Aug 07 '06 - 1181 W, 1 I - Vote Good + 7 :: Bad - 7 Carless in the Q-C: What does it take to get around town without a car?
Published August 6, 2006 by Quad-Cities Online
By Janee Jackson
Photo:
Gary Krambeck :: Leader reporter Janee Jackson rides her bike along 2nd avenue in downtown Rock Island on her way to work.
I'm in love with my car -- her dark blue seats, leather interior,
air conditioning and engine. She makes me happy and makes me feel
closer to the open road.
Going one day without my car -- using other types of transportation -- only deepened my appreciation for my prized beauty. Still, I decided to see if I could separate myself from her for just one day. It was a day I'll never forget.
7:53 a.m.
My journey began at my Davenport home on West 6th Street. Instead of taking an air conditioned, 15-minute car ride to work, I mounted my bike. Heading south on Western Avenue, I peddled and bounced down the steep, brick road.
The fresh morning air awakened my senses as I peddled toward West 2nd Street. At the foot of the Centennial Bridge, I increased my speed to climb the narrow sidewalk, but couldn't make it.
As drivers whizzed by on their way to Rock Island or Davenport, I pushed my bike up the walking lane of the bridge until I reached a flat surface and remounted. The air was starting to feel muggy as I focused on riding straight in the narrow lane.
Gripping the handles anxiously, I soon realized a few things. Be cautious of Davenport-bound drivers -- who speed more than the posted 30 mph limit. Beware of running into the tall, silver poles or other cyclists and walkers.
As the sunlight sparkled over the Mississippi River, I felt hot, sweaty and very relieved to cross the bridge and make my way to work at The Leader/Rock Island Argus.
9 a.m.
After I caught my breath, I ran to the corner of 3rd Avenue and 17th Street to catch the eastbound MetroLink Route 10 bus. Riders stood around the bus shelter waiting for other MetroLink buses or a Davenport-bound CitiBus.
After I paid the 80-cent fee, a female bus driver in a blue uniform and dark pants gave me a transfer to get on the bus heading to SouthPark Mall. The bus was clean with big windows and hard, blue seats. Most importantly, it had air conditioning.
It expertly weaved through city streets, stopping occasionally to add or spit out passengers. Some riders were silent, while others discussed the day ahead or what was going on in their lives.
After 10 minutes, I was at Moline Centre Station across from The Mark. I hurried to catch the bus for SouthPark Mall.
9:35 a.m.
I can't help but feel euphoric every time I enter a mall. Filled with smell-good treats, clothes, food and other goodies, it's the one place I never get tired of. I love to shop!
Older people in tennis shoes were wearing a path around the locked stores, getting their morning cardio exercise. The stores wouldn't open for another 25 minutes. I decided to join the walkers. After a few minutes, I stopped at the food court where Chico Moreno, 83, of Moline, invited me to his table.
Wearing a plaid shirt, khakis and a hat that read "Top Gun," I joined him and his friends, Darrell and Patricia Good of Moline. I told them about my intended journey, and Mrs. Good recalled her days riding the bus.
While growing up on 11th Street in Moline, she took the bus to get to school, work or just to get to Davenport. If you were lucky, she said, you found someone you knew to give you a ride. "That was just our way of life."
As soon as the stores began to open, I thanked the group, grabbed some cash from the ATM and searched for Bath and Body Works before the 10:35 a.m. bus arrived.
11:12 a.m.
After riding back to Moline Centre Station, I thanked the driver and headed for Bettendorf Transit's Route 1 bus. Smaller than other buses, it's air conditioned with 27 comfortable, gray seats.
The bus driver, in a white shirt and brown pants, worked a crossword puzzle while waiting for his bus to load. But after three minutes, I was his only passenger.
While riding over the Interstate 74 bridge, the clouds continued to turn gray. I wondered if it would rain as I thought of my car and hopped off the bus at the former ShopKo store off Middle Road. With my stomach grumbling, I decided to grab lunch.
