Spotlighting Cyclists in Charlotte
The past two weeks, we’ve looked at some city laws in Charlotte and how they affect public spaces’ physical appearance and their utility, but this week, we’re going to change directions and talk a little bit about how these kinds of policies affect real people.
How? Well, this week, I went out and talked to people in Charlotte that use their bikes in the city at least once a week to find out why they bike and what their experience has been biking in Charlotte. (Cyclists’ names have been changed to protect their privacy).
Cyclist 1: Bill, 47 years old, lives in the far south of the city with his 5 kids
Why Do You Bike? I primarily bike for fun — I work in an office that I have to commute quite a ways to get to, so it’s a great way for me to get outside in the afternoons and weekends. My wife is also an avid biker, so take it as a chance to do something nice together that’s good for us.
What is Your Impression of Biking in Charlotte, specifically? I recently moved up here from the Lake Wiley area/Fort Mill in South Carolina and down there I usually rode near the lake, whereas now, I’m re-adjusting to city biking. It‘s taken us a little while, but I’ve worked out where some trails are now and I’ve been on 20+ mile rides around the city while managing to stay in a bike lane at least 80% of the time. My wife is from the Charlotte area, so she already had some experience, but she said that it’s much better to bike now than it was when she was a kid. That said, we’ve had our fair share of frustrations with drivers.
Cyclist 2: Veronica, 21 years old, student at UNCC living off-campus
Why Do You Bike? Sometimes I bike on campus because I live a good 30 minutes walk from the main part of campus and I also use my bike to go to the Harris Teeter near campus. Every now and then I also put it on the light rail to get to Freedom Park or other places around Uptown and South End, like Target.
What is Your Impression of Biking in Charlotte, specifically? It has its ups and its downs… literally. Charlotte is so hilly (laughs). But seriously, biking near campus can be such a pain — the only place that’s nice to be is on the Toby Creek Greenway, that’s a really nice ride, but it doesn’t actually go anywhere really except sometimes I use it to get to Harris Teeter, but it’s not direct at all. The one thing that is nice is the bike hooks on the light rail and then from the East/West station, it’s a straight shot to Freedom Park.
[Author’s note: For those that aren’t familiar with Charlotte — the light rail is our urban train. As of now it’s one line and goes from north to south. Most of the train cars have a little spot to “hang up” your bike to minimize how much space it takes up (as pictured) and that’s what Veronica is referring to.]
Cyclist 3: Matt, 29 years old, works in IT Uptown and lives in South End
Why Do You Bike? I usually just bike to work, honestly. I’m actually not that big of a fan of biking, but it beats taking the light rail at rush hour. I hate the crowds and boy is it crowded. It’s only like 15–20 minutes on the bike, so it’s worth it.
What is Your Impression of Biking in Charlotte, specifically? Well, I usually use to so-called “Rail Trail” near my house to get close to Uptown, which is also crowded with people on scooters, but not as bad as the light rail, and then I use the bridge over the highway, you know the one that has the counting thing that tells you how many people went by on a bike today? I actually go past two of those on my way to work (laughs). Anyway, then I pop into Uptown and I’m there. The divided bike lanes in Uptown are good in theory, but I don’t use it.
Conclusions
Well, there you have it. People bike in Charlotte for all kinds of reasons. They’ve had experience with the good (greenways, bike lanes, the “rail trail,” bikes on the light rail) and the difficult (drivers, crowded trails, lack of bike lanes), and the city is only moving forward with this.
