outpost, one may find many bikes in various states of disrepair. Some have loose spokes on their wheels, broken brakes and other mechanical malfunctions.

The Outpost office itself appears to be underfunded and undersupplied. In addition to the scarcity of bicycles and the obvious need for repairs, the computers are outdated and the ventilation system seems in drastic need of an upgrade. The less-than-stellar condition of the Outpost is surprising considering the decent condition of most Duke facilities.

If you echo these concerns or have ideas on how to improve the Duke Bikes program, drop us a comment! We’ll be working with other campus groups and administrators to address these and other issues with the Outpost and Duke Bikes and want to ensure that your voice gets heard.

Also, feel free to reach out directly to members of the Duke Administration. Getting input from critical stakeholders helps them do their jobs better and makes it more likely that your concerns will get addressed. Plus, it sounds more convincing to them if they hear it directly from students, faculty and staff rather than through a middle person. The following people will be involved in on-going conversions on the Duke Bike program / the Outpost:

• Jordan Hale, Coordinator for the Outpost, OSAF - jordan.hale [AT] duke [DOT] edu
• Brian Williams, Transportation Demand Management Coordinator, Duke Parking & Transportation – bpw3 [AT] duke [DOT] edu
• Christina Lieu, Vice President for Athletics, Campus Services and the Environment, Duke Student Government – christina.lieu [AT] duke [DOT] edu
• Tavey McDaniels Capps, Director, Duke Sustainability – tavey.mcdaniels [AT] duke [DOT] edu

Duke Parking and Transportation is preparing to make a huge improvement to the biking infrastructure on-campus: sharrows. “The sharrow, a nationally recognized symbol to alert drivers that cyclists are sharing the main traffic lane, will be painted at 25 campus-wide locations, from the Campus Drive tunnel on East Campus to the entrance of Science Drive across from the Washington Duke Inn. ” Painting will occur during the month of November, weather permitting.

I’ve seen sharrows used in Cary, North Carolina and I can attest that sharrows do work to slow down traffic and remind drivers to share the road with cyclists. Drivers would regularly speed at 45 mph through the town, but some roads now hum along at a more manageable (and legal) 25-35 mph since the introduction of the sharrows. Biking on-campus should be safer after these sharrows are painted, but, as always, exercise due caution while cycling.

BE ADVISED: On-campus traffic patterns will be altered for painting throughout November. One lane will be closed for painting for each sharrow while traffic is routed around the work. Please exercise due caution.

“Each sharrow will take a crew of five people approximately 40 minutes to paint, using a large plastic stencil and quick-drying street paint. Painting on the busiest roads, such as Campus Drive, will be scheduled on weekends and evenings to minimize traffic disruption.” More details about the road work will be posted once available.

(Source: Duke Today)