Noon
After a tasty bagel sandwich at Bruegger's Bagels, I ran back to the makeshift bus stop at ShopKo to catch Bettendorf's Route 2 East bus for Hy-Vee. Pam Wells, the cheerful driver, could brighten any passenger's day.
The ride went fast as we chatted about drivers using cell phones while driving and who actually rides the buses. She said the mix includes everyone from college students and mothers to older people. A lot of riders take the bus because they don't have money to fix their cars, she said.
"A lot of older people don't want to drive," she said. "They're scared to drive."
She strongly believes Bettendorf needs the buses and hopes the city council won't eliminate the service. Some people would have no transportation without them, she said.
12:30 p.m.
When I reached Hy-Vee, I called Max's Cab Co., to take me to the Davenport Public Library. My driver was Rick Evans, a cabbie from Moline, who routinely has picked up clients in town on business trips and other stops for 16 years. He often works 10- to 12-hour shifts.
The dark blue interior was very clean, and the ride was smooth and speedy. A friendly man, he likes his job because he's got "a certain amount of freedom. You never know exactly where you're going day to day."
12:54 p.m.
Happily seeing no raindrops, I walked to Davenport City Hall and stopped to chat with public information officer Jennifer Nahra, who wondered why I was dressed so casually.
I told her about my journey and added that I was planning to walk back to work. Worried that I would get caught in the rain -- and not taking no for an answer -- she kindly offered me a ride back to work.
Driving across the Centennial Bridge in her Honda, she told me of the latest city developments. I thanked her and asked her to drop me off at the Rock Island police station.
After a long day, I walked back into the office, happy my trip finally had ended, but with a new appreciation for public transportation and a much deeper love for my car.
Oh yeah. My bicycle is still in the storage room at the office.
Fares and Prices:
MetroLink: 80 cents
Bettendorf Transit: 60 cents
Max's Cab Co.: $20 from Hy-Vee, 2900 Devil's Glen Road to the Davenport Public Library, 321 Main St.
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Here’s what I emailed to the reporter (and a trip to the actual article is enlightening, including the photo)
Why did you decide to try to go carless for a day?
Clearly, so you could write a story for your job. I hope that in no part of your mind are you pretending that what you did is anything like what regular riders experience (and I know there are lots of ‘em in the Quad Cities area).
One significant difference between you and other riders is that you were doing it for a story, and obviously have already decided you don’t like it. You clearly didn’t plan for it. A quick trip to http://www.bicyclinglife.com or any of a number of other sites would tell you how to plan for a commute so that it can be a pleasant experience and a viable alternative.
I realized that what really angers me about your cute little missive is that you’re flaunting your consumption and your inability to make it up a hill on a bicycle. You love the mall. You love shopping. You love your luxury. The obvious implication is that a: you are helpless to do anything about it (look! You tried riding… it was just too much!”) and b: why should we even bother? We have what we need.
The rest of the world has to live in the wake of your waste products.
Just for the record, your article dismayed me. I’m glad there are people like the guys who write for Bicycling Magazine, who wrote about “L.A.’s Invisible Riders” http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot.. ) . These guys learned something from their story. I implore you to read it and try to do the same – or, really, honestly, consider that you’re not a slave to your sloth except by your own choice, and that choice harms others every day.
Sue (Email) (URL) - August 10 '06 - 09:07
Great letter! I’m so glad that you took the initiative to send that to the author.The thing that I would like to express to anyone seriously considering going car-lite is too take an incremental approach. While some of us may be able to ‘go cold turkey’ and make a sudden and immediate decision to stop driving our cars altogether, many of us would not be successful with this approach. I happen to be car-free, but this only comes after many years of integrating bicycling and walking as transportation into my life. By the time I actually decided to rid myself of the car, I really didn’t feel that I was performing such an amazing feat. In fact, owning a car had become more of a burden than a convenience.
Consider what seems possible for you. If you happen to make a weekly trip to the coffee shop one mile down the road, consider making that your bike trip. Start with that, and you can add more bike trips when you start building fitness and confidence on the bike. For a quick guide to becoming car-lite visit:
http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot..
Shay (Email) - August 11 '06 - 12:57