Commuter's Corner #8: Take (Care of) the Lane
Now that the thick of hurricane season is upon us, it seems appropriate to reflect on those fearless travelers of roads covered in debris from big windy storms: your friendly local cyclists, of course! You know, those people who love their bikes so much they want to go out and ride around the morning after a great big storm.
Branches down in the street? Who is going to move them out of the way, you ask? Cyclists, of course! WE HAVE IMPORTANT RIDING TO DO. And if clearing the lane is necessary to do so, then so be it.
Last year, Hurricane Irma decided to make a long soiree from north to south right up the Florida peninsula. The morning after the storm here in Gainesville, other neighbors and I sallied forth to examine the resulting mess. We piled branches up for elderly neighbors, broke down trees fallen in yards, and so forth. Naturally, we began to clear the debris in the neighborhood streets so that cars and other vehicles could get by. Police and EMS alike waved at us as they passed.
That done, I turned my attention to the first questions everybody has in their noggin right after a storm: can I get to work/ school/ the store? To answer those questions, I got on my bike. Sure enough, the streets were a total disaster. Even on a cross bike, the ride felt like off road. After having my front wheel turned once too many times, I began my own personal lane clearing operation. Steps had to be taken! So I began hauling branches out of the car lane and BLARFing everything out of the bike lane.
Okay, I admit it: the first day I just removed the really big wheel-turning stuff. Then the second day I aimed for the not-so-wheel-turning stuff, and so on. After a couple of days, the bike lanes were looking positively civilized. As in, only piles of pine needles and the occasional drowned animal. But by then the city had swung into action and provided helpful assistance.
Around the same time, it was brought to my attention that the Gainesville Cycling Club is an official Adopt a Road organization. Led by people more organized than I, we go out with our buckets and sticks and pick up the startling amounts of discarded whatever that somebody around here just throws on tree lawns, driveways, street gutters, drainage ditches, and even (brace yourselves, now) in the bike lanes. This was an eye-opener: steps had to be taken.
This year, I was apprised of the fact that our club also has a Millhopper Road cleanup crew. Millhopper Road, aka NW 53rd Avenue in Gainesville, is a Florida Scenic Byway. And that means loads and loads of trees, with branches, and leaves, and pine needles, and pine cones. Any of these can cause crashes on rides, especially if you are in group ride and don’t get warned or see the debris coming. Every storm goes through, people head out and clean up the lane. I’m now told we have access to leaf blowers and shovels! This is serious business.
All this taking care of the lane has raised my attention to any and all potential hazards along the routes I follow. I find myself stopping more and more, waiting for the all-clear when no other vehicles are going by, and pulling stuff out of the way. If the debris is heavy or extensive, like after a storm, fellow travelers sometimes stop and give a hand. Public byways, you know?
So if you see debris in the lane and you’re not late for your next meeting, take that moment to stop, make sure it’s safe, and clear the lane. You might be preventing somebody else’s crash. And others who happen by will immediately recognize the social responsibility of what you’re doing, and associate it with the hale and hearty local cyclists. Take (care of) the lane!