Scary Roads and Elusive Bike Racks by Jane Tolbert

More than two weeks ago I discovered (and purchased) a Saris “Bones,” which gives me the freedom to drive to safe biking routes. Given that Florida ranks among the top states in the nation for biking fatalities, I tend to ride very defensively.

But with the onset of warm weather, I decided to bike to run errands from my house. After all, I could use the back roads to get to Office Depot and the public library, both of which are only 10 minutes away. And even with construction, bikes can usually squeeze through.

But quickly, I encountered a major problem. The one back road—a critical intersection that enabled me to avoid the scary traffic—was under construction. Large trenches blocked me. Road construction and detour signs directed all traffic through endless neighborhoods of winding streets, depositing us on the big, scary roads in the midst of weaving traffic. My 10-minute errand turned into a 40-minute ride (well, I did get a workout ). When I arrived, I discovered that Office Depot, where I do a lot of business, had no bike racks. The manager did offer to let me park inside. As for the public library, those books will have to wait. The library has moved the bike rack to a very distance and isolated area by a Dumpster.

Google has recently unveiled its mapped bike routes, according to an NPR story aired on March 31, 2010. These maps will help all cycling enthusiasts to arrive at their destinations safely and quickly. But reader comments related to the bike maps pointed to a few “kinks”—like a 600-mile detour to avoid a bridge. And NPR reporter Jacob Fenston and a friend encountered additional difficulties when they tested a Google bike map to ride from Washington, DC, to Arlington. The estimated 34-minute ride actually took twice that long because all traffic was prohibited in some zones.

The bike map project arose from the efforts of Peter Smith, an Austin, Texas, resident who collected the 50,000 signatures to convince Google to create bike maps. Like Smith, cyclists everywhere dodge drivers on cell phones or with a trailer of lawn equipment or a boat in tow. The other day, a car flipped over on the causeway bridge just hours after I had biked by there.

The day safe bike routes in Melbourne are mapped by Google, I hope they include detours, bike racks and those stores where nice managers offer to help.